After spending more than a decade building a life in the US, a 33-year-old Indian man says he is finally moving back home following a layoff, visa uncertainty and years of frustration with the American immigration system.

In a Reddit post titled “33M moving back to India for good after layoff. I am done”, the man wrote that he first moved to the US in 2015 on a student visa and spent years building a career there. “I worked hard, climbed the ladder, and won the H1B lottery on my last try,” he wrote.

The 33-year-old said that his company had initiated his PERM process last year, raising hopes of permanent residency. However, after waiting for 14 months, he was laid off and the process was abruptly terminated. “When I asked if they would keep the PERM going, they said no. Just like that, the future I tried to build here vanished,” he wrote.

The man further described the US immigration system as emotionally exhausting, particularly for Indian professionals facing decades-long green card backlogs under EB-2 and EB-3 categories. “The immigration system breaks you down,” he wrote, adding, “You waste three years just waiting to get into a line.”

He added that concerns over visa stamping delays, random RFEs and fear of being stranded outside the US had left him feeling trapped despite earning well professionally. “I started asking myself what the difference is between us and laborers in the Middle East whose bosses hold their passports. We cannot travel freely either,” he wrote.

“I made good money here, but the anxiety and stress ruined it. I wanted to see the world, but I stayed put because I was terrified of getting stuck outside the country. I refuse to switch to an F1 or B2 visa just to buy time. I am done living like this,” the user added.

The man said he had now decided to move back to India permanently instead of continuing to live with immigration uncertainty. However, he also admitted that conversations with family after his decision added to his emotional stress. He said that his mother repeatedly compared his return to another Indian family who had also moved back after layoffs in the US.

“It feels like she is trying to fool her own mind. She needs this other family to justify my choices to our relatives and friends. Comparison kills joy. Why can’t she just say her son is coming home? Period,” the user wrote.

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One user wrote, “I also moved to US in 2015 for my masters but I decided in pandemic that I don’t want to be a visa slave. I left US for Netherlands and it’s been six happy years, my career growth has been same even though I am earning a little bit less than I would have in US. But no regrets, I just got my EU citizenship and a bought a house ( which would have been difficult in New York). It was a good decision to leave US retrospectively.”

“The good thing in your case is you are single and no dependents here. Many get trapped in the GC backlog-endless H1B extensions trap because they have US citizen kids and rationalize their plight as doing it for the kids. You do not have that problem. Make the most of it and build a life that you dream of in India without the damocles sword of visas and GC over your head,” commented another.

“Man, just leave that fear about returning to india and leave ” Log kya kahenge”. Come back , do what you love, been there felt bad, pity, now its been 8 years life is good. You will certainly miss few things but you will get adjusted. Life will be Good for sure if you believe in it,” wrote a third user.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)