Public sentiment is predominantly negative regarding US visa challenges for Indian students, characterized by frustration over stringent visa policies, job scarcity, high education costs, and perceived unfairness in the immigration system. Commenters advise against significant financial risks for studying in the US, citing difficulties with securing employment post-graduation and concerns about geopolitics affecting migration. However, some appreciate the transparency of the visa process and suggest improvements in educational opportunities within India.

US Government

Indian Government

Indian Students

Codetornado

couple of my friends recently came back . The consensus is have your documents in order and there should not be any issues .

Tyler_holmes123

I’m in the same boat. Booked tickets too. I haven’t heard anyone denied entry yet though so I still plan to go. I think since you are in the grace period you should contact the DSO or something.

nomenadeladeluZe

Always have a backup plan when you are in a foreign country

Action2379

I have never in my life seen someone whose visa was denied due to academic history. I have applied around 100 F1 visas on a previous job for students, and I have had 6 US visas myself. Do you have any relatives in the US? Did you have to answer any personal questions on the DS 160? You were the person who filled your DS 160 or you hired a third part to do it?

Lox_Bagel

You need to show during the interview your intent and plan to return back to your home country- a low GPA in and of itself isnt enough to deny a visa as they already can see you got accepted into US universities. A visa isnt about academic performance- its about making sure you are going to the US for the time frame of your studies and not planning on violating US law by staying past the visa term limits and trying to settle in the US. The burden is on the applicant to show strong and valid connections/reasons that would require you to return back to the home country once the studies are completed. Its also about making sure you or at least your name in whole or in parts is not on any sort of US or international flagged list.

Contagin85

ig you just got unlucky, as the VO only asked you regarding youar gpa which was youar weak point.
mine was all finance related and it got accepted and my profile is def weaker than yours. (interview in mumbai as well)
Just try again, and nxt time give some explanation for low gpa or better hope VO asks some other questions.

Nimitzxz

Just try to go for another appointment as everything else seems fine. You were just unlucky at that moment.

Just get an Emergency appointment for delhi(as approvals have been really good there) and hopefully you will get it approved.

Also If you tell NEU regarding this, they will extend your arrival date to 18th September ig.
One of my friends did this, so letting you know as well.
Good luck!

BlazeAssault04

They’re immigration, not department of education. It’s probably not your gpa

with_chris

1.	You need to provide more ‘relevant’ information. Pretty sure there’s something important missing, which you haven’t shared. No one’s forcing you to share but it would be tough to give any advice
2.	New IITs don’t count as Tier 1

[deleted]

Not many are mentioning this but you earn 25lpa? That is somewhat a good amount in Indian standards and maybe the VO didn't think you were going to the US to up your academic profile but instead looking to penetrate into the job market and eventually extend your stay.

Joanna_CMakuchi

Hi There, 

Everybody is talking about a lot of things. But I don't see people talking about being an active Interviewee. I know you had been asked only 2 questions, but instead of answering one line answers you could have given the Visa officer a lot more context, lead the conversation and indirectly show your intent on coming back to your home country . For eg.

Q. How many Universities did you apply to?
A. I had applied to 8 universities based on my interests, profile and the curriculum. I got admits from 3 of them, namely Northeastern University,  New York University and Arizona State University. Of these 3 I chose Northeastern University because there was flexibility in the coursework as I could choose courses in the direction I want my career to go into. Also, since I have been working as an Integration engineer, I wanted to understand more about backend engineering and specialize in xxx, so that When I come back to India I have a much more complete/niche profile. (Stating my intent indirectly).

Q what was your cgpa?
A. You should have given context why your cgpa was so less. Make up some reason like health , family issues etc. And tell them how did you overcome it. So that visa officer has a much better understanding of your current situation.

VO is taking probably 100 interviews a day, why would he be interested in your personal visa application. It's our responsibility to be an active Interviewee and drive the conversation.


