Indian woman seeks help in getting F-1 visa appointment, Bill Ackman responds and receives massive backlash: 'Why don't you finance a Harvard in Kerala'

A social media post by a woman from India’s Kerala snowballed into such a massive flashpoint that the woman deleted her X account and the post where she expressed her helplessness as she was not able to get an appointment for an F-1 visa. Threcy Jo Lawrence said she is from Kerala and she got into Harvard Law School with more than 90% scholarship. But she is now stuck at the visa level as she can’t get an F-1 visa appointment, and she only has 25 days left. She also mentioned that the course can’t be deferred, and she opened an X account only to talk about her situation.“My name is Threcy. I’m from Kerala. I’m an incoming LL.M. candidate at HLS Fall 2026. For nearly two months I have tried everything. No slots. No dates. Nothing. My program starts August 13. I need to be there by August 10,” the student claimed. The post and the account are now deleted.“I don’t come from a family with connections. I have no contacts at embassies or in government. I am just a first-generation student who worked for this for years — and I am 25 days away from losing it because of a slot,” she said.The post blew up after American billionaire Bill Ackman sympathized with Threcy and sought help on Threcy’s behalf. O”ur immigration policies need to be reformed to allow the best and brightest to be educated in the USA and stay here to create value for our country. As long as their values are aligned with the long-term interests of our country, their visas should be fast tracked. Can someone in immigration help this young woman?” Bill Ackman wrote.

‘Best and brightest are Americans’

X users slammed Ackman for concluding that the Indian woman in question was among the best and brightest. “And just HOW, I might ask, are you determining these are the “best and brightest” in the world? Fraud is rampant in degrees granted and letters of recommendation from students who are not American citizens (well documented, especially from India). You of all people should be better informed. Your ignorance in this area truly saddens me,” one wrote.“Why don’t you finance a Harvard in Kerala, then?” another wrote.“I’m the best & brightest and I’ve been unemployed for just under a year. Since then – applied to hundreds of jobs, built truly innovative products, & kept my fam together. I’d be sol if I didn’t save & invest. How many people do you think truly understand value creation? Takes more than Harvard to understand that,” a third user wrote.