For many Indians, moving to the United States on an H-1B visa is seen as the ultimate career goal. Better pay, global exposure and the promise of a stable future often make the long wait and uncertainty feel worth it. But for Ravi, an IT professional who lived and worked in the US for over a decade, the dream slowly lost its shine.
Speaking on the Desi Return podcast on YouTube, Ravi explained that various factors loneliness, family realities, financial logic and the harsh truth about permanent residency led him to take the decision.
Loneliness after COVID became the turning point
The biggest trigger, Ravi says, was emotional rather than professional. “Before COVID, I had many friends living around the area where I worked. Once COVID hit, many of them got married or moved to other locations. After a while, it started to feel lonely,” he said on the Desi Return podcast.
What began as a temporary phase slowly turned into a constant feeling. “We always felt extremely lonely, and that became a major trigger to move back to India,” he added.
Even before this, Ravi admits he was never fully settled in his mind. “Ever since I landed in the US, I always had the thought of going back. I was always somewhere in between, without a strong reason to either stay or return.”
Family distance weighed heavier with time
As life moved on, personal milestones brought new clarity. After marriage and having children, the distance from family in India became harder to ignore.
“Grandparents would visit occasionally, but the kids would only meet them once a year. Parents age quickly, children grow quickly, and the disconnect between grandparents and grandchildren kept widening,” Ravi told on the Desi Return podcast.
For him, this emotional gap was something no salary hike could compensate for. Friends moving away and shrinking social circles only reinforced the feeling that the US no longer felt like home.
The green card reality: a 150–190 year wait
Ravi is candid about one of the most discouraging aspects of the H-1B journey, the green card backlog.
“One important thing I want to share about the H-1B visa is that once you are on H-1B, if your goal is to get a green card, the current wait time is around 150 to 190 years,” he told on the podcast.
Given this reality, his advice is blunt, “I would not recommend moving to the US if permanent settlement is the goal.”
Career-wise, the lack of flexibility also took a toll. Without an approved I-140 early on, Ravi was restricted by visa timelines. “Around four to four and a half years of my career were spent without initiating the I-140 process,” he said.
When he did receive a better-paying offer, it fell through. “I cleared all the rounds, but the offer was rescinded because they did not have enough time to get the I-140 approval.”
That experience left him feeling stuck. “On H-1B, you are always treated as a temporary worker,” he said, adding that he also noticed “subtle, silent discrimination” over the years.
Financial math stopped adding up
Contrary to the major belief, staying in the US did not make financial sense for Ravi anymore.
“In 2016, I was earning around $90,000. Before leaving the US, I was making about $140,000. But once inflation is factored in, I was effectively earning the same amount,” he explained in the Desi Return podcast.
At the same time, housing, groceries and daily expenses had risen sharply. As the sole earner in the family, the pressure was constant. “Financially, it did not make much sense to continue staying in the US.”
Another factor behind the timing was Social Security. Ravi learned that after earning 40 credits, roughly 10 years of work, one becomes eligible. “Hopefully, that system doesn’t get scrapped, but that was another factor behind the timing,” he said.
Visa uncertainty and sudden exits
Ravi’s journey was also marked by visa stress. His first H-1B stamp was issued for just six months. Due to paperwork issues, an extension was later denied.
“While the H-1B extension was pending, I was allowed to stay and work for around 240–270 days. Once the denial came, I had to leave immediately to avoid unlawful presence,” he recalled.
He packed up his life overnight, returned to India, found a job, and then had to move back again when the approval finally came through months later. “That uncertainty stays with you,” he said. Though he made a move back to US again, he eventually decided to settle down in India.
Planning the move back to India
Once the decision was made, the family acted quickly. “It took us about three months,” Ravi said. Like many returnees, they watched others’ journeys on Instagram and realised shipping belongings was not worth it.
“We only shipped items with sentimental value,” he said, including children’s books and a balance bike. His child struggled emotionally with leaving behind her home, making the move even harder.
They sold most of their belongings and rented out their US house, keeping it for their children’s future. The slow internal transfer process created further stress, forcing his wife and kids to return to India first.
Settling down in Hyderabad
Though his current company has an office in Bengaluru, Ravi requested a special arrangement to work remotely from Hyderabad. He now travels to Bengaluru about once a month.
Currently living with parents, the family is considering a gated community for better play spaces for their children. “Traffic makes biking risky, and independent houses don’t have play areas,” he said.
Looking back, Ravi doesn’t frame his decision as a failure of the American dream, but as a realistic reassessment of priorities. For him, returning to India was not about giving up, it was about choosing family, stability and emotional well-being over uncertainty. And after a decade on H-1B, that choice finally brought him peace.