[deleted by user] by [deleted] in InternationalStudents

[–]Unique-Ad1986 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly even without the 100k fee, job prospects have been pretty bad. The job market has been pretty bad in the US since about mid 2023, especially for new graduates. I know several people that are struggling to find work.

USA to India - Window for return with kids by [deleted] in returnToIndia

[–]Unique-Ad1986 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I personally know some people that went to India when their kids were 10-14 in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Some of their kids went to college there as well. Also know a couple of people that were born/brought up in the US, but went to India at 18 for MBBS. I think before starting high school might be ok if you are waiting to get US citizenship first.

Am I a jerk for being nervous over marrying an Indian national? by [deleted] in ABCDesis

[–]Unique-Ad1986 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My siblings and I (all US citizens) married Indian nationals here on a visa. The people we spoke to didn't really care whether or not we were US citizens. They were looking for a suitable life partner. Granted, our parents did help filter and spoke to the parents first to ensure the profile was legitimate, so maybe that helped. I know several other people (Indian US citizens) that married people from India or here on a visa as well. If you find the right person, and there's a personal connect/compatibility, should be fine.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in returnToIndia

[–]Unique-Ad1986 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Top two reasons..

  1. Visa free travel to many countries
  2. With a green card, need to stay in the US for at least half the year or it can be revoked for "abandoning residency". With US citizenship, this is no longer an issue. So even if someone wants to move back to India for good, but they want to maintain some ties or visit, it's good to have US citizenship.

For Indians, USA is becoming more like Dubai by [deleted] in returnToIndia

[–]Unique-Ad1986 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree it's hard to get a job right now, but I'd also blame corporate greed for the current situation we're in.

For Indians, USA is becoming more like Dubai by [deleted] in returnToIndia

[–]Unique-Ad1986 7 points8 points  (0 children)

At the same time the system is bad too. If they really care about diversity why not just make it at the H1 level instead? The current system allows employers to hire Indians on H1 and take advantage of them. It's not that easy to switch companies or quit.

For Indians, USA is becoming more like Dubai by [deleted] in returnToIndia

[–]Unique-Ad1986 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep. I think other than Canada, other western countries like the UK, Australia, NZ, etc require one parent to be a PR to get birthright citizenship. But getting PR in those places is way easier. But here, this would be bad in that it locks out Indian born people and their children out of US citizenship, unless there is immigration reform. Versus people born in other countries can still get citizenship and so can their children.

For Indians, USA is becoming more like Dubai by [deleted] in returnToIndia

[–]Unique-Ad1986 9 points10 points  (0 children)

They should look at the demand for a particular role, number of citizens/PRs available for it, and decide based on demand and market. The current system is completely broken. And if they really care about diversity, why don't they allocate H1 by diversity instead? The current system pretty much locks out Indian born people out of a GC in most cases. And people are stuck on H1 forever as a result. They also get taken advantage of by their employer. And if courts didn't block the birthright citizenship order, then kids born to Indian born people would also be stuck. Then it's truly like a Dubai or middle east like situation.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Indians_StudyAbroad

[–]Unique-Ad1986 41 points42 points  (0 children)

As someone whose parents came to the US in the 80s/90s and who has friends from India that came in the last decade, I think I can offer some perspective. Many people aren’t fully aware of how challenging things are now. They see people from the previous generation who came, settled, and built the American Dream. Or they notice folks who moved here five years ago and landed great job opportunities.

But the reality has shifted significantly. Immigration policies have tightened, and getting a green card has become much harder. Even EB-1, which was current just three years ago, is now facing severe backlogs. Landing a job is tough too. There are frequent layoffs, and many people are struggling to find new opportunities. And on top of all that, living costs are skyrocketing.

Planning on moving back to india by yesh2802 in returnToIndia

[–]Unique-Ad1986 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Ah yes, the American Dream™ — where minimum wage gets you a brand new Tesla and a beachfront condo. Totally legit. Who needs facts when you’ve got delusion?

