With its unsurpassed educational institutions, varied employment opportunities, cultural diversity, and quality standard of living, the United States remains a top immigration destination for Indians.
Despite the hardships that the work based visa holders, particularly the H-1B faced during the Trump era in the United States and even with the currently impossible wait for a green card, Indians are making a beeline for America.
The recent data released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India notes that over 160,000 Indians renounced their citizenship in 2021. Of all the migration destinations, the US is the most sought-after country and in the last three years, more than 100,000 people chose to migrate here rather than to destinations like Canada, Australia, and the UK.
As India does not allow dual citizenship, over 78,000 Indians acquired US citizenship. But what makes the United States consistently a preferred destination despite its dangerous gun related violence statistics and a lack of public healthcare system?
Dilli Bhatta, lead attorney at Applyusavisa.com says, “The reasons for this are clear as daylight. The US houses nearly 4,000 universities that include the world’s most elite and prestigious ones.”
“Students also have the option to study in community colleges, which are less expensive and have a plethora of courses, be it in arts, technology, or STEM fields,” he says. “The research infrastructure also attracts PhD aspirants and every student dreams of finding employment and eventually getting a green card.”
While this must be true as Indians continue to be the largest minority of students coming to the US for higher education. In fact, this year, the student admissions from India to various US universities broke previous records.
To top it all, success stories of Indians like Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella also motivate students who also hope to excel in their chosen fields and build a life here.
A 2020 study by the Columbia Business School, says that the Indian-American households have the single-highest income level in the country, which is twice more than the income of the US population.
“Over 12% of the country’s immigrants come through employment-based green cards, after spending some time in the country through the H-1B visa program,” Bhatta notes.
“The country only lets in people who are likely to succeed and the results for everyone to see. Also, the country’s lower corporate taxes attract businessmen to invest there.”
“The robust economic scene despite the current inflation, makes it one of the top destinations for Foreign Direct Investments,” he says. “The US also has a large consumer market and free trade agreements with 20 countries, and that means more customers and abundant revenue.”
Despite political polarization heating up over race issues in the US in the past few years, the general environment is one of liberal diversity and inclusion as far as educational institutions and business arenas go.
“The US President Joe Biden has relaxed some of the immigration laws, especially regarding the H-1B program. Efforts are being made to clear backlogs, reduce waiting time, and eliminate per-country caps for green cards that are based on employment,” Bhatta notes.
“This will give impetus to the ambitions of IT professionals who want to solidify their presence here. Work authorization for H-4 visa holders and green cards for low-income groups will attract even more Indians in the time to come,” he says.
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