NRI Considers Returning To India Due To US Job Market, Visa Fears: 'It's Taking A Toll On Me'

Exhausted by the brutal US job market, an Indian techie on a STEM OPT extension said they were contemplating a return to India. In a recent social media post titled, 'Planning to return back to India, the job market here in the US is taking a toll on me,' the techie detailed that they arrived in the US four years ago and found a job soon after graduation, but had to walk away from it owing to funding issues and immigration fears.

 "I have been searching for a new role for about a year and had a few calls but they weren't looking to take me on as I have around a year more left on my visa," the NRI wrote in a Reddit post.

"Went onsite for an interview from an internal referral, cleared 5 rounds, they were ready to sponsor me(this was before this years lottery), it dragged on and the legal team backed off as I had only one attempt left."

While the US job market was not offering any viable opportunities, the techie said applying to companies in India was yielding results, albeit with a caveat.

"Since about two weeks I have been applying in India and got around 5-6 calls back (I have my mother's number listed), but when I call them back through my US number, they are not really interested in someone who is not already in India," the techie highlighted.

The NRI said they were at a crossroads about their future and feared that not moving to India at this stage, when they were receiving responses, could backfire in the long run.

"I am scared I won't get this response again from India but I'm also scared of moving back permanently and have trouble playing my loan off. Please advise me what to do and how the job market is in India."

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'Live Without Visa Stress'

As the post gained traction, social media users pointed out that returning to India would help them avoid the constant visa stress.

"You are getting calls in India, which is a good sign. Move back and live happily without the constant visa stress," said one user, while another added: "I'm in a kinda similar situation OP. I have a job, but missed my first H1B attempt because my company said they would not sponsor. I need to find a new job asap so I don't miss the next lottery."

A third commented: "This visa stress is truly the most harmful one from both the mental and physical side. You need to stay mentally strong. These technologies keep changing faster than we can catch up. I would say, get rid of these stresses, and if you have a supportive system back home, start a career there."

A fourth said: "I'll give you a reality check that many people won't because they are emotionally attached to the "stay in America at all costs" narrative. The US job market is not what it was a few years ago. For a company, an H1B candidate is not just another employee. There are legal costs, compliance requirements, immigration uncertainty, sponsorship timelines, and additional risk."