Immigration policies are changing at breakneck speed.

For people chasing the American dream through the coveted H-1B visa, it has meant a year of chaos.

In September 2025, the Trump administration introduced a $100,000 fee for certain new H-1B petitions, triggering a yearlong fallout that has seen the administration make and propose more changes touching multiple rungs of the immigration ladder, from student visas to green card sponsorships.

In a statement last month, a White House spokesperson said the H-1B fee was intended to focus sponsorship on "truly highly specialized temporary labor." A USCIS spokesperson said the agency's goal is to ensure employment-based visa programs "supplement, not supplant American workers."

Over the past year, Business Insider has spoken to more than two dozen H-1B visa holders and hopefuls. Our reporting zoomed in on individual lives, observing how the visa system has affected foreign nationals' careers and families. It also stepped back to assess what the data and testimonies reveal about who — and which industries — have been hit hardest by the past year of policy changes.

One of our major goals throughout this project was to chronicle and document the impacts of a year of American immigration policy upheaval. The other was to keep the spotlight on the humans whose lives, careers, and dreams are shaped and sometimes disrupted by those very policies.

Together, these stories form "H-1B Fallout," a look at what the past year's changes reveal about the future of skilled immigration to the US.

The big picture

Our reporting team examined the H-1B system from the top down, speaking with immigration lawyers and experts in policy and economics to identify the industries, employers, and workers emerging as winners and losers under changing rules. Our data reporting team analyzed the latest federal data around H-1B applications to capture the tangible changes in application patterns.

We explored industry-wide trends through various lenses, digging into the trade-offs that come with pinning your future on the H-1B visa and exploring which countries highly skilled foreign workers are turning to if their American dream falls apart.

In their own words

This project began with the people living through the H-1B system. Before reporting the broader trends, we spent hours listening to foreign nationals who had received or applied for an H-1B visa, many of whom had been caught in the crosshairs of the immigration system and shifting visa rules.

In Business Insider's signature "as-told-to" format, they shared what brought them to the US, the sacrifices and challenges of building a life there, and whether pursuing the H-1B dream ultimately paid off.

Many of the people who spoke to Business Insider for this series expressed qualms about making themselves visible during a time of intense immigration crackdowns.

Here's a selection of their stories.

On camera

Three people who spoke with Business Insider shared their stories in video interviews.

Each said they had hoped to build a life in the US through the H-1B visa system, but ultimately left when those plans fell apart.

Now, they are starting anew elsewhere and navigating the personal, professional, and financial consequences of an American dream that did not work out as planned.

Watch and listen to their stories below.

Do you have an immigration story to share? Get in touch with our reporters at ccheong@businessinsider.com and abharade@businessinsider.com.