This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Luciana Pereyra, a 25-year-old Peruvian national who moved to the US at 17 on a tennis scholarship, lost her H-1B-sponsored job in 2025, and had to return to Peru. It has been edited for length and clarity. I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Disha Lamba, 28, who lives in Gurugram, India. The following has been edited for length and clarity. I was born and raised in India. As an introvert, I liked being in my comfort zone, but my dad dreamed of sending me to the US for my
This essay as told is based on a conversation with Gu Yichen, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in California. After being laid off by Google, he returned to Amazon, where he works on an H-1B visa. His words have been edited for length and clarity. I spent my sophomore year of high school as an