R2I 2025 April

[Razz R]

I was like wow! Indians are now taking this route for greencard?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UstpFxF0ds

yes it is quite common - in fact i know someone whose dad sold some real estate in india ~5Cr and sent him 500k so they filed EB5 ( this was a while back when it was still 500k..) the funny part is as soon as they filed, the dates in the regular EB category started moving and their neighbour got it via the regular donkey line.. goes to show murphy's laws are truely applicable.

[r2somewhere]

The thing is after a certain level it is not always the talent but whom you know decides the career ladder.

When does one reach this level? I am 10+ years in and still depend on leetcode to get raises (by changing jobs).

Hey r2somewhere, nice to see you back. Talking about leetcode, I really hate dynamic nature of the problems and “Dynamic Programming” more. Such problems remind me of my low IQ

Good to be back, was hoping the old forum would be back by now

[r2somewhere]

I was like wow! Indians are now taking this route for greencard?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UstpFxF0ds

yes it is quite common - in fact i know someone whose dad sold some real estate in india ~5Cr and sent him 500k so they filed EB5 ( this was a while back when it was still 500k..) the funny part is as soon as they filed, the dates in the regular EB category started moving and their neighbour got it via the regular donkey line.. goes to show murphy's laws are truely applicable.

I also got my GC this year via the donkey route. I am now 100% confident that immigration reform will pass within a year and GC wait times will come down to a few months for everyone. Not against it at all, but this is how the universe works

[wd40]

I posted the below in a Singapore forum, posting it here too, sorry if some of the terms sound alien, as they are from a Singapore context:

-------------------------------------++++++++++++++++++++----------------------

I just came back from a vacation to India and most people ask me why do I want to leave Singapore, it is difficult to explain to them. I tell them Singapore is a great place to live and work and raise a family. Then what is the reason I want to leave on my own accord?

I do quite a poor job in explaining my reasons but here they are:
1) No PR in Singapore, so it is just a matter of leaving now vs leaving in another 5, 10 or even 15 years. If the end goal is to leave Singapore, then I might as well do it now and look forward to something new.
2) The main reason I came to Singapore was for the geographical arbitrage, higher savings potential in Singapore, which I have made the most of. Continuing to live here I will save more money, but I am unlikely to spend it.
3) The 1st 5 years in Singapore were really exciting, it was a new country to explore, we travelled around the region, I even bought a motobike and used to go to JB and fill petrol every 3 weeks, lol and those days of riding motorcyle were the best days of my life here. I sold my motorcyle after 5 years due to a job uncertainity. Then even though the uncertainity went away and I found a new job, the COE went through the roof, it went up like 10X and I gave up riding. The next 10 years were pretty mundane, every day is like the same day and we have been living in a loop. Because we dont have any real friends or family here, even those friends we make, eventually leave Singapore and we start from scratch. We live in Jurong near Lakeside near an Indian intl school and the demographics have completely changed here in the last 7 years. When we came here rents were cheap, there were lots of Indian families renting HDBs and their kids in playgrounds it was a very India India kind of atmosphere. But after covid and prices shooting up, most of the Indians renting HDB have left Singapore, only the husband stays and the wife and kids went back to India. The richer dual income condo living Indians still continue to be in Singapore and send their kids to the Indian intl school. So we are kind of a rare species here, my salary is such that I can afford a condo, but I refuse to upgrade my lifestyle here as HDB is fine for us.
4) My skills are pretty average. I am working in my current role with the current employer since the last 9 years. So I last successfully interviewed and found a job was 9 years ago and that was a fluke lol. If I were to interview myself, I would never hire myself. My team is pretty mediocre, but it is a smallish European bank and not much work happens here, it is a support kind of role. I stopped doing real coding ages ago and I more of a process guy. My skills will not get my any job here in Singapore and I hate to upskill, no ambition, since I have already made enough. This also means, that I am stuck with this job and stuck with this boss. I will be doing everyone a favour by quitting myself, even though I have lots of process knowledge and my boss will most likely be happy for me to continue working from India on a Indian vendor's payroll. I havent spoken to him yet, I am waiting for my bonus letter.
5) My daughter's school some of her friends are already moving back to India this year. The kind of parents who continue to send their kids to the indian intl school at higher grades like the O level and A level are the type of parents who are like senior level condo dwelling dual income executives. Their jobs are pretty stable and they are likely to be pretty open to send their kids to study anywhere in the world, if their kids dont manage to get into the Singapore universities. I am not that big a hitter in my career. I also dont know if my daughter will be comfortable studying alone abroad for her university. Also I dont want to commit to living in Singapore until my daughter's college is over and then it is never ending right, I will have to try to stay here until she finds a job. What about her visa status and all that. I just feel that is too much of long term uncertainty to deal with.
6) My parents are old (75 and 70) and alone, although they are fit and do everything on their own and they are part of a very well knit community. They have built a landed house in Bangalore and they live in the ground floor and the upper floor is rent out. We are planning to go and live in the upper floor, so we get to have our privacy and still be there for our parents and for my daughter to know her grand parents better. So that is a huge plus for me. Even though my wife doesnt get along with my parents, we hope we can find a happy coexistence.

