Google engineer on H1B weighs return to India amid visa worries and family ties; Netizens chip in
A 28-year-old Google engineer on H1B visa is torn between life in the US and returning to India, citing visa issues, family distance, and emotional struggles.
A 28-year-old software engineer working at Google in the US on an H-1 B visa is considering moving back to India. She shared her thoughts in a Reddit post on the r/returntoindia community on Thursday.
The woman moved to the US in 2021 to pursue her master’s degree, leaving behind a stable job at Apple. At the time, her parents were unsure about her decision but eventually agreed, hoping she would return after three years.
“But then life happened. After moving here, I met my boyfriend. We’ve been together for 3.5 years and have been living together for 2.5 years. We’re planning to get married next year. The tricky part is that he never wants to move back to India. That was part of his reason for coming to the US. He has a stable job and an H1B visa too,” she wrote in her post.
She added that if they do move back to India, finding work wouldn't be a major issue for either of them. Her boyfriend, however, wants to continue saving so he can retire early.
Still, the emotional weight of being away from family is starting to affect her. “Most days I’m content here. But sometimes, I miss home so much. Especially when my mom says she misses me or my brother, who’s now in Canada (they were against that too, but I convinced them… so I carry guilt about that as well),” she said, mentioning how much she misses family events and festivals.
Now, with growing uncertainty around US visa rules, she finds herself stuck between staying and leaving the US . “My boyfriend says that with the visa uncertainty, we don’t know how long we can even stay here. But I do know one thing - I’m not sure I want to live far away from my family forever,” she wrote.
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She ended her post asking others if moving back is worth it.
Internet reaction
Several users responded with their own experiences. One of the users wrote, “You and your bf can always make a compromise - move to Europe, Singapore, UAE or a similar place to be closer to the family but still enjoy the infrastructure and the lifestyle.”
Another advised setting clear long-term goals. “Make a long-term goal in your life, like what do you want in your life in 5 years? House, family, kids, pension, etc. Then take the steps which make you closer to that goal,” the user wrote.
Another user chimed, “Go to India frequently, maybe twice a year, That definitely helps with the home sickness. And sometimes cures it.”
The woman has not yet made her decision, but the post sparked a larger conversation around the emotional and practical struggles many immigrants face while living and working in the US.
