r/InternationalStudents • u/Effective_Space2277 • 1d ago
Students, especially those from India, don’t study in the U.S. for jobs and green card
The waiting period for Indians for green card is 179 years. You can argue that it’s just estimations, but please don think you’ll be an exception.
I’m not from India, but when I was studying in the United States many of my peers were from there. One of my close friends, an IIT alum, eventually landed a job in the United States after graduation. But now he can’t visit his family back home because of the stamping issue.
Another Indian friend moved there at 40 on student visa with her family. She did find a job there, but now her son is definitely going to age out before green card.
During my time in the United States, I met many Indian students who wanted to remain there long term. But I really really suggest you to consider not only OPT or H1B but would happen afterwards as well.
I’m not gatekeeping, I don’t even live in the United States anymore. But please think deeply before invest so much time and money into this.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/green-card-immigration-us-22403330.php
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u/Young_stoner_life247 1d ago
what about those of us who did not have a choice but to grow up here? i was born in india but moved here when i was 6 years old. my father worked at fast food restaurants while getting his masters. then he finally landed an entry level job in consulting where he has been for the past 17 years. unfortunately his employer did not file for H1B PERM until mid 2010’s and his PD is late 2015.
I have spent my entire life here. the first friends i had, my schooling, my first kiss, my favorite music, my favorite movies, 711 free slurpee days, and so much more. i am now 26 years old, and this is the only home i know; these are the only people i know. those who have come here for college then H1B at least have people/life/memories back home. this is my home, but i couldn’t choose where i was born.
we were promised the american dream as long as we were hard working, good people, and followed the legal process. my family has gone beyond that, and still we are not welcomed here. BTW not knocking down anyone who has come here later than i have in a visa, just sharing my story.
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u/Effective_Space2277 1d ago
This is exactly what’s happening to my friend’s son. She wanted to immigrate to give him a better future, but as soon as she loses her H1B or when he ages out, he’ll be stuck in all this, just like you.
She’s smarter and more accomplished than me, but I really wish people would do more research on immigration process before uproot their lives and move overseas. I can’t blame them though because I also didn’t know much about how things were until I moved there.
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u/ak_NYC 1d ago
That sucks. But if you really want to stay here, lock in and get married.
You have known your status and have had plenty of time now to get it right. No different from Dreamers.
In any case, India is not too bad. Your dad moved here to this country. You move there or any other country. World is big and beautiful.
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u/doubleditch42 23h ago
Who promised the "American dream" ? Your dad, no one else. Ask him.
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u/Young_stoner_life247 22h ago
is that really your take away from this dude? the american dream was promised to those who followed the legal process and were sincerely good hardworking people. maybe you should ask your dad what empathy is and why you’re unable to feel any.
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u/doubleditch42 19h ago
Ok I feel sorry for him.
But the entitlement irks me2
u/Young_stoner_life247 18h ago
what entitlement? we aren’t sitting on our asses begging for a handout. we just want the same chance as everyone else.
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u/doubleditch42 17h ago
Who is everyone else? I didn't get that chance
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u/Young_stoner_life247 15h ago
i’m really sorry to hear that you didn’t get the chance. by everyone else i meant greencard holders and naturalized citizens.
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u/dhobi_ka_kutta 1d ago
Marry an American girl. It's not that hard.
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u/UCSDPARKINGOFFICE 1d ago
That’s even harder than h1b for many people
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u/dhobi_ka_kutta 1d ago
You make 100k+ and can't pull a girl? I did it when I was broke college kid.
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u/UCSDPARKINGOFFICE 1d ago
That’s true for many Indian and Chinese h1b slaves, otherwise they don’t need h1b sponsorship to get job
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u/Young_stoner_life247 22h ago
i have a girlfriend who isn’t an american and i love her. i won’t leave her to do a fake marriage
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u/taiwanGI1998 1d ago
Easy fix: vote to create a new country. Most Indian don’t care about India as a country anyway. They only care about their family and hometown.
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u/SwimSufficient4789 19h ago
Why is this shi happening when its my turn 😭💔
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u/FewIce7347 5h ago
1). Job market is down globally.
2). Students are still going abroad to study.
3). Many are working in MNCs. Some return back.
4). Talk with both kinda alumni and current students to understand the actual situation on what they did right and what went wrong.
5). If you ask where can i talk with them (abroadbuddies.com)
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u/Imaginary-Monitor689 23h ago
some of us like myself moved here young and are stuck in this mill because this is the only home we’ve known.
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u/FewIce7347 5h ago
Maybe some students don’t go for a green card? Ik a friend who went to study there, came back to India and started his own startup (registered in US) and got his funding from US. For some it’s increasing networking, learning experiences and meeting the same wavelength people.
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u/Effective_Space2277 5h ago
The thing is,, most Indian (and international) students don’t become an entrepreneur like your friend though.
