Life as an Indian is all about waiting for Visas/PR.

New JWfV88

Oct 22 68 Comments

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Currently in Singapore, will be moving to Amazon Berlin SDE2 , salary over there is around 100k Euros.
No chances of getting a PR in Singapore.
Germany PR/Citizenship will take 5 to 9 years.
Moving to US would be one option.
Is it worth waiting to get L1 and then wait another decade to get a green card?
Or out of the box solution is to try for PR to Canada/Australia.
Or stay and enjoy in Berlin.
Suggestions/Comments/Thoughts by fellow Indians.

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TOP 68 Comments

Salesforce ☉

Serious question: why not stay in India? Is it that bad?

Oct 22 11 18
- Amazon ninjadevo
  
  Staying in India is not all that bad if you have decent engineering skills and can make it to FAANG or similar type companies. 6-10 yrs experienced engineers make TC anywhere from 40-60 Lakhs INR. That is crazy money even in big cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad. Yes there are cons like corruption and pollution out of which you have to deal with pollution on a daily basis. Any developing city has to go thru pollution cycles during its developmental phase. Look at the history of NY, Tokyo, Beijing etc. But there is a solution even for that. The place where I will start to work very soon offered me WFH 2-3 days a week. The whole team does. We mostly have to come to office to attend meetings with other teams,sprint planning, design discussions and to help others if they need. I had to sacrifice around 5 Lakhs compensation to get this facility but it definitely is worth it. They save money by having smaller office spaces and I get peace of mind. Current TC @amzn - 52 lakhs. TC in my next company - uipath is 64 lakhs. 10 yrs of work exp. Switching for a mere 20% hike only because of the other benefits. The first few months I will have to travel everyday but once I get a hang of my work, I should be able to do it only twice or thrice a week.
  
  Oct 22 5
- Axtria racers
  
  @New moving out of India is not a recent phenomenon. Look at the Indian population in Seattle, NJ, Bay, Dubai, London, and Singapore. You'll realize people have been migrating for long. The emergence of corporate culture in India 20 years ago made it so much easier to move, with their inter-country transfer policies. The current political scenario in India is tense, the general sentiment is that it's preventing people from moving back. But it's too early to draw conclusive results about whether or not, it has had a significant effect on people moving out of India.
  
  Oct 22 0
- Axtria racers
  
  @Brightcove that's amazing if you haven't had to move out of your home as yet. I would love to be where I was born. I moved a few cities, in both India and US, so place holds less meaning to me. My hometown is a great place too but I just happen to get an opportunity outside of it at the time when I needed it, and I continued to move in pursuit of better opportunities haha. I just visit now once a year to see my family, it's a comfy feeling to be in the city you were born. But hypothetically, if my family moved out today, there would be little to no reason to visit that city again.
  
  Oct 22 1
- Axtria racers
  
  @ninja agree, staying in India isn't bad at all. It's great if you have a good engineering job, but isn't that true for the US too? An average Indian struggles the same way to meet ends as an average American. It's a choice if someone wants to stay closer to their family in India in a polluted city with broken roads or move to a developed city away from home. On a different note, congrats on your new job 👏
  
  Oct 22 0
- Amazon ninjadevo
  
  @Axtria thank you 🙏. I was in the US for close to 10 yrs. 2 yrs for my masters and 8 yrs to work. US is an amazing country. It gives you everything. It also has a nice way of taking back all of it once you start a family and as you age. To give your kid good education/college degree you have to set aside atleast $70K every year for bachelors. Surprisingly masters is more cheaper. But before that you need a bachelors degree LOL. $70K now, so imagine how much it would be 15 yrs down the line. Also the medical expenses when you plan to retire are crazy high. Most S/W engineers hit a dead end by 45. Yes ageism is a real thing. In case you loose your job due to recession or coz you are not as competitive as younger folks, you need to get health insurance outside which costs a fortune as you age. So, everything is not rosy. I would say US is the best place to live and work until you hit forties. It is simply the worst place to retire and trust me when I say retirement for S/W engineers is lesser than you think. So long term, I would say India makes more sense. Please work and enjoy when you get a chance in the US but remember that cannot be permanent. If someone asks me I always say learn as much as you can, save a lot of money, start a family if you plan to so that your kids get the US passport (so that they can return if they want for studies/work) and then plan to come back because things get shitty in the US as you age!
  
  Oct 22 7
New 🤷🏼‍♂️🤪😇

Why so reluctant to stay out of India?

Oct 22 30 0
New JWfV88
OP

The problem with India is you pay 30% tax for no infrastructure, no health care, amazing pollution and world class corruption but not all things are bad, good food and close to parent's are something to look up to.

Oct 22 9 3
- New / Consultant akshay1more
  
  For tax, you pay that in every country more or less.
  Be fit. First happiness is being healthy. Big cities has very good health care now a days
  Yes but we have to change ourself then only pollution will reduce. You can’t escape this reality. Even if you go to other country there will. Air is common for all.
  As a software professional I never paid a bribe in my life. Be the change
  None of the country in the world is perfect. You have to live along with things!!!
  
  Oct 22 6
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  I agree, but I am talking in general if you want to live outside India things are getting tough for Indian's as we are billions in number and there are limited perks living in India.
  
  Oct 22 0
- New / Consultant akshay1more
  
  Makes sense. It’s your choice. There is nothing wrong with that. You can be wherever you want!
  
  Oct 22 0
Amazon zwud35

Get married to a citizen. Else keep waiting for life long.

Oct 22 7 4
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  Already married, I think that would sum up things.
  
