- Indian-origin Microsoft engineer faced seven consecutive H-1B visa rejections from 2019 to 2025
- She moved to Canada in 2022 and returned to the US on an L-1 visa while Microsoft kept filing for her
- In 2025, she secured a US Green Card through the EB-1 category for extraordinary ability
An Indian-origin software engineer at Microsoft has gone viral after sharing her long and uncertain journey to securing a US Green Card after facing seven consecutive H-1B visa rejections. Aishani B, a senior software engineer, revealed that between 2019 and 2025 she entered the H-1B lottery every year without being selected even once. What began as disappointment gradually turned into what she described as a "slow, quiet erosion of certainty," as repeated setbacks led to growing self-doubt.
Reflecting on the emotional toll, Aishani said that while the first rejection was difficult, she learned to rationalise the next. Over time, she stopped discussing the process with others, not out of shame, but because there was nothing new to share.
"What nobody tells you about losing repeatedly: It's not one moment of disappointment. It's a slow, quiet erosion of certainty. Am I good enough to be here? Would someone else have figured this out by now? "How long do I keep trying?" she wrote in a LinkedIn post.
Read the post here:
Notably, a Green Card, officially the US Permanent Resident Card, grants the right to live and work in the United States indefinitely, unlike the H-1B visa, which is temporary and typically valid for three years.
In 2022, she moved to Canada to continue her career while Microsoft persisted with her H-1B applications. A year later, she returned to the U.S. on an L-1 visa, with the company continuing to file on her behalf. Her breakthrough came in 2025, when she secured a Green Card through the EB-1 category, often referred to as the "Einstein Visa" for individuals with extraordinary ability.
Looking back, Aishani noted that during her years of rejection, she didn't feel exceptional, just exhausted. What kept her going, she said, was a quiet, steady belief as she continued to build her skills and life between each setback. She concluded by urging others not to focus solely on rejection counts, but on the progress they make along the way.
"A quiet belief that there was a reason for this. And a stubbornness that refused to find out what quitting felt like. 7 losses didn't mean no. They meant "not this way." If you're counting your own rejections right now, the number isn't the story. What you build in between is," she added.
Her post has since resonated widely, with many sharing similar experiences of persistence through uncertainty. One user wrote, "When you will look back after many years, these 7 will be the best No. you ever got; in hindsight, dots always connect."
Another commented, "You're an inspiration! America needs you," while a third said, "Very inspiring.
