HEADING FOR GREENER PASTURES
By Amishi Shah
With input from Sujata
Srinivasan
If you have moved from India to the United States at
any point in your lifetime, especially after
September 11, 2001, chances are that you are well
versed with the different visa categories available,
the restrictions associated with them and also the
roadblocks one faces because of it. Obtaining a visa
is the first and most important step to study, live
and work in the U.S. It is known to open doors for
people who get jobs and obtain permanent residency.
But it can impose restrictions as well. Because of
this and other reasons, the trend of reverse brain
drain is more prominent now than ever before, where
students come to study in the U.S., and then move
back to India or their respective home country
According to Vijay Prashad, Director, International
Studies at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., “The
trend of students moving back to India after
completing their undergraduate or graduate degree is
not new. It has been going on for about six years.
Visas have always been a perpetual problem for
immigrants.”
Prashad said that in the ‘80s, people complained
that not enough H-1B visas were being issued (H-1B
visa is the one issued by the U.S. government that
gives a person the permission to work). In the 90s,
outsourcing began and now that there are H-1B visas,
private companies do not want to go through the
process of sponsoring a work visa for people who are
not citizens of the country. It is too soon to say
whether students leaving the country to return to
India are doing so because of a combination of a
tough economy and the reluctance of corporate firms
to hire those with a visa that allows them to work.

No Consultants for Non-technical Fields
Some students have encountered difficulties when
they are about to graduate and begin looking for
jobs. That’s when they see the reluctance of
companies not willing to sponsor work visas. “I had
sent my resume to at least a 1,000 places and
probably got responses from a hundred places. But
the biggest hurdle for an international student is
facing the problem of visa,” said Pooja Prakash, who
moved back to India after getting an M.A. in
Communication Science from the University of
Hartford. According to her, the road is not easy for
people like her, who are in non-technical fields,
where they are competing against highly qualified
citizens of the country.
Being in non-technical fields poses another problem
of not being able to hire consultants.
“Professionals working in the field of information
technology can hire consultants to help them find
jobs. They already have contacts established with
corporate firms. But in the field of life sciences,
we do not even have that option,” said Prathima
Adusumalli, who recently graduated from the
University of New Haven, with a graduate degree in
Cellular and Molecular Biology.
But it’s not a rosy picture for those working in the
IT field either. Rules are now becoming stricter
even for professionals hired through consultants. If
a person stayed with a company for some years, the
firm would begin the process of filing for permanent
residency for their employee. Such cases are
dwindling, as companies prefer to employ U.S.
citizens.
Reluctance to Sponsor H-1B Visas
Premila Manvi, a student of Hartford University who
obtained an MA in Communication, mentioned that she
interviewed at several places around the time she
was to graduate. “All of them would sound very
promising to me. They even mentioned that I was
quite qualified than employees already working at
the company. And that getting a job would not be a
problem. But the reality was far from it,” she said.
The student further added that either the potential
employers never reverted back, or would send letters
stating that she did not meet the job requirement.
The trend that began almost six years ago has
continued as students continue to move back to India
or work in any other country in Asia or Europe.
Manvi always knew that she would eventually return
to India. But not getting a job because of visa
hassles made her return sooner than later. Prakash
returned to India as there was greater scope in the
field of journalism and would able to contribute
more professionally over there.
“From an immigration standpoint, the U.S. has become
less attractive for foreign students, because today
there is much more uncertainty about one’s future
ability to find long-term employment,” says Sarah
Pelud, a North American immigration attorney.
She says while the demand for student visas from
India has declined, the scrutiny of each F-1 visa
application has increased, resulting in a higher
rate of denials than in the past. Additionally,
Indians are encountering difficulties in securing
return F-1 visas when they leave the U.S. to travel
abroad.
The Job Scene in India
The Indian job market is clearly sunnier than the
U.S. employment scene. For example, Cisco Systems is
ramping up its employee base in India to help string
and monetize emerging technologies. “We increased
our headcount by 25% in 2009, due for further
increase in 2010,” says Subash Rao, HR director,
Cisco India. Nearly 20% of the recruits will
comprise recent graduates. Another company that will
also be opening doors to new employees is General
Motors, India. It is poised to hire employees this
year to staff its planned second shift in Talegaon.
“Fresh graduates have opportunities in
manufacturing, product engineering, design and R&D,”
says P. Balendran, vice president, GM India.
Optimism Amidst Odds
Despite setbacks that students have faced in finding
jobs after they graduate, they are still optimistic
and will encourage other students to experience life
outside of India. “Even though job opportunities are
bleak, the academic opportunity offers immense scope
for growth in students,” said Manvi.
According to Prakash, “If students came to the
United States right now to work on a Ph.D., then by
the time they graduate, the economy would have
improved and there would be more job opportunities
than there are right now.” One of the biggest
advantages is international exposure, which helps a
person think more independently and become more
confident.
If living in the U.S. has produced positive
experiences for students, some are skeptical too.
“If I had to advice students, I would tell them not
to come here. India is doing really well and there
are several professional opportunities in India
now,” said Adusumalli.
While it is too early to predict whether the economy
and tough immigration laws are causing students to
move back to India, most students straddle the
border between optimism and skepticism.

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