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This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ananya Joshi, a 26-year-old Indian national who lost her job in 2025, had to exit the US because of her visa status, and moved to Germany for a new opportunity. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I inherited the American dream from my father, who wanted to go to the US but lacked the financial means.

Growing up in New Delhi, we had a little Statue of Liberty souvenir on display in our home. My father saved for years so I could study in America.

After completing my bachelor’s degree in India, I moved to Illinois in 2022 to pursue a master’s in biotechnology at Northwestern University.

I graduated in 2024 and worked in the US until I abruptly lost my job and had to leave the country.

Living it up in Chicago

In college, I started working for a startup developing lab-grown meat. It was part of a six-month research program. The internship led to a full-time job offer, paying about $75,000 a year. I worked on an F-1 OPT visa.

I was working as a bioprocess scientist, helping develop methods to scale up cultivated meat production.

My job was busy; I often worked seven-day weeks, but I got a kick out of doing innovative things and learning every day, so I didn’t mind the hustle.

Living in Chicago came with perks, including inexpensive rent. I paid $1,500 a month for an apartment in Evanston, about 20 minutes from downtown Chicago. I was able to keep my expenses below $2,000. I was traveling, going on road trips, and living it up.

Then came the visa problems. My company, which had initially promised to help me apply for an H-1B visa, realized it couldn’t keep the promise. The company said it couldn’t complete E-Verify, the federal employment verification system.

My OPT was about to expire in July 2025, and I wasn’t able to devote time to job hunting because of my heavy workload.

In May 2025, I told the company I would like to resign or work part-time because I need those last two months to figure things out.

I got let go the next day.

Saying goodbye to the US

I started applying for jobs in cities around the world, focusing mostly on the US but also in Europe, Canada, and Australia.

Even after getting about 20 interviews and making it to the fourth round multiple times, I was still not getting a job. This took place between May and July 2025, when immigration turbulence was starting to rise in the US.

I got two job offers, one from a company in Germany and the other from Canada. People around me spoke highly about the stability of Germany and all its labor laws, and having gone through so much, I realized I needed that stability.

So, in January this year, I moved to Rostock, a small city about three hours north of Berlin, to work at another lab-grown meat startup.

I’ve had to get used to a new work culture. The company has ambitious goals, but the research and development process is more bureaucratic than what I found in the US.

Adjusting to small-town life

In both New Delhi and Chicago, life never seemed to slow down. So adjusting to life in a small city has been difficult.

Rostock is much cleaner, feels safer, and has walkable streets. I don’t take that for granted. There’s a beautiful beach and a jungle trail that leads to it.

But it’s a small place, and there’s not that much to do. The language barrier is a problem too; English is spoken at work, but it’s all in German outside. I’ve started taking German classes.

It’s also not the best place for connectivity. The nearest airports are Hamburg and Berlin, both more than three hours away. As an immigrant, being able to travel easily matters a lot to me, especially if I need to fly out quickly.

Right before I lost my previous job, I had started dating my now-boyfriend, Ishan.

Now we’re in a long-distance relationship between the US and Germany, and I’ve flown back once to visit him. He can’t leave the US right now because, although he was selected for an H-1B visa, he hasn’t been able to secure a visa stamping appointment at a US consulate in India.

Not sure what the future holds

I’m super confused because I’d really like to go back to the US, but I can’t forget what I went through. It doesn’t feel smart to move back until things look more promising.

I miss the environment the US provides, fast-paced, where people tell you that anything is possible. I’ve seen the job opportunities and the investments in my field, and it makes me wish I could return.

When I was in the US, I planned to follow the set path: work on an H-1B visa, then apply for my green card. I’m seeing a different way of life. It has made me more open-minded toward other possibilities.

I’ve considered starting my own thing in India, maybe in Mumbai or Bangalore, after a few years in Germany. India is close to the US in terms of opportunities, and there is so much potential to continue growing my career there.