Capitalmind CEO Deepak Shenoy flags problems with ‘restrictive’ H1-B visa: ‘Cant leave the US, can't start…’

The H-1B visa is quite restrictive as it may leave a visa holder at the mercy of a company to stay in the United States and restricts people from spending vacations outside the US or starting their own companies, according to Deepak Shenoy, founder and CEO of Capitalmind.

While sharing the drawbacks of working in America on an H1-B visa, Shenoy wrote in a post on X, “You can work with one company, but you're at their mercy - they fire you, and you get a very short time to find another job or leave.”

‘Can't leave for vacation, can't start a company’

He also underlined how an H1-B visa holder is not allowed to start his or her own company. H1-B Visa holders are also required to renew their visas every three years, a process which Shenoy described as “very slow”.

“Every three years you must renew or apply for a green card, which can take forever and for some of that time you're out of a visa but with a green card application that does not allow you to enter the country, so you can't leave for a vacation outside the US cos they won't let you back. You can't just start a company as an h1B yet full time cos that means you'll get kicked out for not having a sponsor,” read Deepak Shenoy's post on X.

Later, he also urged Indian youths to return to India after studying abroad to establish themselves.

What is H1-B visa?

H1B visa is a work visa which allows people from other countries to live and work in the United States for an American employer. One of the main eligibility for H1B visas is that the job must be in a speciality occupation requiring a high level of expertise or skills, like jobs in IT, healthcare, engineering, finance, etc.

H1-B visa for Indians

Thousands of Indians apply for H1B visas every year. However, it is not easy for everyone to get one due to the delay in process and higher number of applicants from across the world. Many Indian workers face decades-long backlogs for their H1B visa applications. Indian workers with H1 B visas are vulnerable, because of their strict timelines where they are required to find new employment within a limited period to avoid deportation.