This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Disha Lamba, 28, who lives successful Gurugram, India. The pursuing has been edited for magnitude and clarity.
I was calved and raised in India. As an introvert, I liked being successful my comfortableness zone, but my dada dreamed of sending maine to the US for my master's.
His friends' children went to the UK and the US and achieved truthful much. He wanted the aforesaid for me. In 2021, astatine 23, I went to NYU for a master's successful machine engineering. I'd only seen New York successful movies, but I quickly fell successful emotion pinch it.
I had a awesome life successful the US, but decided to move backmost successful May 2026, chiefly to beryllium person to family. I besides wasn't OK pinch the restrictions that travel pinch the H-1B visa.
New York transformed me
I beryllium a batch of my existent characteristic to my 5 years successful New York. Managing things connected my ain successful a caller situation made maine really ambitious. I became much assured and had a precocious consciousness of individuality. In India, I ne'er thought astir walking to different portion of the country, and I didn't recognize I loved hiking earlier coming to the US.
America exposed maine to opportunities. In India, while studying accusation exertion astatine undergrad, I was willing successful data science, but lacked the assurance to prosecute it. At NYU, I had bully professors who spoon-fed maine accusation astir instrumentality learning and information science, which really helped.
New York is simply a hub for conferences and meetups, and I attended many. At 1 event, I met a elder information intelligence astatine CVS Health, who encouraged maine to use to his company. I landed a information intelligence domiciled location successful 2024.
The occupation market was unsmooth astir that time, and a fewer of my friends moved to different countries because they couldn't find jobs aliases unafraid visa sponsorship.
Living distant from family was hard
CVS sponsored my H-1B visa, and I was informed that I was selected successful the lottery successful March 2026. However, my scheme had ever been to yet return to India, and by that point, I'd already decided.
I had a awesome life successful the US — I was happy pinch my occupation and societal life, and I had a six-figure salary, but I felt lonely.
When the timepiece deed 5 p.m., location wasn't anyone astir to inquire maine really my time was. I had friends, but friends can't beryllium your family. I kept having to shape my video calls pinch my mom — who's my champion friend — astir the clip difference.
I missed my family and realized I was overmuch happier and contented astir them. I wanted to beryllium location for large celebrations and support my parents during bully and bad times. I feared being acold distant if thing bad happened.
My 2nd logic for wanting to move backmost was the visa restrictions. Once you're connected an H-1B, you request a caller visa stamp to recreation and return to the US, and getting a stamping assignment successful India tin beryllium a pain. Since the H-1B is mostly granted successful three-year increments, I felt there'd beryllium a batch of ongoing visa management.
The H-1B tin also make it harder to alteration employers, prosecute further income streams, aliases return a profession break.
The H-1B visa has its pros, but I wasn't OK pinch the cons.
I'm exploring options successful India
I resigned from CVS and flew location to Gurugram, a outer metropolis southwest of New Delhi, to unrecorded pinch my parents and brother. I liked moving successful the healthcare industry, wherever I felt I could make an impact, and I liked my squad and manager. I questioned my determination because I felt I was giving up a batch to move home.
In India, I tin take to build a startup, alteration employers, and do a side hustle without worrying astir visa restrictions. I decided to return a two-month profession break erstwhile I returned to India, relying connected savings. It's a luxury that comes from not being connected an employment visa.
I haven't sewage a occupation connection successful manus yet, but I deliberation India offers akin profession opportunities to the US. Big companies for illustration EY, Mastercard, and American Express person offices adjacent me.
I'm embracing the small things
I miss definite things astir the US. I utilized to emotion stepping astir aft activity and staring astatine the New York skyline, but wherever I americium now, the sidewalks aren't arsenic walkable, and the nationalist parks aren't arsenic clean.
But astatine location successful India, we person location help, which intends I don't person to navigator aliases clean, truthful I person much clip to prosecute my passions. If you're earning well, you tin unrecorded comfortably here.
I still get anxious astir whether I made the correct decision, but getting to hug my parents each greeting reminds maine it was worthy it. Our family starts the time pinch a chat complete a cup of greenish tea. The small things we return for granted are besides the things that matter.
Business Insider confirmed she was employed by CVS. CVS declined to respond to a petition for comment.
A State Department spokesperson told Business Insider, "Our embassies and consulates astir the world, including successful India, are prioritizing thoroughly vetting each visa lawsuit supra each else."
Read next
Charissa Cheong is simply a elder first-person newsman connected Business Insider's Business Contributors and Freelance team, based successful London. She covers: Relocation and immigration, really employment visas impact careers, what it’s for illustration moving astatine the world’s biggest companies aliases alongside its astir prominent leaders, really the AI revolution is affecting professionals, and more. Charissa’s activity spans a wide scope of topics, but the unifying thread is first-person storytelling — sharing people’s unsocial profession and life experiences successful their ain voice, pinch their ain words. She writes successful Business Insider’s signature “As-told-to” format, which is designed to item powerful perspectives successful a conversational way. She besides commissions and edits personal essays from freelance writers and contributors. Charissa joined Business Insider successful 2022 connected the integer civilization desk, covering family vlogging, online harassment, and influencer culture. She moved to the contributors and freelance squad successful 2024.She graduated from the University of Cambridge pinch a BA successful English and holds a golden modular NCTJ Level 5 publicity diploma.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) · 
