I was rejected from the H-1B lottery 3 times. I spent $13,000 to secure another way to stay in the US.

Sohan Sethi was rejected three times in the H-1B lottery before his O-1 visa was approved in June 2026. Provided by Sohan Sethi Sohan Sethi, now 29, was born and raised in Mumbai He had never been to the US before enrolling at the University of Illinois Chicago. After being rejected three times in the H-1B lottery, his O-1 visa was finally approved in June 2026 This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sohan Sethi, 29, an Indian national who faced three H-1B lottery rejections…