H-1B Lottery Loss Sparks Huang’s Move to Taiwan for Entrepreneurship

(UNITED STATES) Wen-Hsing Huang, a Taiwanese graduate and Amazon software engineer, is leaving the United States after two unsuccessful H-1B visa lottery attempts, saying the move brings “freedom” from an immigration system he felt kept his life on hold. Huang arrived in 2022, built a résumé that many international students dream of, and still found that chance—not merit—would decide whether he could stay. After missing the H-1B selection again in April 2025, he chose to return to Taiwan to start a business, calling the decision an affirmation of his values, not a retreat.

Huang was among the top graduates of Taiwan’s National Central University (Taiwan national Central University). Like many peers, he pictured a familiar route: continue under an F-1 pathway, secure a job with sponsorship, transition to an H-1B visa, then pursue a green card. He poured family resources into that plan, borrowing $100,000 from his parents to fund schooling and living costs in the U.S. The clock ran fast after graduation; without stable status tied to a job, he faced the prospect of leaving sooner than planned.

Even as the tech sector shook in 2022—when layoffs swept companies including Meta and Twitter—Huang landed a role at Amazon. It was a major break that confirmed his skills were in demand. Still, the job couldn’t guarantee stability. The H-1B visa process, built around a lottery and strict quotas, left him waiting, then disappointed, and finally resigned to a reality he could no longer accept. “I believe America still exists in spirit,” he said. “But for me, leaving means freedom. I can finally live life based on my values, not a visa.”

A two-time H-1B lottery miss

In April 2025, Huang’s second miss in the H-1B lottery ended his plan to stay in the United States indefinitely under employer sponsorship. The process had already demanded compromises—career choices shaped by immigration deadlines, personal plans deferred by chance.

The second rejection pushed him to act. Rather than endure another year of uncertainty, he decided to move back to Taiwan and build a company where his future would not rest on a random draw.

Huang’s story mirrors what many international graduates and tech workers describe privately: even strong résumés can’t overcome a system defined by luck. The lottery decides who can move forward, and those left out face hard choices—switch roles, change countries, or leave the field.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, these lottery-driven outcomes shape both personal and labor-market decisions, as skilled workers rethink where to build careers when selection hinges on chance rather than performance or demand.

A choice shaped by risk, debt, and time

Huang’s decision reflects a careful weighing of risks. He had taken on six figures of family debt, navigated a shaky job market, and lived through two lottery cycles that turned life planning into a coin toss.

Once the April result arrived, he drew a clear line: no more waiting. He would return to Taiwan, launch his venture, and set timelines he could control.

Key pressures highlighted by his case

• Lottery-based visas can leave even high performers stuck in limbo.
• Corporate layoffs and quick market swings can undercut sponsorship plans overnight.
• Policy shifts and geopolitical tensions can throw long-term plans off course.
• Heavy financial burdens make delays and uncertainty harder to absorb.

Huang’s case is not about losing faith in the United States. It’s about rejecting a future dictated by visa odds. In his words, leaving is “not surrender — but liberation.” The choice is also a reminder that immigration pathways shape lives well beyond work permits: they influence when people marry, buy homes, start families, or launch companies. When status is uncertain, the personal toll grows.

The H-1B system and broader implications

The H-1B visa remains a core route for employers to hire high-skilled workers. But its cap and randomness mean countless qualified people never get a chance. For many, that risk is bearable; for others, like Huang, it becomes the deciding factor to move on.

“If the system sets your limits, change the system you operate in by changing your location.”

For readers who want to review the program’s framework, official details are available on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services H-1B page: https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations.

Huang’s path also reflects a quiet shift among some international graduates who arrived with long-term U.S. plans, only to face a pileup of constraints—tight windows for status changes, employer timelines, and visa lotteries. The outcome is not always departure, but it often forces a new calculation:

1. Wait another cycle and hope to be selected.
2. Shift roles or geographies with more predictable rules.
3. Reframe ambitions and build elsewhere — as Huang chose.

Huang resolved that question plainly. Returning to Taiwan lets him build on his own schedule and align work with his goals. It also removes the constant fear that an application, a layoff wave, or a policy change will upend his life. That sense of control became the deciding factor.

Implications for employers, workers, and students

For employers, stories like Huang’s raise concerns about talent planning. Companies invest in recruiting and training, only to see promising staff leave when a lottery result blocks a path forward.

For workers, it’s a reminder to keep backup options open:

• Consider opportunities in other countries.
• Plan timelines that don’t depend on a single visa window.
• Set financial cushions when possible.

Huang’s choice will resonate with students weighing U.S. degrees and early-career professionals deciding where to stake their future. It underscores the gap between performance and permission: he earned a degree from a top university and won a job at a leading tech firm, yet still couldn’t secure stability.

There is no single right answer to these dilemmas. Some will wait another cycle and get selected. Others will shift paths. Huang took a third route: he reframed leaving as progress rather than retreat.

A reset on his own terms

As he returns home, Huang carries both the skills that made him competitive in the United States and the clarity he gained through two lottery cycles. His next steps—starting a company, charting his own path—are tied to the same drive that brought him to the U.S. in 2022.

The difference now is control. In that sense, his departure is less an ending than a reset on terms he chooses.