A New Kind of Immigration Summit Is Coming to the U.S.

In 2023, Soundarya Balasubramani published Unshackled, a book that helped high-skilled immigrants understand their pathways to study, work, and start companies in the U.S. Since then, she has built an online community, launched a country-wide book tour, and become a trusted voice for thousands navigating the American immigration system.

Now, she’s taking that mission offline.

This August 15–16 in San Francisco, Soundarya—alongside co-organizer Nikin Tharan—is hosting the Open Atlas Summit, the largest ever gathering focused on high-skilled immigrants in America. With over 1,000 attendees across the job fair and main conference, 30+ visa-friendly startups, and dozens of immigration experts, investors, and policymakers, the summit is designed to give immigrants not just information—but momentum.

“We didn’t create this summit because we had all the answers,” Soundarya says. “We created it because so many of us had the same questions. How do I stay? How do I build? What are my options? The Open Atlas Summit is our way of saying: you don’t have to figure it out alone.”

A Shifting Landscape

The need for such a summit is clear.

Over one million Indian immigrants currently live and work in the U.S. on temporary visas like the H-1B. Many face backlogs that span decades, while new policy shifts add confusion to an already-complicated system:

• The H-1B lottery is being restructured to prioritize higher salaries, potentially sidelining early-career professionals.
   
• F-1 student visa revocations this year triggered panic across campuses, many tied to minor technicalities.
   
• In April 2024, USCIS implemented major fee increases, raising H-1B petition costs by 85% and adding a $600 fee even to employment-based green card filings.
   

• Denials and RFEs for EB-1A and NIW cases have surged—even among highly accomplished applicants.
  
   

   

“Attorneys are seeing a much higher incidence of denials for NIW and EB-1s than we’ve seen in the past,” said Kripa Upadhyay, a seasoned immigration attorney and one of the leading legal experts speaking at the summit. “Even applicants with multiple patents and commercialization evidence are getting rejected. For applicants, this is obviously an intensely frustrating experience—some are even considering options outside the U.S.”

While policy memos have made these pathways seem more accessible, actual outcomes have become less predictable. And enforcement—once discretionary in many cases—is becoming more rigid.

“What the present administration is focused on is enforcement of laws that were previously not followed or not as stringently followed,” Kripa added. “For example, the recent spate of issuing Notices to Appear (NTAs) for individuals in the 60-day grace period after ending H-1B employment. This used to be a gray area. Now it’s under active review.”

A Gathering of Builders

The summit’s lineup includes seasoned advocates and emerging voices alike:

• Ajay Bhutoria, former advisor to President Biden
   
• Vijay Amritraj, tennis legend and humanitarian
   
• Kirthiga Reddy, former Managing Director of Facebook India
   
• Kripa Upadhyay, immigration attorney and founder of KRV Legal
   
• Tanay Kothari, Gen Z founder and CEO of Wispr Flow
   

“When you're starting a company, you're rejecting other job offers and stability in life to carve your own path,” said Tanay, who built his company on OPT. He credits the O-1 visa—a merit-based alternative to the H-1B lottery—for giving him the stability to do that.

It’s no surprise that one of the summit’s most talked-about sessions will be focused on the O-1 visa itself. Leaders from Boundless, Alma, and Lighthouse—three legal-tech startups helping immigrants apply for talent visas—will be on hand to break it down.

But more than the names on stage, the Open Atlas Summit is defined by the people in the audience: students on OPT wondering what’s next, founders in green card limbo, and creators building personal brands while navigating visa restrictions.

A Critical Moment

The stakes are growing.

“The political landscape has shifted toward restrictive immigration measures,” said Ajay Bhutoria, former advisor to President Biden on the AANHPI Commission. “This conference is vital to unite advocates for fair immigration reforms, ensuring policies support America’s economic and cultural strength through streamlined visas and protections for skilled immigrants.”

For Soundarya, the summit isn’t just about policy—it’s about people. “I’ve interacted with hundreds of highly skilled students and workers who were either misinformed or unaware of the lesser-known pathways available to them,” she says. “The summit is a space to bring both sides of the equation together—those who’ve successfully navigated the system, or experts who’ve spent decades in the trenches, with those still searching for clarity and support.”

The Open Atlas Summit is not a solution to the legal immigration crisis. But it is a response from the very people that the crisis affects most.

And maybe that’s where real change begins.

Register here for the Open Atlas Summit: https://openatlas.events/