For the last few weeks, I've been talking to Indians on H1B visas For decades, Indian students arriving in America were able to find jobs with companies that sponsored them for H1-B visas and then for green cards H1B holders tell me that dream is over - and has been for a while

For example, US tech companies have fired thousands of employees over the last year According to US laws, these firms are ineligible to sponsor foreign workers for green cards So many Indians on H1Bs have been forced to leave America once their visas expire

At the same time, processing time & paperwork for visas have gone up This has made companies unwilling to sponsor foreigners "I know people who were laid off because their companies just didn't want to go through the immigration hassle," one Indian techie tells me

Indian H1B holders don't think they can stay in America long term "Realistically, I don't think I'm ever going to get a green card," one young H1B holder tells me "If you came from a 3rd tier Indian uni in 2005, you had a better shot at a visa than a top grad now," says another

Fewer jobs and visas mean that for many people, studying in America isn't worth it any more "I wouldn't advise anyone to do a degree in America right now," one Indian H1B holder tells me "The pathway from a degree to a visa has effectively broken down," one VC says

Many are looking at opportunities outside America H1B visa holders are looking at Canada, Europe and Singapore Some are also prepared to come back to India "I'm try to get my H1B through the lottery but if it doesn't work out I don't mind going back," one engineer told me

But others are still determined to stay on in America despite the challenges They believe America retains the best tech ecosystem in the world while India is still a mixed bag Some are trying to get other types of visas like the O1 in order to remain in the US

One experienced tech professional sums it up "For the best talent in India, America remains an attractive place. But for 95% of people, things have gotten a lot worse," he says

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