Pay or lose H-1B visa: Indian in US says Indian-origin CEO took $100K, files suit

Summary

An Indian H-1B work visa worker in the US has filed a lawsuit in the state of Texas alleging that he was forced to pay his employer nearly $100,000 to keep his job and maintain his legal status as an H-1B beneficiary, which would let him stay in America. The individual, identified as Rishikesh Raj Meesala, said he was threatened with being reported to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE (immigration enforcement agency)) when he resisted demands made by his Indian American employer, Sai Jitender Kalagra. According to US-based news outlet The American Bazaar, Indian national Meesala claimed that he paid substantial sums to keep a Michigan-based job. In a lawsuit filed by immigration litigation firm Banias Law, Meesala claimed the job position offered him a pathway to permanent residency and eventual US citizenship. Court documents cited by the news outlet stated that Meesala first entered the United States on a student visa, completed a master's degree in 2023 and later secured employment that led to H-1B sponsorship. The complaint further alleged that company officials demanded that Meesala effectively paid his own salary in order to remain employed and preserve his immigration status. Such documents are often essential for H-1B workers seeking to transfer to another employer, renew their status or demonstrate compliance with visa requirements. Indian workers, in particular, have heavily benefited from the H-1B programme. According to the USCIS (U.S. immigration agency) Characteristics of H-1B Speciality Occupation Workers report for FY 2024, India-born beneficiaries received 283,397 approvals , representing 71% of the total 399,395 H-1B petitions approved that year. Similar lawsuits filed in recent years have accused employers of underpaying workers, withholding employment documents, charging unlawful fees and using immigration-related threats to discourage complaints.