The Trump administration's strict visa regulations have affected many foreign workers from across the globe. From deporting illegal immigrants to denying entry to legal work visa holders, the impact of the latest US visa policies has been felt by people belonging to every stage of society. One such individual affected by these recently changed regulations is Zifan Wang. A machine learning scientist working at Meta.
US visa setback forces relocation
The scientist used to live in San Francisco. However, seeing no other option, he has finally decided to change his address and move to London. Wang is a PhD holder in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.
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The AI scientist had been residing in the US as an O-1 visa holder. Earlier, he went to China to visit his family and friends. However, while returning, the US embassy officers refused to stamp his O-1 visa for re-entering the country.
What is an O-1 Visa?
Meant for people with extraordinary ability, the O-1 visa covers fields like STEM(science, technology, engineering and mathematics), business, arts and sports. Unlike the H-1B, it has no annual cap. It does not involve any lottery. The approval rate is also high.
Making it one of the trusted and reliable options for top professionals trying to get to the US. But the O-1 visa eligibility criteria come with some top of the line requirement. One is required to achieve big awards or strong research work to qualify. The visa is granted for three years at first. It can be extended without limit. Big firms like Google and Tesla sponsor it. Despite its high cost, it offers speed and certainty.
I am moving from SF to London! Looking forward to chatting with people here working on AI and AI safety ĂĂÂ.
â Zifan (Sail) Wang (@_zifan_wang) January 27, 2026
When I visited my family and friends in China last month, my O1 visa stamp for re-entrance was denied so it is not possible for me to return US immediately after my trip,
Social media reaction to visa denial
Being a Meta machine learning research scientist with a PhD in computer science and around 6,900 academic research citations, Wang was just the right candidate for the O-1 visa.
In a recent post on his X handle, Wang wrote, "When I visited my family and friends in China last month, my O1 visa stamp for re-entrance was denied so it is not possible for me to return US immediately after my trip, which was unexpected and crazy. I have been studying and working in US prob like for 7 years."
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While some raised concern for the situation Wang had to go through, some even showed curiosity regarding the incident and his visa status. However, many expressed their willingness to meet him and welcomed him to the UK with open arms. One user wrote, "London is a great city. I had a great time when I lived there: so many parks, museums, Wimbledon, Lords etc. I hope you will return to US soon. But, enjoy your time in London."
After all the drama at the US front, Wang has taken his relocation to the UK in a positive way and left a witty question at the end of his post that reads, "What is the fastest way to adapt to âchipsâ and drive on the right side đ?"