I found this on a youtube video. He also mentions there needs to be a balance in the relevant information provided. Too much information can prove to be detrimental.
[Ex-Visa Officer talking about this](https://youtu.be/ekhzC4iYVdU)

Similar_Grab_8277

Neil esrns 25lpa in india with 2 years of experience that's impressive

Aprazors13

So clearly they don’t care about your academics and merely think you want to immigrate. I guess in the end for your next interview you’ll have to focus on what this degree will help you with that one in India won’t and the reasons you have to stay in india (taking care of parents/grandparents are usually pretty good ones).

You want to have a conversation with your interviewer, not just answer their questions. This will allow you to impress upon them your intentions.

NotAnnieBot

This thread seems to have become toxic now, no point anymore reading.

lustyweiner

RitikaChawla2611

Apply to Delhi you'll be approved for same answers, be calm and confident. All these interviews depend on luck.

skilled_skinny

Hi! You should once review your DS-160 Form. Stuff like employment history and related information is what the VO looks at when they're trying to assess you. Did you stop working before applying? If yes, did you state the reason for it in the form? I am sure it wasn't your GPA at all. You earn 25 LPA, which means you're credible. The VO may have looked at the employment history and gauged that you're not intent on academics because of it.   


All in all, read through your DS-160 response around these areas and see if you spot a potential red flag. I have also heard that some universities give out I-20s even though they are at capacity. I am sure that is not the case with Northeastern, but I would recommend you talk to your international center liaison at NEU.

nayak_sahab

The visa process this year is so shitty. I honestly don't understand why they are rejecting applicants going to good universities. Especially chennai and Mumbai are the worst. I myself got a reject for UC San Diego MS CS in Chennai. No questions asked about funding or future plans. Asked about my job history, graduation project and rejected me. Try some other Consulate next time. You should get it.

srinivasraman13

I know someone that got reject twice and had it on the 3rd… Just keep on trying. Be confident when answering the questions. You would get it

dennis2199

Can you please mention which univs did you apply to and who gave you admits ?

boosandy

Apply immediately for a different consulate, and prepare an answer for the low GPA, try to put some stats like GPA in your final year and ask around in chat groups (people who made it with a low GPA). Maybe you can even get lucky and this GPA question never pops up.

PrinceAsper

RstarPhoneix

crackmask

Your gpa and undergrad college are of no concern to the VO. They mostly rejected you because of the answers. I feel you could have been a bit more descriptive and detailed with your answers. For eg, instead of just saying that your gpa was a 6/10, you could’ve provided some context and background info. Same line of thought for the question on how many acceptances and rejections. I rarely ever see Northeastern people get rejected so its a bit surprising

Edit: where was your VI?

Blahblahblakha

Did anyone face a problem in booking refused visa slots? I saw this in a youtube video that only one people get a visa interview in 4 rejects. Can someone please clarify?

Even I was not so vocal in my interview. They asked me about my job and I said no cause I was interning with a firm and was not a full-time employee. Could this be a reason why I got rejected?

uffyebutton

&gt;New Zealand universities have directly engaged with the government about the high student visa rejection rate of Indian applicants in 2024.

What are they hoping to achieve exactly? The criteria are there for good reason, so let's keep the quality up. It's about education right, not a pathway-to-residency for every would-be retail manager\* who sends an application.

^(\*) [^(#4 top occupation for international university grads)](https://www.universitiesnz.ac.nz/latest-news-and-publications/what-happens-international-students-who-remain-new-zealand-after)

WorldlyNotice

"Students"

It's a Cash-For-Migration scheme but instead of it making education Cheaper for or better quality for its citizenry it does whatever the opposite of that is.

&gt;Immigration New Zealand has rejected about 40 percent of student visa applications from Indian applicants in the first four months of 2024, according to latest statistics from the agency.

TLDR; universities are lobbying to increase revenue and dont give a shit about the integrity of our immigration system.

Nothing new or surprising in that article at all, but good to see some numbers provided, even if they're missing a bit of much needed context.

10yearsnoaccount

Check in on how Canada is doing with all that lol

SecondOfCicero

San_set2022

What a terrible piece of "journalism" this is

2/3s of the article is just quoting people

No mention whatsoever of the reasons for the delay and comparison against previous years in terms of processing times, and worse of all

&gt;

Between 1 January and 23 April, Immigration New Zealand processed 5018 student visa applications from Indian students, with 2010 rejections and 3008 approvals.

