I recently got selected to facebook US from India and I am currently trying to figure out if it is worth it to move to US with a wife and a kid (expecting). I understand if you are single, it is a no brainer. Both my wife and I work here and make a lot of savings. Considering the expenses in the bay area, if only I end up earning, the increase in savings might not be substantial. Internal transfer at my wife's company is one option, but it would mean daycare for the baby which we are very sceptical about. The points that I see going for US are: 1. Better work and career prospects with Facebook. Like it or not, bay area is the center of technological revolution and if you want to do great work, this is the place to be. There are always exceptions, but more often than not, this is the case. 2. Better infrastructure 3. Low pollution 4. Potential for high earnings, if both of us work The points I see going for India are: 1. Being closer to family and friends 2. Kid will grow up among family, instead of at daycare. Either of our parents would stay with us and take care of the baby while we go to work. 3. Good savings considering both of us work and as India has very low cost of living 4. Can afford third world luxuries like house maid etc 5. Its your home after all. I have been to US and Europe before, for about a year on the whole, and I couldn't help but feel that I was in the minority and that I am living in someone else's country and thereby limiting my freedom. Maybe its just my feeling. Are my points valid? Would you add anything to those? Would you disagree with any of them? Anyone else in a similar boat before? What did you decide and how? What do you recommend? Please comment. I think there are many people here who emigrated to US from India. If you can impart me with your wisdom, I would be very grateful. My current TC: 65L YOE: 9 Wife current TC: 35L YOE: 6 FB TC: 319 including sign on
It depends on how much you save in Inida
You are thinking along the right points. I would add to your cons list Impact to wife's job and career prospects. Unless she moves to US with a job she loves it will be very hard for her to find something she likes and her career might get hampered long term. Long path to citizenships. H1b is a pain and the spouse visa H4 is at the whims of politicians in terms of whether they allow authorization to work or now. Getting a green card could take decades. And moving between companies with H1B has become more challenging under Trump than ever. Life is hard and lonely atleast initially. Family is far so can't just do a quick trip during holidays celebrations and even funerals. Interaction with people gets very limited. Imagine your doorbell almost never rings unless you put. Alot of effort to build a social circle and get to a state where you are casual. Lots of manual work that Indians are not used to. Not only all the cleaning and washing and tidying that will become infitie with a new baby but also when you buy your own house, fixing a dishwasher, leaky faucet. Unless you were very handy in India these will seem like big challenges and help not available at a quick call. I have been living in US with 2 kids for the last 10 years and wouldn't recommend you to move here.
Many thanks for your reply. Wife's career is something we have to plan for, I agree. Not intending to stay in US in the long term. 3-5 years is the timeframe we are thinking. Definitely not a handyman. :) But something I am willing to learn and be. Not underestimating the hardship of it though. Do you think it can be manageable?
3-5 years is what I hear from so many people moving. That doesn’t happen. Visa / GC is going to be burdensome, I would not move if I were you.
Regrets for not doing is always > Regrets for doing
On which visa will you move to US? As far as i know for getting L1 visa, you have to be with the company for atleast 1 year with in last 3 years.
It will be H1B.
Is it easy to get H1B from india, AFAIK it's lottery based and really hard to get.
First of all congrats on the offer. You actually have very real and valid concerns, so I’ll be serious. First off I’m not from India, but I’m from another country and you are 100% spot on with all of those points. (I have kids too.) It’s a major sacrifice either way, and no matter how hard people try, the cons don’t go away. You just have to deal with it, and accept the fact that you made the best decision for your family. One major pro for the US is that depending on your circumstances back home, your kid might have a much higher chance of receiving a better education, and/or a stress-free childhood. The rat-race mentality is less prevalent in the US, although it still exists in a more inconspicuous way. It also means that your kid is going to grow up as an American, which can either be a pro or a con depending on the person. Last thing to consider is that if you don’t like the US, you can always move back to India, but the reverse may not be true, or as easy. Your English seems great though, so I suspect you’re in a better position than most to make that happen. Unfortunately I gave you more things to think about instead of giving you an answer, but I’m just here to confirm that your concerns are all very real. Probably more real than you realize. A lot of us are still dealing with them 10-15 years into moving to the US. For some of us, it will always be a fact of life. All it takes is one person walking down the street yelling “go back to your country” to remind you that you are nothing but a passer-by here. It’s worse for your kid, because it will feel like they don’t belong in their own home.
Thank you for your perspective. Definitely, a lot more for me to consider :)
I agree with most of what you are saying except for the education. Elementary education in US doesn't compare with Indian education as in it's very weak. If you are planning to move back in 3-5 years make sure your kid is going to extra classes here to catch-up on math and reading and Hindi or they will be behind the Indian kids.
Your points are legit, take a shot. Don’t loose opportunity. Ask your wife if she can leave of absence for a year. If you don’t really like here at bay, you can move to India fb. Social life will be good here only if you/your wife already have friends here. Mostly you will spend more time with kid in early years if you are in us. If you are in India there will be always someone to take care of kid, if you want to do your other works.
Wife wants to continue working. And we do have a few friends in the bay area, yes.
Stay where you currently are.. You are doing great. You don't want to get into the mess of visa and and boat load of other mess just for 319k in the bay. That money does not take you far, you may save a little more than India, but will miss out on a lot
Exactly same situation. Moved US a few months ago. Initial life would be tough.. Very tough.. but once you are set, it's much better here. Your monthly savings will reduce but yoe would be almost the same as your combined savings in India. Elementary Education is nothing in comparison to India so if you plan to return back India then kid will have a hard time adjusting.
Good to find atleast one person who was in the same situation. :) In what ways would you say life in US is tough? Can you elaborate a bit, please?
Dont move. 1Cr salary is equivalent to 1M salary in Bay area. If you earn 350K it will help you to meet your ends plus some saving. Imagine 35L in India. Wife will be devastated unless planning for child as life in US is tough and lonely. Child will get US citizenship if that is what you desired. Heard FB wlb can be notorious. H1b hassles doesnt worth it nowadays. Current H1b are moving on from US and others are stuck as they have built life here and they can’t give up because of family. Only move if you have EB1 gc guaranteed with high enough $.
+1 wife will suffer if she loves to work (which seems the case as she isn't earning right now for winning the bread) Social life is plastic unless she has really good friends here. Where in US btw?
If choose to return, OP can save 70-75lakhs easily after taxes vs. 1 crore salary (savings not more than 50 lakes after taxes) in India. Can’t go wrong. If long term, it is still substantially more savings. Standard of living might be better in India on PPP terms but quality of life is questionable.
From every angle except one (closer to family): The answer is yes. Yes, you should move
Even with the baby in picture? Because, that is my other main concern. How good are the daycares/nannies? How do other couples do it?
Ask wife to take sabbatical If she is comfortable with focusing on the kid for 1st 2 years. You earn enough. No need for both of you to earn —> More happiness. I have a 2year old and another on the way. My wife has taken a break. We are collectively more happy. Also think about long term opportunities you will provide to your kid(s). Can’t beat that. Also absolute $ wise, you will end up saving significantly more in 2-3 years. At some point if you decide to come back you will be much higher placed anyways. Additionally, social life depends on you. If you make efforts, it’s gonna be easy. Don’t let this opportunity slide away.