1 day ago
H-1B Visa Holder Leaves US To Rejoin Family
Disha Lamba moved from India to the United States to study and build a career.
She earned a six-figure salary as a data scientist and received an H-1B work visa.
Even though she liked her life in New York, she missed being close to her family.
She also felt the visa rules made work and travel harder.
The visa could make changing jobs or taking a break more complicated.
In May 2026, she quit her job and moved back to Gurugram.
She spent two months taking a career break while living with her family.
At the same time, the US government was considering rules that could make H-1B work more expensive and restrictive.
Disha Lamba moved to the United States in 2021 for a computer engineering master’s degree at New York University.
She later secured a six-figure data scientist job at CVS Health and won an H-1B visa.
Lamba returned to Gurugram in May 2026 to live near her parents and brother.
She said visa restrictions made changing employers, earning additional income, traveling, and taking career breaks more difficult.
Proposed US measures could raise H-1B fees, eliminate the unemployment grace period, and end some H-4 spouse work permits.
- Who
- Disha Lamba, a 28-year-old Indian data scientist who held an H-1B visa.
- What
- She left her six-figure US job and returned to Gurugram after deciding that family closeness and greater career flexibility mattered more to her.
- Where
- She moved from New York in the United States to Gurugram, India.
- When
- She returned in May 2026 after moving to the US in 2021 and working at CVS Health from 2024.
- Why
- She wanted to be closer to her family and was dissatisfied with restrictions associated with the H-1B visa.
Key facts
- Age
- Disha Lamba is 28 years old.
- US arrival
- She moved to the United States in 2021 to study computer engineering at New York University.
- Employment
- She became a data scientist at CVS Health in 2024.
- Visa
- She won an H-1B visa lottery and said the visa limited job changes, additional income, career breaks, and travel flexibility.
- Return
- She returned to Gurugram in May 2026 and moved in with her parents and brother.
- Proposed H-1B fee
- The US Department of Homeland Security proposed raising the H-1B visa fee to $103,265.
- Indian beneficiaries
- The article says Indians account for more than 70% of H-1B visa beneficiaries.
Quotes
Disha Lamba
Indian data scientist who left her US job and returned to Gurugram
“When the clock hit 5 p.m., there wasn't anyone around to ask me how my day was. I had friends, but friends can't be your family. I kept having to organise my video calls with my mom, who's my best friend, around the time difference.”
NDTV
“I had a great life in the US, but decided to move back in May 2026, primarily to be closer to family. I also wasn't OK with the restrictions that come with the H-1B visa.”
NDTV
Sources
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