  Oct 22 1
- Uber ripuber
  
  Rinse and repeat
  
  Oct 22 3
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  Easier said than done 🙂
  
  Oct 22 1
- Uber ripuber
  
  I'll actually take that advice if I got to go soon, provided I find someone there xD
  
  Oct 22 0
Amazon / IT hellopaaji

Sorry mate. It's not your mistake that you were born in India. Shit happens

Oct 22 10 3
- Amazon god
  
  This is the worst and most racist comment that I have felt in years. Kudos to you for hurting my feelings 👏🏻👏🏻
  
  Oct 22 2
- Walmart XQLb37
  
  True, Hellopaaji. Totally agree.
  
  Oct 22 0
- Pivotal yeezytaugh
  
  we don't have control over where we are born. that is a universal fact
  
  Oct 23 0
Microsoft darkjedi

Try for Canada, getting PR is much easier there (takes around 5 years) for Indians, tech scene is decent in Toronto and Vancouver

Oct 22 2 8
- Microsoft darkjedi
  
  @oma I’m Canadian as well..the tech scene is nothing compared to what’s in the USA but it is still better than other countries like Germany and Singapore
  
  Oct 22 1
- Microsoft darkjedi
  
  All the major tech companies such as google amazon and Microsoft and many more have Canadian presence
  
  Oct 22 1
- Nutanix RcLd81
  
  PR for Canada is immediate. You can have it even before you step foot in the country.
  
  Oct 22 0
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  I am 31, 9 yoe, how easy is it to get the canadian PR?
  
  Oct 22 1
- Nutanix RcLd81
  
  I would guess pretty easy. Search for 'express entry'.
  
  Oct 22 1
Walmart XQLb37

Tough luck, my friend. While you wait for a Canada, US, or Europe residency - in the interim, working in Singapore, or Dubai etc. is an excellent option.

Oct 22 2 5
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  Currently in Singapore, will be moving to Berlin :)
  
  Oct 22 1
- Walmart XQLb37
  
  Hey, my friend. Yeah, this is not a bad strategy while you wait out your residency approval. In the US, there are too many Indians and you will feel the culture the same - wherever there are largely Indians. Same office politics (or perhaps worse) as India. If you can crack it in somewhere Europe, you would like it more, I feel. Also, the healthcare is a big scam in the US - no matter which insurance plan you have.
  
  Oct 22 0
- Axtria racers
  
  Why Singapore to Berlin? I thought Singapore is great - tech scene is good, it puts you in a good income bracket in the country, closer to family in India, and infrastructure is good.
  
  I would love to work there to be able to fly home every month or two, unlike US where I have to always reserve a chunk of my leaves towards the end of the year to be able to meet my family, making that 20+ hours of travel one way. It sucks.
  
  Oct 22 0
- Axtria racers
  
  +1 to healthcare scam. Read my reply above.
  
  Oct 22 0
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  Tech over here is mid level companies and a lot of banks, so I thought Berlin would have better brands and a better WLB and a chance of PR but the best part is I am moving to Amazon, so WLB Is gone.
  
  Oct 22 0
Yelp JMP2

OP can you please provide breakdown of your Amazon Berlin TC?

Oct 22 0 4
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  85k base , 25k joining, 60k stocks @ €
  
  Oct 22 1
- Yelp JMP2
  
  Thanks!
  
  Oct 22 0
- Apple KGHP41
  
  That’s a pretty good TC for Berlin. Go for it.
  
  Oct 22 0
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  I will be moving in November :)
  
  Oct 22 0
Apple KGHP41

Move to Canada on PR -> 3 years -> Canadian Citizen -> Work freely in common wealth countries or come to US/Mexico on TN.

Oct 22 1 2
- New 2004dis
  
  Can you elaborate? What exactly do you mean by "work freely in common wealth countries"? Would I not need a work visa in this case?
  
  Genuinely curious.
  
  Oct 22 0
- Apple KGHP41
  
  Yes. With a Canadian citizenship common wealth nations like NZ, AUS are easier to get jobs and work in.
  
  Oct 22 0
Apple sulkmore

Why can’t you get PR in singapore? I thought that was super simple if you have a job

Oct 22 0 4
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  For Singapore PR, these days only Chinese and Malaysians are getting it, dont know why.
  
  Oct 22 0
- Axtria racers
  
  @sulk that was several years ago
  
  Oct 22 0
- Apple sulkmore
  
  One my friends just moved from India to singapore and he and his wife got their PR in less than a year and he works for some unknown small software company. So i am wondering what is the criteria being used to give PR
  
  Oct 22 0
- Intuit Iamatestmore
  
  It’s a black box model unlike Canada / Australia
  
  Oct 22 0
Uber / Eng meowimacat

Do you worry that dating will be hard for Indians in Berlin?

Oct 22 0 2
- New JWfV88
  OP
  
  Already married :)
  
  Oct 22 0
- Nokia / Eng dome10
  
  Dude you have bigger problem than rest of us..take care of that first. Then think about settling in anywhere.
  
  Oct 25 0
Amazon / IT JqKf12

If you have at least 3 years of total work experience, then Australia might be your best option. Look for it in inside dot amazon. There is no claw back.
Mine PR process took less than a moth from submission to approval. But pre submission process may take a few months.
You should be able to apply for it on your first day. Look up Australian visa 186 Direct Entry Stream.

Yesterday 0 0
Grab nimbler

Did you try for Amazon in Canada? I have some friends who moved from Singapore to Canada that way.

Nov 30 0 0
Cisco / Eng Conf

I cannot understand why working at foreign country is the best option. Love yours.

Nov 6 0 0
IEEE AmInuts

Depends on your YOE and skill set. If you don't have school going kids, try Berlin for sure. Gives you a different perspective on life. Do learn German and be aware that more people are formally dressed.

Depending on skill set, try Scandinavia. Canada used to be good from a PR perspective, but not sure how its is now. The downside of Toronto is high cost of living.

Oct 22 0 0

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