Indian immigrants to US find better life back in India
Thousands of Indian immigrants are choosing to leave the United States in the midst of the recession and move back to India to find better jobs.
While many cite better job opportunities in India as their primary reason, most also feel they are able to have a better quality of life in India.
Ten years ago, KJ Singh would have never imagined moving back to India. When he was in college, the sign of success was to go to the United States for more education or for a job.
"Going overseas for higher education was something that guys who did well in academics – that was the first preference. There weren't too many jobs in India, especially in the private sector and so I followed the trend," Singh said.
But after completing a PhD, landing a job at a prestigious research institute and starting his own company, Singh felt that living the American dream just wasn't enough.
"On a day to day basis a lot of things get taken care of. The maid comes in to do sweepings and the cook comes in to cook twice a day and somebody comes in to iron the clothes. So between four or five people who help us out it certainly gives us a lot more time to spend with the family," he said.
Many Indians who have chosen to move back to India live in gated communities and complexes where as much as 75 percent of the residents have returned from abroad. The residents are able to design their own little dream world by taking the best from their experiences in both the east and the west. Singh lives in an apartment complex amidst the hustle and bustle of Bangalore, called the Sobha Jasmine. Many of his neighbors also returned from the United States not too long ago.
While many Americans see immigrants as taking jobs away, highly skilled Indian and Chinese immigrants are responsible for more than 50 percent of the companies in Silicon Valley and 15 percent of the job creation there.
