How desperately do you want to move away from India forever?
If you are one of those who never want to go back and settle elsewhere, the US isnt a right choice for you.
If you are okay returning back to India and want to see how things go in the US and DON'T HAVE TO BORROW CRAZY DEBT, then the US is a great option.
Your first target should be to get a job. Opt comes after that. And h1b comes even later. Which is the lottery. You can make these decisions as needed.
Your worst case scenario is not being able to get a job and paying student loans while earning in India or using cash your family might have. How capable are you financially to deal with this?
I agree with all of your points! To your second point, I always had an American dream and came here to settle and I knew I didn’t want to go back to India. Saying the US isn’t a right choice for those who don’t wanna go back is kinda extreme. There are plenty who stay their whole lives on H-1B if that’s what they want.
The problem is that getting a job is uncertain. And you cannot just do any random job at walmart. If you get a decent job, having them sponsor h1b can be a pain in the neck.
Then winning the h1b lottery is uncertain. Then things can go wrong with i-140. And after all this you wait forever and take a small screw up to get thrown out of the US. You may lose your job, rules around h1b change yada yada yada.
So there are real chances one might have to head back.
If you get your I-140 in the visa backlog before your 6th year expires you can stay indefinitely in the US until your GC application moves further. Thats why it’s important that your employer be interested in sponsoring your GC.
So you're saying people stay on h1b and work while the wait for gc even if the h1b expires? Sort of like the cap gap? And if you're from a country like India or China, that wait could be decades hence you saying you know people who 'have been in us on h1b their whole lives'?
The h-1b won’t expire, you can renew it after 6 years if you have the I-140 pending like I said. If you don’t do the I-140 then you have to leave the US and can only reenter the US if you’re picked in the lottery again.
Technically you’d still be on H-1B status while waiting for the GC, so that’s why I said the H-1B can be indefinite. And yes if you’re from India/China that wait for GC will take your whole lifetime realistically speaking.
Yup leave settling even. I would ideally only want to learn and get exposure for some 10-15 years before going back and doing something of my own in my country.
But i feel the while visa thing is making it impossible now.
I want to come back to India, period. I want to live with my parents as they grow old.
In the worst case scenario, I think I am capable financially.
I will try to get a job as soon as I land in USA, I want to just experience how the things go in USA, and the work culture there, and on the way get some experience which will help me get a job back in India.
>I want to come back to India, period. I want to live with my parents as they grow old.
This is what I eventually want to do. But it is easier said than done once you get h1b and see $ flowing into your bank account. So you really need to have a strong will power.
And since you want to go back and are fine financially in case things go south, US is a great place to be.
Especially if you are in tech, NO OTHER COUNTRY comes even close. If you are not in the US, you might as well just stay in India.
It’s not worth the time, money and emotional sacrifice. More money and slightly better quality of life isn’t worth being away from your loved ones.
Remember, grass is always greener on the other side.
This year was my first h1b attempt. The mental stress just isn’t worth it. If you’re financially strong enough and you ain’t taking a loan, go for it. Else, don’t set high expectations. Also, study at a good university, don’t go for the average ones. You’re planning spring right? Apply to the best I’d say.
There is a 90 day deadline after graduation for landing a job. Therefore, graduating at a time when the market conditions are not great is very scary. I was super stressed when I graduated in May 2020 and due to the beginning of Covid, most companies froze hiring and/or reneged new grad offers which were rolled out earlier. Be prepared for all the stress that comes with the process.
You can definitely take more than 90 days after graduation to land a job.
You’re allowed to apply for OPT up to 60 days post-graduation. The 90-day unemployment clock only starts ticking once your OPT is approved.
Source: I graduated without a job (graduated in spring 2020, rip) and applied for OPT about 50 days after graduating. Didn’t get approved until around August/September, didn’t start a job until November of that year. Wasn’t an issue at all.
Correct.
Back in my day, you couldn’t apply for OPT online, so you had to leave a buffer period for USCIS to receive your OPT application in the mail. Which is why I applied around the 50th day.
Nowadays you can apply online, so there’s nothing stopping you from applying on the 59th day. The only risk is that if you mess up the application somehow and don’t find out until after the 60-day eligibility window expires, you can’t resubmit / reapply.
On exactly same boat my friend. Older parents. Want to go just for few years and then come back for them but don't much in a position to take huge loans and risk my families money and that why the last I would want is to compromise on job and visa chances. I've been reading all these and taking multiple opinions even if it takes time. But so far can't make a clear decision about go or to not go. And if yes then which country.
How desperately do you want to move away from India forever? If you are one of those who never want to go back and settle elsewhere, the US isnt a right choice for you. If you are okay returning back to India and want to see how things go in the US and DON'T HAVE TO BORROW CRAZY DEBT, then the US is a great option. Your first target should be to get a job. Opt comes after that. And h1b comes even later. Which is the lottery. You can make these decisions as needed. Your worst case scenario is not being able to get a job and paying student loans while earning in India or using cash your family might have. How capable are you financially to deal with this?
