According to a report by the Hindustan Times, a post has been circulating on social media platform Reddit recently. In the post, an Indian H-1B visa applicant described his successful interview process at the U.S. consulate in Chennai, India.
The post describes the interview as pleasant, friendly, with simple and direct communication between the applicant and the visa officer, lasting less than a minute.
The applicant politely greeted the officer with “Good morning, how are you?” to which the visa officer responded, “Good morning! Where is your passport?”
The officer then proceeded to verify the applicant’s work location, years of service, and overall experience. The applicant stated that he is a software expert who had been working at a FAANG company for three months under an F-1 visa, mentioning that the job was progressing smoothly and interesting.
Following that, the fingerprint collection process was also completed smoothly, and the visa officer told him, “Your visa is approved!”
His visa status changed to “approved” on the 16th and was issued on the 17th. He is currently awaiting notification to collect his visa.
The post sparked discussions and many found it incredible.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order on September 19 to impose a one-time application fee of $100,000 for H-1B visa applicants. This move is part of Trump’s immigration policy reform measures, widely interpreted as aimed at reducing foreign labor to protect the U.S. job market, causing fear among many foreign talents.
It is widely believed that start-up companies may be most severely affected. Professor John Skrentny from the University of California, San Diego, stated, “If you are a startup with new technology, despite receiving venture capital, concerns about funds exhausting too quickly, this policy could be fatal.”
In contrast, large tech companies benefiting the most from H-1B visas, while impacted broadly by the new regulations, can still continue to hire top talents worldwide with their strong financial resources.
The FAANG company mentioned by the Indian who got his H-1B visa approved in less than a minute is one of these large tech companies.
FAANG is an industry term comprising the initials of the most influential tech companies in the U.S., namely Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google.
This term was coined by CNBC host Jim Cramer in 2013, initially covering the FANG companies and later including Apple due to its significant market influence in 2017.
In a Reddit discussion thread, the applicant was asked if this was his first time applying for stamping. He replied that this was his first time transitioning from an F-1 to an H-1B visa.
Clearly, unlike many applicants who apply for H-1B visas from India, he transitioned from an F-1 visa to H-1B. He had already been working at a FAANG company in the U.S. for three months, sponsored by his employer, and had to leave the U.S. to return to India following the visa requirements, apply for visa stamping to switch to an H-1B visa before re-entering the country.
The applicant further confirmed that his Form I-797B was approved in 2022, and he applied for the switch from F-1 to H-1 in 2024.
Form I-797B is a notice issued by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for foreign worker applications, like work visas, to verify that the employer’s application for the holder of the form has been approved by the government. As this form does not include I-94 entry/exit records, the holder must present the I-797B form to a U.S. consulate abroad to apply for visa stamping before re-entering.