&gt;Of the declined applications, 337 had offers from a New Zealand university, 678 from a New Zealand Te Pūkenga provider (polytechnic) and 992 from a private training establishment.

&gt;In the same four months, Immigration New Zealand processed 8012 student visa applications from Chinese students, with only 206 visa rejections - a rejection rate of just 2 percent.

Why compare India and China if you're not going to show the full picture ? If you have the stats for the types of institutions the rejections are coming from for India applicants, surely you have the same for applicants from China ?

My evidence might be anecdotal but private for-profit colleges offering useless diplomas are often overwhelmingly Indian / Bangladeshi / Nepali , with very few students from other nationalities

Whole-Put9168

More open door immigration nonsense from RNZ. What's happened at RNZ, they used to be a credible, neutral news source? Now it's this garbage masquerading as serious reporting. Time for the government to clean them out. 

Fatgooseagain

Due diligence is one thing.

Not even looking at applications for may weeks or months due to understaffing is another thing.

Not approving genuine visas (that universities used to be allowed to approve directly), while letting in people for non-existent jobs is another level of another thing.

PossibleOwl9481

Already happening in Canada on mass scale, in 10 years Toronto and Auckland to be majority Indian.

Ghgaa

"Hello u/Due_Gain_6412, Thanks for posting. [click here, if you are asking a question.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Indians_StudyAbroad/wiki/prior_reserch_before_posting_a_question) 

  * 1] Have you done thorough [prior research](https://www.reddit.com/r/Indians_StudyAbroad/wiki/prior_reserch_before_posting_a_question)?
  
  * 2] Are your qualifications are mentioned in **Post Title**? (e.g. 10th/12th student, Mechanical BE student, working professional, etc.) Currently your post title is **" Announcement : Avoid coming to USA for grad school "**

  backup of your post content: 

  If there are any prospective students reading this post then it’s for you. 

AVOID COMING TO USA!!!

Avoid coming to USA now. Getting a job here as international student is next to difficult. You may go to top universities but there’s no guarantee that you’ll find a job. I came here in early 2010s and that time getting OPT and H1B was bit easier. Also, Big Tech was on hiring spree. Overall tech economy was expanding and booming. 

Secondly, USA after COVID has became very expensive. In some cases prices are doubled compared to 2019. As a student your expenses will be higher. 

Thirdly, future of OPT program is wobbly. It’s an easy target. 

Don’t take loans of 70lacs to pay tuition to American universities. Stay in India, maybe start a small new business. You’ll earn more money. 

my_qualifications: Followed the normal path of international student. 

  "


*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Indians_StudyAbroad) if you have any questions or concerns.*

AutoModerator

People calling him gatekeeper dont even know what an h1b visa is. Do u think its that simple go to usa &gt; complete ur bachelors or masters &gt; find a 150,000$ job ? If u all would have researched on ur own u would know that no company nowdays is willing to sponsor ur visa (search why) but sure its still ur choice , u can take a loan of 80 lakhs and do blue collar jobs to support urself because washing dishes in usa is better than working at 10 lpa in india and finally return to india with no jobs and fucking huge debt

Ok_Strategy4085

Dear dumbass people in the comment who are saying he is gatekeeping… if you can’t find a job in India and find the life difficult there, you can’t survive in the USA market. 

You all are suffering from confirmation bias. Be the guest and don’t listen to op. Come back to this post after you complete your education in USA.  If you can’t find a job in India, you can’t find in USA either. 


The number of people here are less but they are from top layer of every country.

Boring-Addendum-1500

Of all the years to go to grad school in the US. 2025 might be one of the worst ones. Industries are struggling, unemployment is really high. Citizens aren’t getting jobs, what makes people here think they’ll get one easily? 

If you wanna come, then maybe try for 2 year programs so you’re atleast shielded by the terrible job market in the shortterm(won’t help for internships though) 

And don’t forget about contingencies if you don’t get H1B. Keep your expenses low, try to go for a cheaper school is all I can say

Beneficial-Control22

EyamBoonigma

Okay - so I don’t comment often here but this needs to be said. 

