'It was never about the job': Viral post claims H-1B demand would crash without green card path

A viral post on Reddit has sparked debate over the real motivations behind America’s H-1B visa programme, with the author — an Indian-American, naturalised US citizen, and former visa holder — bluntly stating that “nobody comes here for the H-1B job. They come for the chance to stay.”

The post argues that without the pathway to a green card, the number of H-1B applicants would “collapse overnight.” Describing the programme as a “slow-burn psychological torture,” the user listed the constraints faced by visa holders: being tied to a single employer, inability to freelance or change jobs without risk, restrictions on bringing aging parents, years-long green card backlogs, and vulnerability to sudden layoffs with just 60 days to leave the country.

The author further claimed that the current system primarily benefits Big Tech, outsourcing firms, universities, and politicians, while leaving workers “stuck playing immigrant roulette.” Without the prospect of permanent residency, the post argued, the H-1B would simply be a short-term guest worker scheme “with no safety net, no real freedom, and no long-term plan.”

The post ends with a question for current H-1B holders: “Would you have come if there was no green card at the end? Or would you have stayed home, taken that European offer, or waited for Canada to call?”

The post caught the attention of many netizens, with several sharing personal stories that underscored the complex and often conflicting reasons behind moving to the US on an H-1B visa.

One user, who moved to the US in 2014 at the age of 35, recalled how most immigrants at the time believed they would secure their green cards within five to six years. “That was the common understanding, and it’s what we planned our lives around—careers, families, homes,” they wrote. But as the scale of the backlog became clear between 2018 and 2020, the reality hit: for many, the wait would stretch into decades, sometimes beyond their working lifetime. “Once you’ve built a life somewhere… it’s incredibly difficult to just uproot and start over,” they added, admitting they would likely retire without a green card and eventually return to India.

Another commenter dismissed the green card as a personal goal entirely: “Nah, I am not here for the GC. I just want to increase my bank balance and get the fck outta this hellhole and live a king life either in India or South America. I don’t want no depression or hefty medical bills as I age.”

A third perspective came from a user who left a stable job in India to self-fund a Master’s degree in the US, aware of the “priority dates fiasco” from the start. For them, the appeal of an H-1B was the career boost and financial gains over a decade on the US payroll, not permanent residency. However, after years of failing to win the visa lottery despite strong credentials, they eventually moved to Canada — a shift they say derailed their financial goals. “Now in 2025 I wouldn’t recommend anymore to come here even for a Master’s degree,” they concluded.