So those are my reasons, sorry for the long rant

[Returning_Indian]

That's exactly the problem in western countries and Indian metros. People leave for greener pastures and you have to start again to make friends. I lost the energy and cringe at the thought of having to discuss the whole thing again.

It's good that you are moving to a permanent place you can call home. You will build relationships over time and lay down roots. After financial success, you need life to enjoy that money as well. I really hope your wife can work with your parents. If they offer you position to work for the same employer from India, then you should take it. It will keep you busy and nothing like regular flow of monthly paycheck. Though I would only work 3days a week at max.

[old-spice2]

I posted the below in a Singapore forum, posting it here too, sorry if some of the terms sound alien, as they are from a Singapore context:

-------------------------------------++++++++++++++++++++----------------------

I just came back from a vacation to India and most people ask me why do I want to leave Singapore, it is difficult to explain to them. I tell them Singapore is a great place to live and work and raise a family. Then what is the reason I want to leave on my own accord?

I do quite a poor job in explaining my reasons but here they are:
1) No PR in Singapore, so it is just a matter of leaving now vs leaving in another 5, 10 or even 15 years. If the end goal is to leave Singapore, then I might as well do it now and look forward to something new.
2) The main reason I came to Singapore was for the geographical arbitrage, higher savings potential in Singapore, which I have made the most of. Continuing to live here I will save more money, but I am unlikely to spend it.
So those are my reasons, sorry for the long rant

One of my friend asked when so many Indians are trying to get out why are you going back? I asked him to count how many guys in their 50s/60s are trying to get out of India. He went silent and got the point.

People who are getting out of India are in their 20s/30s. You will not find many in our age (close to retirement) getting out. I will never do if I knew how expensive the phoren lands are. It is a different matter for millionaires who want to escape tax regime but they mostly go to UAE. West is also a highly taxed region with higher CoL - it is a double whammy. Many immigrants in Canada are discovering this reality. It does not make financial sense, only for bragging rights rich go out.

[Returning_Indian]

One of my friend asked when so many Indians are trying to get out why are you going back? I asked him to count how many guys in their 50s/60s are trying to get out of India. He went silent and got the point.

People who are getting out of India are in their 20s/30s. You will not find many in our age (close to retirement) getting out. I will never do if I knew how expensive the phoren lands are. It is a different matter for millionaires who want to escape tax regime but they mostly go to UAE. West is also a highly taxed region with higher CoL - it is a double whammy. Many immigrants in Canada are discovering this reality. It does not make financial sense, only for bragging rights rich go out.