What OP said is absolutely right - I moved here just a few months back with my partner pursuing a Masters Degree in a health related program in the literal best university in the country. And I have friends and juniors in the best Ivy Leauge Universities for MS in CS so I know exactly what I’m talking about. 

Now that I have established credentials - unless you have fuckyou money and don’t care about having to go back to India after masters, DONT COME RIGHT NOW. If your goal is more about research and pursuing higher education , evaluate Europe first before you decide to come to here.

Things are more than a bit chaotic here when it comes to job market. There are very few openings and more so for immigrants requiring visa sponsorship. I’m not gonna comment on the political aspect of things because that’s upto you to read and make sense of but the job market is not conducive for a situation where you take a 100K loan in the hopes of being able to repay it in a couple of years with a cushy 200K+ job - the odds of that happening have reduced drastically. 

If I had this insight earlier, I personally would have decided against it, at least delaying it by a year or so. 

So be reasonable and set the right expectations and definitely do not gamble blindly

BreakerOfBits

The people naysaying OP are fools. 
I would definitely not take a loan on parent’s house.

But if you can afford it another way then go for it. The risk is worth taking. But remember the odds are much harder than before

autoi999

Even USA citizens who graduated from the U.S. universities are literally struggling to find jobs and keep a job or simply just to survive. The cost of education, living, and health care is outrageous here. One  emergency visit to the hospital can set you back 10k dollars or more. God forbid  you go under some sort of surgery. You are looking at 50k or more. YOU'LL REGRET MOVING HERE.

lovelly4ever

Finishing masters and getting a job on OPT itself is a big achievement but biggest issue is getting H1B in the lottery and getting it approved

Sufficient_Ad991

2 of my friends just completed their masters last year.
One was lucky and got an internship , but the company is not making the role permanent.
Other is still looking for jobs and literally just has 1 month to find one , else has to return to India.
While the one who got an internship was able to clear majority of his loan, the one who didn't is still struggling.

What OP has mentioned is legit true. These companies are not sponsoring visa these days all because of the volatility Trump has gotten into this market.

No_Investigator_4604

OP is right. Most Indian resumes will get sent to the trash bin when they mark: do you require sponsorship now or in the future in the US job applications.

Those screaming at OP should take loans come to the US drown in debt and then either return shamefully to India or clean bathrooms in the US.

Whitmuthu

People who are abusing this guy listen to him. He has spoken the ground reality. 

It cost me 18 lakhs to do my master's. Which tuition increase and dollar skyrocketing the same degree is now 37 lakhs . 

The apartment I used to rent was 800 USD a month . 3 bedroom . I paid ~260 USD. Same apartment is now 1400. 

Groceries , gas, utilities have all gone up. The first and last have easily tripled. 

This is all from a small college town which has always been cheaper. If you go to college in a larger city then good luck those costs are going to make you dizzy. 

I have 3 cousins in the US who are desperately searching for jobs. At this time it looks like all 3 of them are headed back to school to keep their hopes of staying here.

merlin318

Do nnot come to USA. Orange man bad! You will likely end up in  Salvadoran prison.

Even if you don't get thrown in prison, the only way to stay in USA will be to pay 100 lakhs bribe to the MAGA.

Acrobatic_Box9087

This is the situation in other countries such as in Europe as well. You might get a job with a lot of difficulty or you also might settle for a very low paying job. It is sad to see people with so many year of experience coming to Germany as working as software engineers for a meagre 45-55000€ per annum. That is something freshers from german universities earn. Also this is a harmful trend. Much like how doctors in Dubai settle for jobs less than 15000AED.

The summary was not to gamble on a 70K USD loan. If you are comfortable returning to your country after finishing MS, then sure-- US is still the best place. Idk why you got so much hatred for this.

lowkeytasin

Many are not going to listen. Let them go. Trump is going to end the gravy train soon. OPT will be gone. H1B will be curtailed. Yes. USA is best when it comes to high standard of living but one has to do the ROI which is going to be negative very soon for many students, particularly ones that take loan or use their parent's life savings.

rippierippo

From what I read, only 85,000 out of 400,000 applications are awarded H1Bs through the lottery. So in 3 years out of 1,200,000 applications only 255,000 will win the lottery. Close to a million would have timed out of H1B option - exhausted their OPT, which I believe is only for 3 years.