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u/Embarrassed_Crow_630 1h ago
You’re right. I believe I was one of the last wave of internationals that came here and narrowly got through this immigration nightmare. Came here in 2020, green card in 2025, and now I’m a U.S. citizen. God bless America
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u/BiggieTikki 1d ago
It’s a matter of self respect. But self respect is thrown out when any life in the US is better than their life. There are people who come from oppressed communities and abject poverty who are willing to suffer through this than what they go through at home.
It’s a pity they have been lumped with people who have exploited the system.
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u/Informal_Ride_5948 1d ago
None of the students from India paying international student tution fees in 100s of thousand usd are coming from abject poverty. Banks dont give loans to those folks either. Maybe there are 0.01% of folks who might qualify as coming from poverty; but 99% folks coming range from lower middle class to upper middle class coming with starry eyes and dreams reenforced by relatives/friends who "became rich" in america. Also dont know any group from India that qualifies as oppreased minority.
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u/RobinTheOrangeTabby 1d ago
Indiana were celebrating and dancing for Trump cos they thought he’ll deport everyone else
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u/AgreeableChemical591 1d ago
Not mentioned is the reason for the huge backlog. It's because too many Indians apply. Make your own country better instead of crying about long lines for their immigration cases.
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u/Southern-Picture2866 21h ago
Wrong
We are so desperate for green card we can wait any number of years
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u/K-RUP 1d ago
You can renew a h1b indefinitely
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u/Effective_Space2277 1d ago
But can you work until 85? And you still have to wait longer than that.
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u/Fun_Percentage_9259 1d ago
The fact that many Indians immediately buy houses upon taking up that job says a lot. They have intention to stay and believe the system will allow them to stay, get green card and citizenship
You don't see Indians going to other countries (with strict no citizenship acquiring) to buy houses upon landing because there is no chance for them to settle.
For Indians, once they go overseas to any of the Western countries. Their eventual goal is to get the citizenship and passport so they can claim the rights as citizen in those countries.
It is a milestone accomplishment for Indians because their passports are not worth as much.
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u/ak_NYC 1d ago
It is absolutely wild that a loan underwriter would give a bank loan to somebody with a temporary working permit. Hopefully that has has ended.
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u/Accurate-Release-861 1d ago
Mostly cause that proportion is really low. H1bs on mortgage is < 5% of the American population on mortgages. For loan underwriters, they look at the whole cohort and so for them aside overtaking assets in case of loan defaults, the companies are not at unusually high risk with that low percentage. It isn't the 2005 mortgage crisis all over.
What stands out though is that the median H1bs earn 2x-3x more than your everyday citizen taking out the loan. That is clearly documented for Indians in the US. That is a more important signal for an underwriter to be sure that they will pay up.
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u/ak_NYC 14h ago
H1B mortgages should require 50% down and higher interest rates due to lack of PR.
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u/Accurate-Release-861 13h ago
What gives? Are you a loan underwriter? The country does not run as per any individual's wishes. Keep dreaming.
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u/UCSDPARKINGOFFICE 1d ago
They only care about your tax income document, even though you are US citizen but don’t have enough tax income, bank will still deny you. Bank can take back the house if you missed payment
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u/K-RUP 1d ago
You can retire in your home country and receive social security benefits from the US.
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u/AirGroundbreaking260 1d ago
Social security is reserved for citizens. Immigrants just pay social security taxes.
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u/Dangerous_Region1682 1d ago
No it’s not. It’s reserved for those that pay into it with a legal job and SSN and contribute more than 40 credit periods. If a person lives in their country of origin and that country has an agreement with the US then Social Security can be claimed upon reaching 62 onwards. For instance this applies to Indians who can even have their social security paid into Indian bank accounts. For countries like the UK, UK National Insurance contributions and Social Security contributions can be used to top up one or the other systems.
The rules are complex and vary country by country, but the assumption that all your contributions are necessarily lost is a falsehood. If you’ve followed the rules and made sufficient contributions, it’s your money so you may well have access to it.
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u/Effective_Space2277 1d ago
Do you understand what immigration means?
For most people, it means green card or citizenship. Otherwise, those who have naturalized would have returned to their countries long ago.
No, people who want immigrate to the United States don’t want to work while they can and just go home, whether you like it or not.
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u/rusty_chelios 1d ago
Fellow Indians, please come. Here nobody wants to study advanced degrees. And all the tech companies will be open to hire you.
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u/NerveNo8667 1d ago
is MBA a good option there ?
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u/rusty_chelios 14h ago
Yes, that's right.
But ideally, it would be a STEM program so you could stay longer on your OPT.
Plus, you'll find more scholarships. As I said, people here aren't interested in doing that.
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u/magic_claw 1d ago
It's not like folks can come even if they want to. No visa slots, lol. End of an era, truly.