Indian Researcher's 14-Year Journey To Receive US Green Card Viral: 'American Dream'

Following President Donald Trump's imposition of a massive fee on new H-1B visas, an Indian researcher has gone viral on LinkedIn after he shared his 14-year journey to becoming a permanent US resident. Rajavasanth Rajasegar's quest for a Green Card began in 2011 when he arrived in the US on an F-1 visa to pursue a master's in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign UIUC).

"Since then, I've been fortunate to have a privileged, streamlined path: F-1 renewals, OPT + STEM, a cap-gap exempt H-1B during the pandemic, and eventually a transition into faculty," wrote Mr Rajasegar, adding that he benefited from 'tremendous investment' into his study.

He received seven years of fully funded graduate education at UIUC and five years of postdoctoral training at Sandia National Laboratories. After completing his education, Mr Rajasegar became a tenure-track faculty member at Colorado School of Mines.

"Even with that support, the visa clock never felt far away. I told myself I'd try EB1A - if denied, I'd look for opportunities elsewhere. The process had its bumps: an unexpected RFE questioning the relevance of my work, another round of letters, and then eventual approval."

Despite never having any financial problems or job insecurity, Mr Rajasegar said he had a feeling of uncertainty regarding his future in the US.

"I still remember asking my manager in Feb 2020, "Can we start H-1B just in case?" Three months later, while the world was shutting down, I had it in hand, along with a letter affirming "You matter to us and to the US" I was even granted an exception to complete my H-1B stamping, thanks to mentors who believed my work mattered. But until now, the clock was always ticking."

Reflecting on the milestone, Mr Rajasegar said: "Today, that clock doesn't exist. That's the only real difference and it's a big one. I hope the American Dream, whatever it truly means, stays alive and accessible for the students and professionals who, like me, come here not just for themselves, but to contribute to the future of this country."

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American Dream

On Friday (Sep 19), Mr Trump, in his latest attempt to crack down on immigration, signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 (Rs 88 lakh) fee on fresh H-1B visa applicants.

The Republican leader stated that the new visa fee was to ensure that people being brought into the country were "actually very highly skilled" and that they would not replace American workers.

The H-1B visa is a temporary US work visa that allows companies to hire foreign professionals with specialised skills. It was created in 1990 for people with a bachelor's degree or higher in fields where jobs are deemed hard to fill, especially science, technology, engineering, and math.