So what are their options?

Leave U.S?

Apply for a PhD? (I assume many students may do this). But is it easy to get into a PhD program? How many PhD seats are there in top universities? Do your job prospects improve? Now you are overqualified. You may not even be interested in a PhD in STEM...not everyone is PhD material. And a PhD could easily take 5 years.

If my math is correct, and if NO ONE chooses to go for a PhD, close to 200,000 will be going back to their country, a majority of them Indians.

I don't see this happening at all. I think number of Indians returning are in the hundreds, anecdotally.

What is wrong with my math?

(Disclosure: I lived in US for a while, came back to India for personal reasons. Been here for more than 10 years now).

Farmer-Next

How about other nations like EU, Ireland, Singapore etc?

abhi_agg20

If you’re able to foot the bill, studying in America is still worth it. And jobs might be difficult, but there are ways around it.

What really gets you gigs here is the RIGHT NETWORKING, not 800 applications on LinkedIn and Wellfound

akhileshrao

Biden allowed too many people, Companies were hiring over the threshold and now Trump comes and puts a cap and randomly targets the slightest of violating the rules. Not to mention the tariff’s. Your discussion in a nutshell.

IndependentWheel7606

Hi, i am planning to join MIT, after taking a loan of 130k. Is this a bad idea right now?

Yeah, don't gamble with taking a loan and coming here in these uncertain times. It's more than likely that you will be going home without securing a job, or you would end up becoming an indentured servant to those Indian consultancies.

I agree with OP.

I am a 2024 grad and still struggle to find a job and my OPT period is coming to an end (currently volunteering). I have applied to over 1600 applications for my field (cybersecurity) and have received less than 10 callbacks. The market is in shambles, I am planning to return to India and find a job over there. 

Please don't come here taking a huge amount of loan as the depression of not getting any callbacks will eat you up from inside. 

I would only suggest for people having atleast 3 years of experience to come here and that too with a minimal amount of loan. I have seen many people getting jobs who have 3+ years of experience but not freshers.

Jv1312

I came in 2022 and I had 5+ years of work experience in a teir 1 company and it still took everything in me to land and internship and a job. 
It is definitely not easy, I know people who came 3 years ago and are planning to go back now. 
This has never happened before, the market is really, without a doubt, not good. 
But, if you think you have it in you, you can take the depression, anxiety and the multitude of other unknown to your psyche, you can probably do it (probably because luck is still a significant factor)

Mr-maniac-

Lol folks who are calling OP a gatekeeper, come to USA and find out yourself. You will be cooked! I know life in India isn't great but it is definitely better than that of a F-1 student looking for job in USA.

Creative-Pen9024

Agree with you Op. But it's one's own decision to implement.

Venkat_Rogers

Any_Sound_2863

I sort of disagree. If you can get in a top 25 school and have some luck, it will be totally worth it.

NjanKalippan

honestly the ones ones who’d disagree with this post are the ones without proper due diligence and research….if you have the means to fund your education without any financial burden go for it, if not then it’s not worth the gamble atm…not saying it’s not possible but the stakes are much higher

GentlemanGuGu

Basically, rethink what OP is even saying. People like that exist a lot.   
  
I’ve always found it hard to fully trust tenured Indians who’ve settled in the U.S. Many of them had children there, and those kids are essentially U.S. citizens — living and studying just like native Americans. Aside from the top 10% of truly exceptional talent (which is rarely replaced by newer immigrants), most blend into the system without standing out.

Here’s the ironic part: these kids often desire the full American lifestyle, and I’ve found some of them to be more discriminatory than native-born Americans. Their parents, meanwhile, frequently show up on forums or family calls saying things like “Don’t come to the U.S., jobs are tough,” and so on.

