High Skillled Indian immigrants have to renew their visa every 3 years and get it stamped till they can file adjustment of status which takes decades. This is costly, time consuming and risky for both employer and the employee.
Families fear of getting stuck in home country during background checks and verifications while visa stamping. While stuck in home country, many employers back in USA usually do not wait and they end employers visa sponsorship.
If employers end visa sponsorship it not only results in high skilled Indians losing his/her job, it also results in fire-sale of houses, cars and all their belongings as they have to rely on mercy of friends and neighbors for such sales. The applicant is not given a chance to personally dispose off his belongings, though one may have lived decades in the US.
As a result many have stopped visiting India to attend weddings, funerals and other important life events of loved ones, because of high uncertainty in visa stamping process. This is cruel byproduct of broken immigration system.
Uncertain Future
In spite of living in the United states for over a decade legally, paying taxes following all the rules, if a person from India working in USA on employment based visa loses his job, he has to sell his house, car, all his belongings and leave United States within 30 days. Current rules make it impossible for them to find a new job from a company who is willing to re-sponsor their work visa again, apply for the job, clear interviews, get an offer, clear background checks all within 30 days of losing the original job.
This puts tremendous stress on their lives, their familes including US born kids who may have to leave the country during middle of the school year with their parents. This affects kids’ life and career as they would have to restart their life in a new country with a new school system and new environment.
The non-US born children of High-skilled Indians stuck in Green card backlog are worst affected. Even though their parents brought them to US legally on dependent visas, once they cross 21 years of age they lose out on dependent GC slot and have to apply fresh non-immigrant visa, start entire immigration cycle from scratch like their parents and get in queue from start again. Ironically kids who entered US illegally are granted work permits under new program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Broken Dreams
High Skilled Indians stuck in backlog cannot change jobs or get promotions as they need to restart the green card process from start everytime there is change in position or employer. As a result they have no option but to continue in the same roles in an indentured servitude.
They cannot start our own business/startup companies to generate more jobs preventing us from realizing our full potential. They cannot invest freely in India or USA due to uncertainties of their resident status and constant fear of having to leave with short notice.
With career growth stalled one may not hear of another Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Vivek Wadhwa or Indra Nooyi in the next generation of Indians in US. When one lives in constant uncertainty innovation/entrepreneurship always takes a back seat.