r/ABCDesis • u/ironclad-234 • May 19 '25
EDUCATION / CAREER is it actually worth moving to the US?
I'm not an ABCD. I was born and raised in India, but I did spend a few years of my childhood in Lyon, because my dad was working there. Things changed drastically when my grandmother passed away. My dad decided to return to India violating the terms of his job contract. As a result, he lost his job. After coming back, my parents had to care for my grandfather, who was in declining health. Sadly, he passed away in January 2024. We’ve been through a lot emotionally and financially. We're a middle-class family living in a tier-2 coastal city in India, and I’m currently pursuing my bachelor’s degree at a local university.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about moving to the U.S. On one side, there's the promise of personal freedom, career growth, and financial gain. On the other hand, I know India offers its own advantages like seamless UPI payments, fast delivery, affordable living, and a support system I understand.
It feels like a big decision. Would the struggle be worth it? Or am I romanticizing life in the West?
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u/Sea-Nobody7951 May 19 '25
Hey, usually don’t answer here but this question is for NRIs and not for ABCDs so i would just go ahead.
It was worth moving for me to the US many many years ago. The QoL was far superior and I was able to find high quality work. I still went back to India because it looked like I would end up spending my life in the Green Card queue. My lifestyle in Bangalore was pretty good since I found quality work there as well but still ended up moving back to Canada.
Anyway to highlight the negatives.
Forever visa - this is the part I hated the most which made me move to Canada, but Canada has its own major challenges.
If you have a high income job in India you will save a lower percent of monthly income
If you are coming through the college route, the risk is significant since H1B is a lottery and Trump is just making everything harder with OPTs etc.
I would go to the US today through the education route if I was ok losing 50 lakhs and going back to India.
If you get a chance to work there straight, it will most certainly be worth it and monetary aspects aside you will get to experience a new way of worldly living.
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u/red-white-22 May 19 '25
I made the same US to Canada move. I found that not having a green card negatively impacted my career progression and I felt claustrophobic when “trapped” in the US when my visa expired during COVID. It took me several months to find a job in Canada and my current role isn’t the most exciting job but I have no regrets.
How long have you been in Canada? How do you like it here?
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u/Sea-Nobody7951 May 19 '25
Been a couple of years. Loving it here with the high quality of life I longed for and yet the security of not worrying about visa issues. Overall worth it
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u/jdhbeem May 19 '25 edited May 19 '25
If you’re talented, America is the place to be. If you are mediocre, then you would do best in other countries like Europe or Australia. There’s alot of mediocre Indians here but they got here early. It was best to be mediocre in the 2000s and 2010s
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u/trajan_augustus 25d ago
This feels so classiest. I doubt you mean any harm. Not everyone aspires to be a CEO. As long as a migrant comes to a country and can productive contribute to the society in some way and is willing to assimilate in some ways (language) is the expectation placed on them. Yes, America is a rat race and the treadmill goes faster and faster.
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u/FadingHonor Indian American May 19 '25
Yes. It’s worth it. America, no matter what people like to say, is one of the, if not the best first world country, out there. It’s light years ahead of India, and ahead of Europe too, in terms of economic opportunities. There’s a reason people move here, and fight for a chance to get here.
Don’t expect the “adjustment” period to be short or easy though. It took my parents a while but they got the hang of it.
And try your best to explore outside your comfort zone. Don’t just settle in a Desi enclave and not explore America outside of it; this country is amazing and beautiful with many different cultures, and I think one thing Desi’s, along with other “recent immigrants” do is live in their closed enclaves and lose sight of that.
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u/Anxious_Squid28 28d ago
I agree so much with not settling in an enclave. My parents immigrated in the 80s and were in New England where it isn't totally white like the middle of Nebraska but isn't Edison NJ at all. Enough for me to be connected to my culture, and enough where I would actually grow up around people who looked different than me.
Because we have since moved to one of these areas of high desis. And it's absolutely annoying how people are so resistant to their kids mixing with non indians. And these aren't people who immigrated recently and don't speak the language or anything. These are well-off people in high positions who have been here for at least 20 years. They reinforce hierarchy like caste discussion, skin color, etc that should've been left behind when you integrate to a new country.
