‘American Dream’ has now become a dream, it is difficult for Indians to stay in US, know what is the reason

Indian immigrants to America: America attracts people from all over the world. The main reason for this is the ‘American Dream’, which gives every citizen a chance to succeed through hard work and determination. It is because of the American Dream that millions of Indians have come to America and every year thousands are following the same footsteps and reaching the country with the world’s largest economy. However, now the American Dream is slowly ending and it is turning into a nightmare for the people.
Actually, it is not as easy as it seems for Indian immigrants to fulfill the American Dream. Understanding America’s complex immigration system and then getting out of it is like climbing a mountain. For Indians, whether it is to get permanent residency i.e. green card or to get citizenship, both the tasks are very difficult. The path to a green card and citizenship is not only long, but also emotionally draining, putting a strain on personal and professional life.

Getting H-1B visa becomes the biggest challenge

The most difficult task for many people is obtaining the H-1B visa. Skilled Indian workers go to America through this visa, but getting it is a challenge in itself. The main reason for this is that a limited number of H-1B visas are issued every year. America issues only 65 thousand H-1B visas every year. Due to the limit on H-1B visa, it is given through a lottery system. Because of this, many eligible applicants are not able to get this visa.

According to PTI, Ajit, who went to America, believes that H-1B visa is not for him/her. he/she describes the American immigration system as broken. he/she says, “I would call it a broken immigration system. India is such a big country and we get a 7 percent quota like any other small country. I know the H-1B system is a lottery system and it works for me. Will not do.” Now he/she is going to start a business and sponsor himself through it.

Dependent people are also facing problems

Mita Damani came to America 20 years ago. For many years she could not work in the country and was living as a dependent. Because of this she started feeling worried and became a victim of depression. She says, “I went through terrible depression and then I decided to make a documentary on it, so that this story could be told to people. At that time the government did not allow dependents to work on H-4 visas and It’s still very unclear.”

Damani explained, “I think there should be a permanent solution to the H-4 issue, what we have right now is just an executive order and tomorrow anyone can change it.” Spouses and children of H-1B visa holders in the US also face challenges. Many dependent visa holders are not allowed to work, resulting in financial hardships as well as professional losses. Children granted dependent visas may face obstacles in pursuing higher education or finding employment after the age of 21.

It is very difficult to obtain citizenship

Rachel has been living in America for the last 14 years. Due to the delay in naturalization, his/her 17-year-old daughter may face ‘aging out’ in a few months, which will make it difficult to obtain citizenship. Rachel said, “I’m here on an H-4 dependent visa. My daughter is turning 18 this year and will be going to college next year. Because of this, she is having to give up a lot of opportunities. She is facing aging out. If a person has been living in India and does not change his/her citizenship status by the time he/she turns 21, he/she is at risk of being deported back to India.”

Long wait for green card
The path to permanent residency or green card is especially difficult for Indian immigrants. Due to the limits on green cards for each country, Indian citizens have to wait for 50 years or more for an employment-based green card. Sonal Sharma has been working as an immigration attorney in the New Jersey area for the last 10 years. She says she sees such frustrating situations with her clients who are stuck in the immigration dilemma.

Sonal said, “There are so many stories that I have come across. One of them that I remember is when a major H-1B holder died and the dependents (spouse and children) They didn’t know what to do now. They suddenly had no country. It’s a sad situation.” he/she feels that people are missing out on a lot of opportunities because of the backlog and long waits for green cards. There is a lot of uncertainty about this system for immigrants.