The American Dream Indian Engineers Are Still Chasing — and Why It’s Getting Harder

Key Takeaways

• This piece focuses on software engineering realities in India, not outlier narratives.
• Compensation numbers should be interpreted with role scope, market cycle, and switching friction.
• Use decision frameworks and evidence checks before acting on title or salary headlines.

On This Page

• The Expectation
• The Reality
• Salary and Growth Reality
• Where Most People Get Stuck
• Who Should Avoid This Path
• Decision Framework
• Originality Lens
• Final Verdict

The Expectation

The playbook has been unchanged since 2010:

• Take a 40 Lakh loan.
• Do an MS in CS from a Tier-2 US University.
• Land a FAANG job paying $150k+.
• Buy a Tesla, post photos on Instagram.
• Get a Green Card, buy a house, retire rich.

It’s viewed as the only escape velocity from Indian mediocrity.

The Reality

The Current H1B/Green Card Reality:

The Visa Anxiety Tax:

• Can't switch jobs freely (need new sponsor, transfer process)
• Layoff = 60 days to find new job or leave country
• Can't start companies (would lose visa status)
• Spouse work authorization is complicated
• Every immigration policy change causes stress
• Career decisions driven by visa, not optimal choice

Case Study - The Trapped High Earner:

Arjun, 38, Staff Engineer in Seattle:

• Salary: $320K TC
• Time in US: 14 years
• Green Card status: Waiting (EB-2, Priority Date 2015)
• Estimated wait: 35+ more years
• Life decisions impacted: Can't start company, limited job movement, stress affects family
• Current feeling: "Golden cage. Can't leave, can't fully participate."

He earns exceptionally well but can't exercise the freedom that should come with that success.

Related context: Salary Reality Check, CTC Decoder, more in Software Engineering.

Salary and Growth Reality

Cross-check your take-home with the CTC Decoder and compare ranges in Salary Reality.

Where Most People Get Stuck

Where US-Based Indians Get Trapped:

The Sunk Cost Fallacy:

"I've invested 10 years here. I can't go back now." But sunk costs are sunk. The question is: what's the best path forward from today?

The Return Fear:

"What will people think if I return?" Social pressure keeps people in situations that no longer serve them. The US narrative is internalized deep.

The Decision Framework:

1. If Green Card timeline is 40+ years: The math has fundamentally changed. India offers comparable wealth with full freedom.
2. If you have L1A pathway: This is different—EB-1C can be 2-3 years. Evaluate separately.
3. If career is suffering due to visa limits: The inability to switch jobs, start companies, or negotiate freely has a real cost.
4. If family needs are increasing: Aging parents, kids wanting to know grandparents—these get harder with distance.
5. If savings are the goal: Compare 10-year projection of US savings vs. India savings. The gap may not justify the lifestyle cost.

If this matches your current situation, run the Resignation Risk Analyzer before making your next move.

Who Should Avoid This Path

The US Path Is Wrong For You If:

• You have elderly parents who need regular care
• Family proximity is a core value
• You want to start a company someday
• Visa uncertainty will cause you chronic anxiety
• You're optimizing for freedom, not just dollars

The US Path Might Still Work If:

• You have L1A or other faster immigrant path
• You're in a field that truly has no equivalent in India (specialized research)
• You've already built a life (spouse, kids school, community)
• Your GC is filed before the backlog got extreme
• The career opportunity genuinely can't exist in India

Decision Framework

Use this quick framework before changing role, company, or specialization.

• If salary delta is below 25 percent for a switch, optimize for skill depth and scope, not title.
• If your stack is legacy-only for 12+ months, schedule a transition plan before role lock-in compounds.
• If role ownership is high but pay is flat, use impact evidence to negotiate before switching.

Common Mistakes Checklist

• Treating outlier salaries as planning baselines.
• Using title changes as a substitute for capability changes.
• Delaying market benchmarking until after compensation stagnates.

Real Scenario Snapshot

A mid-level developer with 5 years in a stable service role gets a title bump but no meaningful scope change. Within 12 months, market interview performance drops due to stale stack exposure.

Originality Lens

Contrarian thesis: Scope quality compounds career value faster than raw coding volume.

Non-obvious signal: Engineers anchored to legacy stacks lose negotiation leverage before they notice compensation drag.

Evidence By Section