‘India has its challenges however…’: Ex-Microsoft skilled quits the ‘American Dream’ amid visa uncertainty
“I be happy,” says former Microsoft skilled Swapnil Sagar, who has left behind what many would name the American Dream and returned to India after a decade in the US, citing visa uncertainty and job instability as key causes for his choice.Sagar, an Indian tech employee who spent round ten years within the US, moved again to India after an extended interval {of professional} highs and repeated immigration stress. In an interview with The American Bazaar, he spoke intimately about his journey from India to America and again once more, together with examine, work, setbacks, and eventual relocation.“My choice appeared irrational to many. However I wished to interrupt free from the fixed visa hassles and a lifetime of job insecurity. Life in India has it challenges however I really feel freer,” Swapnil Sagar says.Sagar’s journey started in India, the place he labored at Accenture earlier than deciding to pursue greater research in pc science. He moved to the US to check on the College of Illinois Chicago, saying, “Let me begin from the start,” Sagar says.He added: “I had a superb profession again in India. I used to be working with Accenture; I used to be single and doing properly. However I wished to check and was significantly inquisitive about pc science, so I made a decision to use for a grasp’s in America. I selected UIC in Chicago for its glorious pc science programs.”He initially managed to work beneath F-1 standing and afterward STEM OPT, however his long-term plans had been disrupted by repeated visa uncertainty. “The actual American visa actuality started unfolding when my H-1B utility was despatched. My H-1B didn’t get picked up within the first two makes an attempt, so I ended up using virtually all three years of my STEM OPT working,” he says.Even after lastly being chosen within the H-1B lottery, his scenario modified once more. “I used to be glad when the third time round my H-1B lastly bought picked up however simply as I used to be gearing up for my actual work innings within the US, my employer fired me in the course of the visa processing time. The identical employer who had filed for my H-1B! And my H-1B was nullified.”Regardless of setbacks, he rebuilt his profession, working in numerous companies earlier than touchdown a task at Microsoft. Throughout this era, he bought married and acquired a house in Houston, which was a secure part of his life. Nevertheless, that stability was short-lived. “In Might 2025, Microsoft laid me off amongst 10,000 folks,” Sagar says.Following the layoff, Sagar and his spouse questioned their future. His spouse, who was on an H-4 dependent visa and unable to work, additionally influenced their choice. He famous frustrations with paperwork, visa dependency, and uncertainty within the US system.He stated: “I felt that America was not the identical place the place I as soon as got here to check. Most of my productive hours had been getting wasted submitting varied types and paperwork that didn’t present stability.”Ultimately, the couple determined to return to India and settle in Bengaluru, the place their households are based mostly. He stated: “I do miss my clear air and easy rides to locations. Additionally, the work tradition in India will be taxing, however regardless of this, I be happy, as my life isn’t ruled by visas and each my spouse and I’ve our mother and father close to us.”Sagar is now working once more as a software program developer in India. He says he nonetheless displays on his time in US, however believes the transfer has introduced a way of management and closeness to household that he values greater than his earlier life overseas.
