https://www.financialexpress.com/trending/i-feel-hurt-numb-and-disappointed-international-student-says-hr-pulled-the-plug-on-h-1b-visa-plans/4079217/lite/
I feel hurt, numb and disappointed’: International student says HR pulled the plug on H-1B visa plans
An international student’s Reddit post reveals how an H-1B visa approval was withdrawn after a role change, leaving him jobless and facing an uncertain future in the US.
Written by Anjana PV
December 16, 2025 23:16 IST
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After years of studying, landing a job and finally getting selected for the H-1B visa, life can feel like it is finally falling into place. But what happens when that dream suddenly comes to a halt?
A young international student has shared his experience on Reddit, telling us how his H-1B visa journey took an unexpected U-turn after his employer decided to withdraw support, leaving him with just weeks to find a new job or leave the US.
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A job that felt ‘perfect’
In his Reddit post, the student said he completed a Master’s degree in Marketing and was actively looking for work while on Optional Practical Training (OPT). In July 2024, he secured a role as a Sales Enablement Coordinator, which matched his education and skills.
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In April 2025, he received what many international students hope for selection in the H-1B lottery. “I was very happy to be among a few thousand candidates chosen for this visa, especially considering the current immigration climate,” he wrote.
By June, he had also received the Form I-797 approval notice from USCIS, and everything appeared to be on track. H-1B was expected to kick in by November 2025. At work, he said he was doing well, creating sales materials, launching an internal intranet, and preparing teams for conferences.
Management changes and a sudden role shift
Things began to change when the HR executive he worked with left the company. The organisation went through management changes and layoffs, and his role was suddenly altered. He was moved from Sales Enablement Coordinator to Marketing Coordinator under a new team, with just one day’s notice. “There was no transition plan, no clear instructions and no job description,” he wrote.
For months, he said he handled responsibilities from both roles while HR tried to refill his old position. Only after two months did he receive a written job description by which time he felt the role had become more administrative and less strategic. “I felt grateful that I even had a job,” he wrote.
‘We need to amend your H-1B’
In late November 2025, he was called into a meeting with HR and informed that the company would need to file an amendment to his H-1B application because of the role change. “We will do our best, but there is no guarantee,” HR told him, according to the post.
Still, he remained hopeful. That hope was short-lived.
Visa withdrawn, exit timeline set
In December 2025, just before he was about to go on time off, he was urgently called into another meeting with HR and his supervisor.
The company informed him that it was withdrawing his H-1B application. The reason they gave was surprising, the Marketing Coordinator role was considered “too general” to qualify for the visa. He was also told his last working day would be in two weeks, right before Christmas. If he failed to find another employer within the 60-day grace period, he would have to leave the US.
“I felt hurt, disappointed and numb. I tried my very best, but this cancellation changed the trajectory of my life. I thought I had three more years in the US,” he wrote.
‘H-1B for sales role?’
Netizens were divided over the student’s situation. A user asked, “Is this for real? H-1B for sales and marketing coordinator?.” Another noted, “The job can be done by any half intelligent college grad in America, saying this as someone who has been on the receiving end of sales enablement in sales for 10 years.”
“We had a general data analyst who did excel spreadsheets at my last job and people here defended it saying it’s hard to find people qualified,” added a netizen. “The HR was wrong in the first place to use H1B but its interesting they got I-797 approved, so perhaps the HR got creative in defining this role as very complex that fit specialty occupation. But if USCIS scrutinizes it, it would have been difficult to prove its specialty,” claimed another.
“H1-B for sales/marketing is absurd, no surprise it was cancelled,” noted a netizen. ” Not sure H1-B was ever meant for “sales enablement” or “marketing”… this is the problem.. abusers of the system,” wrote another.
(This story is based on a post shared by a social media user. The details, opinions, and statements quoted herein belong solely to the original poster and do not reflect the views of Financialexpress.com. We have not independently verified the claims.)