Well, the reality is — if you’re not as skilled as an American immigrant, you *will* lose your job. A few months ago, I came across this Indian kid complaining that his Python job was being offshored, ranting about how outsourcing is ruining opportunities. But someone should remind him that his father likely did the same thing to an American back in the day.

Personally, I’m strongly against birthright citizenship. It should be revoked retroactively — it’s a loophole that’s outlived its purpose.

Anxious-Resort1043

TLDR- Life is difficult. Guess what, always has been. 

US university education is one of the best in the world. It’s what you do with that education. Nobody is entitled to a job/VISA, you have to earn it! My friend in 2021 Jan lost his job due to COVID, he was earning $80k at that time. Worked hard, then got a job of $175k within 10 days. 

Got layed-off, increased my salary by 25% after getting the new job. It is insanely hard, but not impossible. If you have a positive mindset, you’ll make it anywhere. If you don’t, you won’t make it even if you have a set up family business in India. It is about what you want to do with your life.

Taking high loans with uncertainty of paying it off is risky, but US still is the best place to pursue grad school from an educational PoV.

No_Guarantee9023

OP I had a question for you, how many people are landing interviews? Let's say there's a candidate who has good spoken English pretty decent DSA skills and someone who's extremely enthusiastic in computers, good with dev and devops etc. Basically can do any task given to him efficiently. Would you recommend such a candidate too from not coming?

joel_122002

If speaking to Job you guys talking about IT jobs i guess 
Am i getting this right,?

alcoholicpredator

so what should I do now? i graduated from a top 5 nit with 9+ cgpa in cse. my whole plan was to go for masters in US so I have a published research paper which was my final year project. now due to these politics ig I'm stuck? i m currently employed but I don't want to work in india and was planning to quit within a year and apply in the us for ms.

ExerciseStrict9903

Agree with you, yes 
But if a prospective student is really smart and intelligent and has good research experience or really good work experience at a notable company then they do have a chance 
I know someone who went straight after bachelors for masters and now working for Amazon in USA

Ni_Awe

Taking huge loan is a big mistake for a piece of degree doesn't make sense especially for middle class lot of risk comes with it, in worst case scenario if you were to come back to India due to no visa sponsorship from company in US, it's impossible to pay 70 lakh loan with Indian salary. Big financial blunder

Intelligent_Green633

I couldn’t agree more. Any decision you make deserves careful, thoughtful consideration.

I came to the U.S. in 2019, did my CPT, then OPT and STEM extension. Despite going through every step by the book, I haven’t been selected in the H-1B lottery even after three tries. It’s disheartening to realize that your future here depends on a lottery system, no matter how hard you’ve worked or how much you’ve followed the rules. And it unfortunately doesn’t end there.

Over the past 9 months, I’ve been searching for a new employer, but it’s been incredibly challenging. Most companies are extremely hesitant to sponsor visas right now, and with growing uncertainty around even the OPT program, the landscape feels more unstable than ever.

I’m not saying this to discourage anyone from chasing their dreams, but it’s important to understand the reality. These are truly unprecedented times, and given the current climate, risking your or your parents’ hard-earned savings needs to be weighed very seriously.

Fun_Bread3656

it all sums up to wait until trump and his administration goes off the house i have couple of friends in US they all are stating the tariff war and everything is planned to force american labour to work as a result american native citizens are more preffered in any field of job also the native citizens dont require a visa sponsorships so it's easy to hire then unlike the H1B folks

Same thing in Uk no jobs, higher living costs,expensive tuition fee, very long path to ilr. Those planning uk not worth it.

External_Cat806

Master's student in US. This is good advice.

TintinBhakt

100% agree. I’m an American who got my degree here and has a lot of great experience - I WORK A $17/HR JOB. That’s the best I’ve ever had. I live paycheck to paycheck and so does everyone else I know, regardless of their degree level and expertise. Also, with Trump doing the things he is right now, you’re not safe if you are not white or white presenting. Life is not better here fiscally or academically right now.