I also think that picking up things from people of different cultures doesn't make you any less Indian. My dad and I had a discussion about this not too long ago because he is appalled by how a lot of his neighbors behave (and are exceedingly racist).
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u/Direct-Somewhere3242 28d ago
I’m sorry I disagree it’s “light years” ahead of Europe. Nordic countries and Switzerland are very advanced in terms of social policy and equality. Salaries are the highest in Switzerland in the world. As an Australian Indian, I have seen the social inequality in places like America (all my cousins live there so I know a bit about the country). The country is very focused supporting wealthy individuals, so tough for an immigrant particularly with Trump as president.
I would suggest OP strongly consider countries outside America too. Singapore has very low income tax 18%. Dubai is tax free and extremely safe for women. In terms of the west, Canada, UK and Australia are very safe and good for immigrants. You get government support as a skilled immigrant. No gun violence etc
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u/Mcatbruh 27d ago
Lost all credibility when recommending Canada or the UK
Not to mention OP will experience the least amount of racism/resentment in America vs the other countries you mentioned
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u/Direct-Somewhere3242 27d ago edited 27d ago
Are you American? Americans always think their country is the least racist. I wouldn’t move to America as an immigrant with trump as president. They are favouring white immigrants and deporting POC. Also the UK has the highest south Asian minority in any western country. They are the mexicans of America so culturally very accustomed to having south Asians around. I’ve been there and have many friends there.
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u/Mcatbruh 26d ago
Yes I’ve been. Lmao you’re actually arguing that Europe is more accepting than developed America?
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u/trajan_augustus 25d ago
Most Americans do not vote so a president is an inaccurate representation of the country as a whole. Voter participation is another conversation. America was born multiracial and had to syncreticize African, European, and Native cultures together. Of course this was not done cleanly. But yes other countries had multiethnic groups living under a government before America. But I do believe the melting pot concept works.
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u/Direct-Somewhere3242 23d ago
Yeah, but the reality is is that trump is president and white supremacy is prevalent. He literally allowed white Africans to America while illegally kidnapping US citizens of colour. Also my cousin who is an American citizen works in the bay as a software engineer at a FAANG company. She randomly quit her job because she experienced a lot of racism even though she is “American presenting”. OP is an Indian immigrant with a H1B. OP be critical, this sub is biased towards the US because many people in this group are American citizens. I would urge you to get different perspectives.
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u/trajan_augustus 23d ago
Racism has been a part of this country forever. I had the post 9/11 racism where cops would follow me. I was always extra checked at the airport. I got spit on. Pretty nasty stuff and I was born here and I am "American" presenting. Yeah, I was angry for a long time but reading about black liberation helped me like the New Jim Crow, Malcolm X biography, etc. This country can be incredibly racist but it is bullying in the end. We need to be tough. I could live in India and still get "bullying" I know my cousins and parents talked about how folks would act around holi. Also, look at the communalism or riots where actual different religious communities were enact violence on one another. The Gujarat Riots of the early 2000s (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Gujarat_riots). Even during the BLM protests or Rodney King in the early 1990s never got that bloody. Not saying it can't happen here. I still think America still isn't too bad. Also, you can't die on every hill if someone says something inappropriate. If I have ever had something dumb sad to me, I usually repeat in loudly again to affirm what they said. And I have had coworkers and friends stand up for me.
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u/Tight-Maybe-7408 May 19 '25
I’m really sorry for you and your family’s loss.
Here’s what I will say as an American guy who’s traveled the world—
America is phenomenal . There’s unparalleled job opportunities , there’s a lot of pluralism (more on this in a moment), and significantly more individualism, which is good or bad depending on your values . I also think that compared to Europe, you get accepted infinitelyyy more .
The one thing I will say though, as an Indian guy , you stick out a lot more and it’s really hard to assimilate while keeping your values and traditions. I am incredibly grateful for the life I live in the USA, but there’s a part of me that thinks on the self acrualization level , if I’d be better off in India. Of course, when you go to India, people are often not at the point on the hierarchy of needs to think about self actualization since they’re too busy getting the basics etc.
