Sudden job loss amid US visa chaos leaves Indian worker living his worst fear after chasing the American dream

Economic Times ^ | 10/6/2025 | Staff

[marcusmaximus]

For thousands of Indians who move to the United States in pursuit of education, career growth, and stability, the American dream often represents more than just financial success — it stands for freedom, opportunity, and personal achievement. But as immigration rules tighten and job markets fluctuate, many find that this dream can unravel overnight. The story of one 32-year-old Indian worker, who spent four years building a life in the US only to face sudden job loss and visa uncertainty, reveals how fragile this dream can be.

The worker, who moved to the US in 2021 on an F1 student visa, shared his experience in a Reddit post titled “Feeling lost about returning to India after my STEM OPT ends.” After completing his studies, he began working under the STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program — a temporary employment option for graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

His career path seemed stable until his employer unexpectedly terminated his project, leaving him without a job just months before his visa expiration. He had planned to transition to a Day 1 CPT program to extend his stay, but with limited time and a tightening job market, his chances dwindled. The sudden shift left him feeling as though he had failed to make the most of his opportunity and was being forced back into the life he had once left behind in India.

Responses from other users highlighted how common such experiences have become among foreign professionals in the US. One commenter said that employers often exploit workers on temporary visas, promising future sponsorships but withdrawing support when convenient. Others pointed out that securing new employment within a short timeframe is increasingly difficult, especially given the current slowdown in the white-collar job market and the high salary threshold of over $100,000

[Bikkuri]

Here, for your worthless troubles, soapy:

[sopo]

thanks for the laugh

[sopo]

Bakhtari

[Bikkuri]

Anytime.

[sopo]

Biblically, three races, Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, Japheth. John MacArthur’s argument from his 2001 sermon on Genesis 9:To give you an illustration of that, the scientists have estimated that in theory if just two human parents – just two -could produce more children than there are atoms in the universe, no two would be exactly alike.

You say, “How can that be?”

Because of the staggering variability in genetics. So as people mated, repeatedly variations began to occur - because there is almost an infinite number of variables possible with just two people - and eventually produced the various shades of skin and features. All this coming out of the original gene pool of Adam and Eve and the second gene pool of the family of Noah. You can add to that defective genes causing mutations downward, never upward. But there really, in the end, is only one race: man. I want to emphasize that - just one race: man.

I told you, when I was going through Genesis 3, the difference in genetics between any two people in the world – just pick two; any two no matter how diverse they are, any two – the difference in genetics between any two people in the world, even if they’re from the same group, is .2 – 0.2, that’s the difference.