Old-Funny8251

Is life in India so bad .. that people are scrambling to get out of there like a zombie apocalypse lol..

smenon75

Not a SINGLE good reason to go to the US rn. Only go if u have ALREADY secured a job from here and ur sure they wont just fire u at any second. Also, if u hv a lot of STRONG anti-trump views....yeah dont risk it rn, they may make up a reason to deport u, especially w all the ICE and corrupt cops running around. Chances are low but never zero.

Imaginary_Ambition78

Stay in India, America hates Indians right now

OR - hear me out. Get world class education in a field of great interest, get a doctorate in said field (don’t settle for a masters) and take your skillset to a country that will accept that skills, aka Europe, Japan, ANZ, Canada etc. I had an American born Professor in my field (clinical neuropsychology) give us a talk a few years ago - said how he couldn’t find a single tenure track position in the US. He gave up the United States and permanently moved to the middle of nowhere in New Zealand. He’s making six figures as a professor, he was the only applicant when he applied to the job, and has full independence over his research. I’m in a distinguished PhD program right now - and as of now I’m not even looking at settling in America - not because of visas and stuff, but because of how saturated this country is. That doesn’t mean the education here isn’t of merit - the US has been the frontier for scientific research since WW2. Reap that benefit and move to another western country.

I know how competitive the world has been - so in any case, maximize your skillset. MAXIMIZE it to the limits and beyond. Focus more beyond your grades wherever you are. I’ve been working 80-90 hours a week because asides from my assistantship, classes and practical experiences, I also spend my free time researching. Due to that I’ve already presented at 24 conferences around the world and have published 3 first authored papers in frontier journals - in a year I’m hoping to hit 500 citations combined

Complete_Anybody_697

I totally support this. International students please do not come to US for your masters or UG or PHD. The market is fucked up and expenses are very high.

Certain_Estimate2770

Stop fear mongering. It's an individual choice if they want to pursue higher education or not. Plenty of opportunities for every body.

kutima

I have simple questions for OP
people who went to US were all of them more talented than those who stayed here ?
Did avg engineers survived and currently enjoying a good lifestyle in US?
for me answer to 
1. Hell No
2. Yes, very few cases of people returning than the inflow 

can we have any numbers to prove otherwise?

retard_404

Those bashing OP, please realise this that this isn’t a gatekeeping post. It’s as true as it gets. Getting a job on OPT was a lot easier 10 years back but things have changed radically. I wouldn’t say it’s entirely one man’s fault. Things have changed post COVID. Talking about the recent developments, you should take a look at this:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2315/text

Don’t quote me on this, it’s unlikely the bill will get passed, but that fact that it was introduced makes the messaging loud and clear. They do not want to hire non-Americans. Even if they want to, they will be vary of it in lieu of changing poilicies and uncertainties. It’s not worth spending your parents’ hard earned money on this. 

ConferenceFun2779

PSA, posted on another thread but posting it here as a main comment for better visibility. Here are my thoughts on various stages you have to consider before you make a personal/career move with regards to coming to U.S.A.

F1- getting an admit is easy enough, not cheap though with application fees etc.

College living expenses - can be covered with on campus jobs, this was difficult 15 years ago at a good college, imagine now at good colleges and at crappy ones.

College fees- if your parents can afford one, great! If your parents can risk a loan, good! If you have to borrow by selling last bit of property, then a very specific scenario to consider on an individual basis. Could be worth it if going to a great college, risky with a crappy one.

If you want to fund yourself with off campus(this is illegal, college students should work only on campus during the semester) but doing minimum wage jobs ($10-11) for 60-80 hrs a week at say gas stations, restaurants, any other retail stores that hire folks without work permits, hats off to you, you are a better and more determined person than me. 

Job- while this is a temporary but absolutely shit job market, imagine graduating in a down market. Getting a job as an F1 was and is difficult to incredibly difficult depending on job market, economic conditions, location etc.

Visa- this is one category the 2000ers ands early 10s abso-f***ing-lultely lucked into, there is no two ways about it. There were years when the H1B Visas were available even in October and November.
Now imagine the scenario, there are 85,000 visas, and 400,000+ applications every year. So, there is leads than 1 in 4 chance of getting a visa, IF you find a job. Utilizing your OPT/CPT you have 3 attempts at it. Your overall chance at hitting the visa lottery is around 50%.
Imagine you doing everything right, great college, great grades, found a great company that would hire you on CPT and try to get you a visa for you three years in a row, and still not getting to stay here like you may want to.

