Between the US and UK, which place do Indians prefer more? The answer would require a big sample size. However, what is quite evident at present is a lot of Indians preferring coming to the United Kingdom over the US. A reason is certainly the hike in the H-1B visa fee by President Donald Trump‘s administration and other strict policies of the US government.
A person, however, took to Reddit and shared experience of living in both places, and explained why the UK is better than the United States. The Reddit post sparked a discussion with many users sharing their views on the matter.
The Redditor lived in the US receiving an undergraduate degree from Stanford. Later, a decision to pursue masters from Oxford took the user to the UK. In the post, the user said his family members and many friends advised him against moving to the UK.
“I lived in the US for a while after I received my undergrad from Stanford. Then I made the informed decision to move to the UK and get a masters from Oxford,” the post read.
US is far from world, says Redditor
Explaining the key reasons behind moving to the US, the user said he wanted to be close to family as staying in the US impacted him due to the different time zone.
“Family and friends thought I was a bit crazy to overlook the US but my reasoning was: Wanted to be close to family in terms of both distance and time zone: I wouldn’t speak to my family and friends as much because of the time difference and it was really impacting me,” the post read.
“Traveling around the world is harder when in the US just because of how far it is from the rest of the world: I love the fact that living in the UK meant I could take trips to Paris, Amsterdam and Lisbon,” he said.
Mentioning the ongoing H-1B crisis, the Redditor mentioned how many people are struggling to get their American passport because of H1B, without knowing “how long the wait is, especially for Indians”.
“I didn’t want to be beholden to an employer for sponsorship,” he said.
Expressing joy on moving to the UK, he said, “To be honest, this was one of my best decisions ever. I have been living in the UK for the last 6 years and I am truly happy, especially on all of the above fronts.”
He asked those who can move to the UK, to take the step and “Look into the Global Talent Visa. You won’t regret it.”
Redditors disagree: ‘Never ever go to UK for studies’
The comment on the post however spoke of different stories. A user said the UK is not as good as believed to be. “Low wages and now high anti immigration sentiment. Americans are more ambitious while in the UK earning over 100k you’re look at like a leech,” the comment read.
“The only thing the UK is better than the US is Indian food at Dishoom, Gymkhana and Trishna. In every other aspect UK s*****. Anything from employment, salaries, health care, costs of living….” another said.
“Also read posts about on this group people returning back from UK unable to find jobs and no support from immigration from employers. Never ever go to UK for studies. If you do you would be making biggest mistake in your life (sic),” the comment added.
A third user called the Redditor a “UK govt person”. “100% sure this guy works for the UK govt. If you’re a working Indian don’t go there, there is a low glass ceiling for desi men. They deported indians for filing mistakes on tax return. You don’t even get residency by marrying a Brit,” the post further said.
“Don’t come to Britain. It’s not the same anymore for anyone of colour,” said a user.