H1B visa seekers share ordeal of not getting selected in the lottery

Hundreds of visa holders and visa seekers have not been selected for their H1B visa, and not being chosen in the initial or even the second lottery is disheartening.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced that additional registrations would need to be selected to reach the numerical allocations for the fiscal year 2024 and a second round of the lottery was conducted, which could have provided another chance for those not initially selected. But does that resolve the US visa fiasco? Guess not!
Shreya Mishra, a former International student turned TPM at visa, who is pursuing her STEM degree in the US, took to LinkedIn to spit out her frustration over the visa system.
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“I spent ~$100k on a STEM degree in the US, & now only have 1 chance left for H1B. Where does this leave me?” she expressed. “It’s been 2 days since I found out that I wasn’t selected in the H1B lottery even on my second chance. This means that if I don’t get H1B in my last chance next year, I have to leave the U.S.”
“H1B visa is a painful death. Your freedom and dreams both are taken away for life,” another LinkedIn user piped in their frustration while addressing the issues with the H1b lottery system.
“This immigration journey is full of obstacles despite of the fact that you work so hard to get your most coveted degrees, acing the interviews and getting a job. And every journey is so different from each other. I always think we are ready to take the difficult road but do we still know the end-goal?” Kanupriya Dhiman, an IT professional based in San Francisco, shared her part of the ordeal. “It’s been more than 10 years since I’m here and I still don’t know whether we would get the GC [Green Card] ever in my lifetime.”
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One X user chimed in, “2013 was the last time H-1B visas were available, day one after the lottery opened and closed. With over 700k applicants and just 85,000 visas, it’s evident that our current quota needs to catch up to market demands. Time for a reassessment.”
“i f**king hate h1b visa man. I understand immigration requires process, but being able to start those processes should not require you to be selected from a F***ING LOTTERY. like seriously, who thought this was a good idea?” one user posted.
Of course majority of the students is aware of the challenges which could be encountered during their studies abroad; however, most end up confronting even more distress and stress in a completely foreign environment. Being one of the great common experiences among international students, many of them had a long travel route for their visas to be approved under H1B or green card programs.
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Regrettably, the battles head-on for those who have no chance but go back home are rarely talked about, making them think like failures due to nothing of their own. While many never give up on themselves, the way they had to go is understandably difficult for those who never managed to maximize the number of H1Bs.