Indian H1b has to leave, but has 140k+ in debts

Reddit legal advice

This a-hole has been here 6 years and owes $140k in Unsecured Debt -

quote:

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I have completely messed up my life and in a difficult situation - looking for advice.

I was a H1B visa holder whose employment unexpectedly ended at the end of March this year. I've used up all 6 years of my H1-B but couldn't get a PERM filed on time - so there are no chances of me to stay in the US and look for employment anymore. I’ll be returning to my home country (India) permanently within the next few weeks.

I have been current on payments till now, but I can't continue paying anymore - I will be starting to miss payments on all accounts from this month (payments due on all from tomorrow)

My debt situation:

• Prosper personal loan: $45,850 (Opened Jan 2026)
• Wells Fargo personal loan: $29,140 (Opened Jan 2026)
• Wells Fargo credit card: $23,102
• Discover card: $10,985
• Barclays card: $10,349 (Opened Feb 2026)
• Apple Card: $5,000
• IRS tax debt: \~$14,500
• Total: \~$140k

I got into this debt trying to make my personal losses ($150k) back from trading and ended up losing all this debt I took. I was receiving severance until today and all of it has been lost as well. All my severance, 401k, HSA, savings - every single thing has been lost. I have no assets - no car, house.

My questions:

1. What are the legal consequences of defaulting on this debt? I am pretty sure I will get sued by all of them and have default judgments against me since I won't be in the US by the time they charge off.
2. Can these creditors pursue collection in India? What are the chances?

The issue I see with filing for a Chapter 7 is that I had sent significant amount of money home to my dad (74) and grandma (93) in 2024 and 2025. I had sent $41k over the course of the year in 2024 and $31k in 2025 of which $21k was in Nov 2025 - I know they ask for 2 years of bank statements during Chapter 7 and will probably question these transactions? I have been sending them money every year since 2018 as family support since my dad has been retired since 2012 but worried that if I file for a Chapter 7 and the trustee questions these and pursues a clawback.

I have only been able to send them enough money that may be able to last them till they die - so I can't risk losing any of it through clawback or any legal actions that these creditors might take in India.

I know I have fricked up

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First, an obligatory...



So, he went chapter 7 and was hiding money from the courts that could have been used to pay down his debt.

What does ICE/Immigration do about debt when someone is being removed? Just tell the creditors tough shite?