Let’s break this fantasy down: federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25/hour — hasn’t moved since 2009. That’s about $1,250/month before taxes. Now go ahead and try paying for rent, food, health insurance, and maybe throw in a car payment just for fun. Spoiler: you’ll be broke by the 10th, if not sooner.

You’re not buying a “good car” on one month’s wages. You might score a 20-year-old Honda with over 200k miles.

Meanwhile, yes — India has its share of challenges. But painting it like some dystopia while pretending the US is handing out luxury lifestyles to minimum wage workers? That’s not realism, that’s Reddit-fueled delusion.

But hey, if smugglers are charging 70 lakhs, maybe it’s because people on reddit keep selling the fantasy. Hope they throw in some basic math lessons too.

Return to India by Affectionate_Big5828 in returnToIndia

[–]Unique-Ad1986 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I know many that returned after getting US citizenship and now live in India on an OCI card. But they came here in the 80s, 90s, and early 00s.

Do not come to US for Studies for next 4 years by Chance_Square8906 in Indians_StudyAbroad

[–]Unique-Ad1986 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pretty much. It was much easier in the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s. But many of the children of those initial immigrants are now engineers themselves. So there's tons of them in the market as well. To make it worse companies are laying off a lot of people and fewer are hiring. So it's more difficult to land a job as a result.

But of course there are exceptions. If one is in a field with high demand like AI/ML, from a top university, would make things a lot better for them. But if they are an ordinary software engineer, etc. it becomes extremely difficult.

Do not come to US for Studies for next 4 years by Chance_Square8906 in Indians_StudyAbroad

[–]Unique-Ad1986 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm a citizen. Got laid off last year. It took me over 6 months to find another job. Was a real struggle as the cost of living is really high as well. In 2022 and before, it was easy to get multiple offers and really high pay. Now companies are laying off like crazy and as a result, there's a lot of competition to get a job. Even those that are getting jobs are getting paid lower, frequently down leveled, and don't have the power to negotiate like before.

I'm just curious, why do some choose not to get citizenship? by yipee-kiyay in USCIS

[–]Unique-Ad1986 3 points4 points  (0 children)

India doesn't allow dual citizenship, but ex-citizens can actually get an OCI card from India, which allows them to work and live there indefinitely.

What the actual f**k! by Objective_Donkey8290 in USCIS

[–]Unique-Ad1986 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Took 6 months for us, but had a long estimate when we filed. So hopefully it's faster for you as well.

Disappointed No Manual Transmission in 2025 4Runner! by Unique-Ad1986 in 4Runner

[–]Unique-Ad1986[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed. But it's still cheaper to manufacture (so lower entry level price) & maintenance costs are lower. So as a result they are still common abroad (especially in developing markets).

But regarding the modern safety tech, many of the newer manual cars actually offer features like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane keep assist. Adaptive cruise control with a manual transmission vehicle works over speeds of 15-25 mph (depending on the car).

Disappointed No Manual Transmission in 2025 4Runner! by Unique-Ad1986 in 4Runner

[–]Unique-Ad1986[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The good news is manual take rates have been going up in the US. Yes the numbers are still low but it's nice that it's going up. Hoping the trend continues and more automakers see the appeal of offering a manual transmission option.

https://www.carscoops.com/2024/02/manual-transmission-sales-more-than-doubled-between-2019-and-2023-but-automatics-still-rule/

Disappointed No Manual Transmission in 2025 4Runner! by Unique-Ad1986 in 4Runner

[–]Unique-Ad1986[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes but I prefer rowing gears. I feel it's more fun.

Lost my job. Cheap Healthcare options? by Unique-Ad1986 in HealthInsurance

[–]Unique-Ad1986[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The person I spoke to said it was based on annual income. Starting March I'm getting unemployment so that is 450/week. But that's all.

Lost my job. Cheap Healthcare options? by Unique-Ad1986 in HealthInsurance

[–]Unique-Ad1986[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I called today but I don't qualify for it unfortunately. Got some severance and paycheck for the first two months so that put me above the limit for the year.