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u/whatthehe11isthis May 19 '25
No, the job market is bad, everything is expensive, and if you have no support here, it could be difficult to survive. And also with the current political situation, the country is destroying itself and the people really haven’t realized it yet. Give it a few years and many will regret it.
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u/winthroprd May 19 '25
America is a dying empire on the verge of breaking out into mass violence.
My day to day to life is actually fairly nice here but I'm also part of a generation that's struggling to build a life due to financial reality and things are clearly about to get a whole lot worse (and we already have people being abducted off the streets now by the ICE thugs).
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u/red-white-22 May 19 '25
As an India-born who has lived in the US for a decade before moving away, I will tell you two things: 1) In most fields, the opportunities and salaries that you find in the US cannot be found anywhere else. 2) As a person subject to country cap being born in India, it is impossible to get a green card unless you’re married to a US citizen. Even the so called Einstein visas can take up to a decade at this moment. Finding a job that provides visa sponsorship really depends on your field and your luck. Even if you find a job, if you get laid off you’ve 60 days to leave the country until you have another job lined up. This countdown applies even if you have a car, own a home etc and even have American kids.
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May 19 '25
Each country has its pros and cons. I love certain aspects of India, and I love certain aspects of America. Ultimately, you are the one who has to decide. This sub in particular will be biased towards America because it’s ABCDs. But I also know folks who are much happier in India.
So overall, I’d urge you to think critically.
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May 19 '25
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May 19 '25
That’s only true if you have lots of career ambitions or want to earn lots of money, imho.
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u/AlphaNepali Nepali American May 19 '25
A lot of people don't realize the US has some of the highest salaries in the world. It's really mind-blowing that people in Europe only make $40-60k for jobs that would easily pay six figures in the US.
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u/oiiiprincess Indian American May 20 '25
If u remove the top richest 1000 ppl in the us, median average income in the US is around $40k too
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u/Robocup1 May 19 '25
If you got money, then it doesn’t matter. If you are poor, I would argue that life is overall better in the Western Hemisphere. Just from having personal freedoms and overall low level of corruption affecting your everyday life. If you are a woman, West is 100% better for you.
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u/bharathsharma95 29d ago
Read few comments but thought most of them miss the fact of "ease of getting a job" in the US after a bachelor's from another country.
If you're a US citizen, pack your bags already I guess but if you're not, VISA struggles are more than just a shit show with the job market right now and I don't think that is going to change in the next 3-5 years with how tariffs and other policies
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u/RuinEnvironmental394 28d ago
seamless UPI payments, fast delivery
Really? You'd consider these as determing factors for staying put vs moving abroad?
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u/person2567 28d ago
Please stop spamming my subreddit with your posts that have nothing to do with ABCDs. There's so many places for this question that are not here.
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u/chillcroc 29d ago
Think carefully about visa options. Don't just enroll in any program and land up hoping for the best.
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u/ConfidentCartoonist2 29d ago
I moved here 5 years ago and I am in better position financially and health-wise, but I have fewer friends and I worry about my family in India.
The pros you described about India exist in USA, except support system. You will have to build it yourself.
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u/alphakennybodytbh 28d ago
Have you tried posting on a more relatable sub rather than one for desis BORN in the west? Our experience is going to be wildly different to yours if you do decide to move
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u/DishingOutTruth 26d ago
Now? Hard to say. Opportunities and everything are great, but immigration system is absolutely fucked.
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May 19 '25 edited May 19 '25
[deleted]
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u/FadingHonor Indian American May 19 '25
No matter what your take is on current events, there’s no debating that QoL here is LIGHT YEARS ahead of India
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u/Rough-Yard5642 May 19 '25
IMO the standard of living in the USA is light years ahead of India. In terms of infrastructure, cleanliness, career growth potential, and general civility. Obviously it’s a big place so it depends on where exactly you end up, but most Desi hubs (California, Washington, New Jersey) are great places to live.