7 Rejections, One Big Win: Techie Beats H-1B Odds!

An Indian-origin Microsoft tech professional, Aishani B, has shared her journey of becoming a permanent resident in the United States after years of unsuccessful attempts to secure an H-1B visa.

In a LinkedIn post, Aishani revealed that she applied for the H-1B visa every year from 2019 to 2025 but was not selected even once in the lottery.

Describing her experience, she said the first rejection was painful, the second was easier to process, but repeated failures gradually became harder to explain.

“By the third, fourth, fifth time, you stop telling people. Not because you’re ashamed, but because there’s nothing new to say,” she wrote.

She moved from the US to Canada in 2022 and later returned to the US in 2023 on an L1 visa.

Reflecting on the emotional toll, Aishani said repeated rejections slowly affect confidence.

“It’s not just one moment of disappointment. It’s a quiet erosion of certainty,” she wrote, adding that questions like “Am I good enough?” and “How long do I keep trying?” became part of her journey.

In 2025, she finally secured a Green Card under the EB-1 category, which is meant for individuals with extraordinary ability. She admitted she never imagined qualifying for it, especially after facing multiple rejections.

“What kept me going was a quiet belief that there was a reason for this, and a stubbornness that refused to quit,” she wrote, adding that her setbacks did not mean failure, but simply that a different path was waiting.

Aishani, who regularly shares insights on immigration, also spoke about the identity struggles faced by many migrants.

She said immigrants often feel “in between” — seen as someone who left in India, an outsider in the US, and someone starting over again in places like Canada.

Her story has resonated with many, highlighting both the challenges and resilience involved in navigating the global immigration system.