One of the Bengaluru software engineers was selected in the H-1B lottery by CGI in 2022. His visa got stamped in January 2023, and he was to depart for the U.S. in April.
A week prior to departing, the project was cancelled.
It could not have been at a worse moment. He and his wife had vacated their rented residence, and she had quit working. Both had to return to India and start again.
In 2024, an American consultancy company (name not specified) provided him with another chance. They told him that his stamped visa was not yet expired and switched his H-1B.
He moved to the U.S. once more, but this time had to face a toxic work environment that compromised his health.
He began job hunting and received offers from Capgemini and AAA. After serious deliberation, he joined Capgemini.
He submitted all the documentation and waited nearly four months. And then the shock — Capgemini told him that they would not continue his H-1B due to possible legal problems, such as new stamping.
He had already leased an apartment in Atlanta and started making relocation plans by then.
The financial and emotional toll was immense. The experience made one appreciate how irresponsibly some corporations make choices that impact workers’ lives in serious ways.
This is not a one-time occurrence. There are numerous H-1B professionals caught in the same limbo — between loopholes in the law and corporate insensitivity.
Verbal assurances no longer cut it. To those who are navigating this system, legal counsel and written guarantee are necessary.
The system is not going to change overnight, but being better informed can short-circuit agonizing detours.