Grand card- let’s say you crossed all the previous hurdles. I came here in 00s and became eligible for GC in the 10s. A few cousins came three years before me and they got their green cards 14 years ago. I am still waiting for mine. Imagine a 3 year gap causing a 14+ years delay. If you were to come now, you will not get a green card in your lifetime. This is with regard to EB2/3 which most are eligible for. EB1 is better, but getting worse.
The guaranteed country limit for green cards per category is 2800 per year. Increasingly we are having less and less flow overs from other countries and categories as immigration from other countries has increased recently. The 2800 limit includes the whole family, ie if a person gets a green card and they and their spouse and 2 kids that need green card, then the quota would lose 4 count rather than 1.

The next thing everyone goes through at one point or the other is uncertainty
1) should I buy a house and setup roots here while I am on a H1B visa, people have discarded this of late because of the amount of time it takes to get the gc as mentioned above.
2) If I want to visit India, will I get a visa appointment, will I get a stamping without a 221g, will my employer wait for me if I get delayed outside the country?
3) Will my employer sponsor gc after asking me to wait until 5 years of my H1B are used to?
4) if I lose my job on H1B, will I get a new one within 90 days? And will that mean I have to uproot my life in one place and move to somewhere I have no friends or family? If the spouse also works, can they also move with you? What happens to the kids? How will they cope with such a change?

The intention of this post is not to scare anyone from coming to the US, it is to inform the folks who don’t know the realities of the path being taken and how many of the things in these sequence of steps are outside their control. If you accept all the risks, then go ahead take the leap and challenge yourself.

With any decisions there are upsides and downsides, compared to the 2000s, the upsides have become fewer and the down sides have grown too high in my perspective. Take a wise decision that works for you. This is not a “one size fits everyone” path.

Edit:
You spoke about competition, which I say is definitely a factor, but only in consulting jobs. People who used to get paid $100/ hours in the 00s are still getting paid the in same region, maybe marginally more mainly because OPTs take jobs and get paid criminal rates(I am talking $30-50/hr while the consulting companies still get paid their original amounts and pocket the rest) For FTEs it is slightly better, but Covid inflation made it a little worse.

tendiesbeeches

Snoo74448

Here in singapore, 6 of my friends including other nationalities have to go back as they weren’t able to find a job. The good part is that they had scholarships so they lose nothing but you can if u take a loan of 70lakhs

Jolly-Vanilla9124

The people who say "Do not come to US" are usually immigrants from other nations. I didnt see such comments for natural US citizens. only Naturalized US citizens have issue. These people dont want anyone else to come to US so that they can keep milking US dollars with no/less work (there is not that much work in US and people get huge salaries (Especially  in IT industry) for doing nothing allday).



Do not believe that such people are your well wishers. they are doing this for their own benefit

Leading_Emu_7372

Diabolic_commentor

Okay I have to ask this, where is it easy to get a job? Nowhere is it easy, such generic posts just create anxiety among people. Life isn't rosy, no matter where you live. But to dish out such normie useless advice is not helping anyone.

Aakash2615

lamerehan

OP I commend your post, but the title of the post is alarmist and counter productive in some ways. The people in the US already know what you are trying to say, and all the people in India who are desperate to get to the US will reject your post as gatekeeping.  There are a few out there who understand the reality and might reconsider their decision. But for all those whose hearts are set on the US, your post is like a dagger to their hearts lol. They will probably not listen to you anyways. After all, everyone gets rich in the US right? 🙄🙄

Naansense23

Yeah it's hard finding jobs anywhere in the world being mediocre how about putting in the effort doing unpaid internships? Doing projects?

Entire-Suspect4349

Indian students in the US are facing difficulties due to stringent visa policies and increased scrutiny, leading to legal challenges and a potential shift towards studying in other international destinations.

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