2 weeks ago
Indian Professional Secures O-1 Visa After Three H-1B Rejections
A man named Sohan Sethi grew up in Mumbai, India, and always dreamed of studying in America.
He worked hard, saved money, and moved to Chicago in 2022 for a master's degree.
After he graduated, he got a good job working with health data and computer programs.
To stay in the US after studying, many students try a lottery for a work visa called the H-1B.
Sethi tried the lottery three times, but he was never picked.
That meant he might have to leave the country.
So he applied for a different visa called the O-1, which is for people who are very good at their job.
He gathered more than 700 pages of proof, like awards and published work, and paid about $13,000 to lawyers.
After a stressful wait, his visa was approved.
Now he can keep working in America, and his mother and brother in India were the first people he called with the happy news.
Sohan Sethi, 29, a data analytics and AI professional who grew up in Mumbai, was rejected from the H-1B visa lottery three times.
He switched to the O-1 visa, which is not lottery-based but requires applicants to demonstrate extraordinary ability in their field.
By February 2026, Sethi and his lawyers had assembled more than 700 pages of supporting evidence, and he spent about $13,000 on legal fees.
His third H-1B rejection came in March 2026, leaving him roughly 100 days before his STEM OPT was due to expire on July 5.
His O-1 petition, filed in April 2026, was approved after US authorities issued a Request for Evidence, and he now manages a healthcare data analytics team.
- Who
- Sohan Sethi, a 29-year-old data analytics and AI professional who grew up in Mumbai, India, and now works at a healthcare company.
- What
- He secured an O-1 visa after three H-1B lottery rejections, allowing him to stay and continue his career in the US.
- Where
- The United States, where he moved in January 2022 to study in Chicago.
- When
- His third H-1B rejection came in March 2026; he filed his O-1 petition in April 2026, with his STEM OPT due to expire on July 5.
- Why
- He believed the opportunities, infrastructure, and exposure for data analytics and AI careers in the US are difficult to find elsewhere.
Key facts
- Name
- Sohan Sethi
- Age
- 29
- Field
- Data analytics and AI in healthcare
- H-1B lottery attempts
- 3 (all rejected)
- Legal fees
- About $13,000
- Supporting evidence
- More than 700 pages
- Education
- Bachelor's in computer engineering from University of Mumbai; master's from University of Illinois Chicago
- Current role
- Manager of analytics and reporting at a healthcare company
Quotes
Lawyer representing Sohan Sethi
Immigration lawyer who handled Sethi’s O‑1 petition
“I considered those options too, but I couldn’t find another country where I felt I could build the same career. I work in data analytics and AI, and I believe the opportunities, infrastructure, and exposure available here are difficult to find elsewhere.”
NDTV
“I had a wallpaper on my laptop of a bridge overlooking the Chicago skyline. Every time I felt exhausted or anxious, I would minimise everything on my computer and look at that picture. Eventually, I got accepted and arrived in Chicago in January 2022.”
NDTV
Sources
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