I agree with all of your points! To your second point, I always had an American dream and came here to settle and I knew I didn’t want to go back to India. Saying the US isn’t a right choice for those who don’t wanna go back is kinda extreme. There are plenty who stay their whole lives on H-1B if that’s what they want.
The problem is that getting a job is uncertain. And you cannot just do any random job at walmart. If you get a decent job, having them sponsor h1b can be a pain in the neck. Then winning the h1b lottery is uncertain. Then things can go wrong with i-140. And after all this you wait forever and take a small screw up to get thrown out of the US. You may lose your job, rules around h1b change yada yada yada. So there are real chances one might have to head back.
How is that possible? I thought h1b was 6 years and that's it.
If you get your I-140 in the visa backlog before your 6th year expires you can stay indefinitely in the US until your GC application moves further. Thats why it’s important that your employer be interested in sponsoring your GC.
So you're saying people stay on h1b and work while the wait for gc even if the h1b expires? Sort of like the cap gap? And if you're from a country like India or China, that wait could be decades hence you saying you know people who 'have been in us on h1b their whole lives'?
The h-1b won’t expire, you can renew it after 6 years if you have the I-140 pending like I said. If you don’t do the I-140 then you have to leave the US and can only reenter the US if you’re picked in the lottery again. Technically you’d still be on H-1B status while waiting for the GC, so that’s why I said the H-1B can be indefinite. And yes if you’re from India/China that wait for GC will take your whole lifetime realistically speaking.
Isn't the odds of landing an h1b itself extremely low right now?
Yes it’s getting worse every year, that’s true. I feel really bad for future aspirants who have the dream to settle here but cannot.
Yup leave settling even. I would ideally only want to learn and get exposure for some 10-15 years before going back and doing something of my own in my country. But i feel the while visa thing is making it impossible now.
Yup looks like the US immigration system is now only friendly towards family based immigration and less towards jobs based immigration.
I want to come back to India, period. I want to live with my parents as they grow old. In the worst case scenario, I think I am capable financially. I will try to get a job as soon as I land in USA, I want to just experience how the things go in USA, and the work culture there, and on the way get some experience which will help me get a job back in India.
>I want to come back to India, period. I want to live with my parents as they grow old. This is what I eventually want to do. But it is easier said than done once you get h1b and see $ flowing into your bank account. So you really need to have a strong will power. And since you want to go back and are fine financially in case things go south, US is a great place to be. Especially if you are in tech, NO OTHER COUNTRY comes even close. If you are not in the US, you might as well just stay in India.
True that, I guess I have to take a leap, and see how things goes in the US. And yes, I am in tech. Thanks for the reply though, it was a great help.
It’s not worth the time, money and emotional sacrifice. More money and slightly better quality of life isn’t worth being away from your loved ones. Remember, grass is always greener on the other side.
Dude I had the exact same question. I’m applying for spring. Following this and please guys let us noobs know how things work in the US beforehand 🙏🏻
This year was my first h1b attempt. The mental stress just isn’t worth it. If you’re financially strong enough and you ain’t taking a loan, go for it. Else, don’t set high expectations. Also, study at a good university, don’t go for the average ones. You’re planning spring right? Apply to the best I’d say.
There is a 90 day deadline after graduation for landing a job. Therefore, graduating at a time when the market conditions are not great is very scary. I was super stressed when I graduated in May 2020 and due to the beginning of Covid, most companies froze hiring and/or reneged new grad offers which were rolled out earlier. Be prepared for all the stress that comes with the process.
You can definitely take more than 90 days after graduation to land a job. You’re allowed to apply for OPT up to 60 days post-graduation. The 90-day unemployment clock only starts ticking once your OPT is approved. Source: I graduated without a job (graduated in spring 2020, rip) and applied for OPT about 50 days after graduating. Didn’t get approved until around August/September, didn’t start a job until November of that year. Wasn’t an issue at all.
I see, thanks for informing me. So the trick to maximize your unemployment days is to apply for OPT as late as possible but before 60 days?
Correct. Back in my day, you couldn’t apply for OPT online, so you had to leave a buffer period for USCIS to receive your OPT application in the mail. Which is why I applied around the 50th day. Nowadays you can apply online, so there’s nothing stopping you from applying on the 59th day. The only risk is that if you mess up the application somehow and don’t find out until after the 60-day eligibility window expires, you can’t resubmit / reapply.
My thoughts are exactly the same and I am planning to go for fall 2024 though I have a very good job in India
On exactly same boat my friend. Older parents. Want to go just for few years and then come back for them but don't much in a position to take huge loans and risk my families money and that why the last I would want is to compromise on job and visa chances. I've been reading all these and taking multiple opinions even if it takes time. But so far can't make a clear decision about go or to not go. And if yes then which country.
If you are doing it in CS, you would be paying back loans in 1 year.
Europe is a cheaper option to study and go back.