Living the American dream: Challenging journey for Indian immigrants

The pursuit of living an American dream isn't always as shiny as it looks from outside for the Indian immigrants. While navigating the complex US immigration system, it can be fraught with obstacles.

The path to permanent residency and citizenship can be long, uncertain, and emotionally taxing, often putting a strain on personal and professional lives.

For many people, the H-1B visa is a conundrum. While a popular route for skilled Indian workers, it comes with its own set of challenges as it has a limited availability. The annual cap on H-1B visas means that many qualified applicants are left out due to the lottery system.

 

Ajeet who came to this country realised that the H1B route wasn't meant for him. He calls the US immigration system broken.

I call this the broken immigration system. India is such a large country and we are given the same seven per cent quota as any other small country. How is it fair? I figured the H1B system is a lottery system and it won't work for me.

He chose to start a business and sponsor his own visa. He runs a fast casual Indian restaurant that he says serves healthy Indian food at a very fast pace.

As a young woman full of dreams, Meeta Damani came to the US from India about 20 years ago. For several years, she couldn't work in the country and stayed as a dependent.

This period traumatised her and she went into depression. I went through a terrible depression and then I decided to make a documentary on the issue to tell this story through that. They didn't allow dependents on H4 work back then and even now it is very sketchy. I think what is needed is a permanent solution to the H4 issue, what we have as of now is just an executive order and anyone tomorrow can change it, she said.

Spouses and children of H-1B visa holders face their own set of challenges. Many dependent visa holders are not allowed to work, leading to financial strain and loss of professional identity.

Children on dependent visas may face obstacles in pursuing higher education or finding employment after turning 21.

Rahael has been in the US for the last 14 years now. Due to delays in the naturalisation process, her 17-year-old daughter runs the risk of aging out in a few months.

I have been here on a dependent H4 visa. My daughter is turning 18 this month and she will go to college next year. She has to let go of a lot of opportunities because of this. She is aging out and if our citizenship status doesn't change until she turns 21, she runs the risk of being sent back to India, Rahael said.

For Indian immigrants, the path to permanent residency or green card is particularly daunting. Due to per-country limits, Indian nationals can face wait times of 50 years or more for employment-based green cards.

Sonal Sharma has been working as an immigration lawyer for 10 years in the New Jersey area. She says she gets to see such desperate situations with her clients caught in the immigration conundrum.

There are a lot of stories I come across. One of them I can remember is when a principal H1B member passed away and the dependents didn't not know what to do then. They suddenly had no place to call home. It is a sad situation, Sharma said.

She feels that the backlogs and the long wait for green cards is causing people to lose so many opportunities. There is a lot of uncertainty with this system for immigrants.

Priya, a marketing professional, is also a social media influencer who along with her husband talks about immigration issues in the US.

They are very popular among youngsters and other Indians who seek solutions to their immigration issues.

Everyone's story is very unique when you come here. But what we have learnt is that if you have the right spirit, you can navigate things. The point really is why should we be putting in so much effort into it. It shouldn't be this difficult, Priya said.

The combination of H-1B limitations, dependent visa restrictions, and the endless green card backlog creates a perfect environment of challenges that can be deeply disturbing.

The American dream is not unattainable but the path to it is more arduous than anticipated. Most people would hope that the complex system is eased out for them to attain certainty in their goals.