Long waits for US visa appointments are causing trouble for many Indian immigrants. An H-4 visa holder in Seattle missed her brother’s wedding in India last month. She watched the ceremony online and congratulated them by phone. She shared, "Last month, I missed my only brother’s wedding ceremony that was held in India. We congratulated the couple over the phone." She added, "I watched a live stream of the wedding with tears rolling down my eyes as I carried out my mundane chores, like packing kids’ school lunches, on a cold Seattle morning, while my brother said his vows. It hurt bad, but going to India currently, with no definite clarity on the visa appointment, would have meant inviting more uncertainties in our lives." Thousands of Indian workers and families on US work visas deal with delays and unclear visa timelines. They face tough choices between family duties and risking their return to the US. Immigration lawyer Gnanamookan Senthurjothi advises H-4 and H-1B visa holders to stay practical. He says, "This situation presents a profound conflict between deep emotions surrounding the loss of their father and practical solutions to protect his US status and career. Still, as an immigration lawyer, I would not want them to travel abroad, as the chances of returning to the US immediately look very bleak." Senthurjothi warns that traveling abroad can cause serious financial and job problems. "If he/she travels abroad, we are hearing about people stuck in India for several weeks or months, and during that time they end up losing their job," he said. He also highlighted the steep cost of changing employers later, saying, "Any new petition that will be filed by a different employer will attract a $100K fee." Some visa holders stuck in India with employer permission try to work remotely. On this, Senthurjothi said, "H-1B holders permitted short-term remote work until a visa is issued from India should remain on US payrolls as long as feasible."