The rich that are getting out are tax evaders, loan defaulters or criminals of some sort and trying to escape. I have never heard or seen rich leaving. India is perfect place for rich people. They use all the cheap labor to manage all their activities. They use corruption to skirt all the laws and exert power and get away with murder. They live excellent life here and have people who give a shit about them. In UAE nobody cares. They will feel lost and any criminal activity and they will be hanged on public outpost.

[loyalindian]

This is not accurate.

Obviously there are Indian CEOs of large Tech firms, however there are several dozens of Indians in Senior / Executive management positions in Financial Services, Investment, Insurance, Pharma and other sectors.

To get to these positions, it requires stepping outside your comfort zone, being a good leader, showing empathy and some luck as well. While discrimination still exists, the US Corporate sector leans toward meritocracy.

Also, not sure where you were going with the "attractive girls" comment which is a misogynist comment



The thing is after a certain level it is not always the talent but whom you know decides the career ladder.
[/quote]

When does one reach this level? I am 10+ years in and still depend on leetcode to get raises (by changing jobs).
[/quote]

Middle management: When you are an individual contributor, you can be a rockstar. Occasions come when you get 'that' jump to next level. Now the trouble starts .

Please allow me to explain. It is likely you would have a team at this point. So there are people looking at you, you will have peers competing with you and you want to go higher too.

To go higher from here, first you need contacts. Socialize outside your family life. Smile as though a pencil is stuck inside your mouth. In US, you have to be white or black. Indians rise high but NOT very high. Let's not talk about the Microsoft/Google CEOs, they are under immense pressure everyday!

You got to praise folks although you don't agree with them (a*** l*****g).

I have seen attractive looking girls shoot high in their career ladder. Weird!
[/quote]

[loyalindian]

Congratulations on your well planned and executed journey towards Financial Independence and return to Bangalore later in the year. I have followed your posts even in the old forum and I have admired your humility, planning and financial acumen


quote=wd40 post_id=1691 time=1737329296 user_id=80]
I posted the below in a Singapore forum, posting it here too, sorry if some of the terms sound alien, as they are from a Singapore context:

-------------------------------------++++++++++++++++++++----------------------

I just came back from a vacation to India and most people ask me why do I want to leave Singapore, it is difficult to explain to them. I tell them Singapore is a great place to live and work and raise a family. Then what is the reason I want to leave on my own accord?

I do quite a poor job in explaining my reasons but here they are:
1) No PR in Singapore, so it is just a matter of leaving now vs leaving in another 5, 10 or even 15 years. If the end goal is to leave Singapore, then I might as well do it now and look forward to something new.
2) The main reason I came to Singapore was for the geographical arbitrage, higher savings potential in Singapore, which I have made the most of. Continuing to live here I will save more money, but I am unlikely to spend it.
3) The 1st 5 years in Singapore were really exciting, it was a new country to explore, we travelled around the region, I even bought a motobike and used to go to JB and fill petrol every 3 weeks, lol and those days of riding motorcyle were the best days of my life here. I sold my motorcyle after 5 years due to a job uncertainity. Then even though the uncertainity went away and I found a new job, the COE went through the roof, it went up like 10X and I gave up riding. The next 10 years were pretty mundane, every day is like the same day and we have been living in a loop. Because we dont have any real friends or family here, even those friends we make, eventually leave Singapore and we start from scratch. We live in Jurong near Lakeside near an Indian intl school and the demographics have completely changed here in the last 7 years. When we came here rents were cheap, there were lots of Indian families renting HDBs and their kids in playgrounds it was a very India India kind of atmosphere. But after covid and prices shooting up, most of the Indians renting HDB have left Singapore, only the husband stays and the wife and kids went back to India. The richer dual income condo living Indians still continue to be in Singapore and send their kids to the Indian intl school. So we are kind of a rare species here, my salary is such that I can afford a condo, but I refuse to upgrade my lifestyle here as HDB is fine for us.
4) My skills are pretty average. I am working in my current role with the current employer since the last 9 years. So I last successfully interviewed and found a job was 9 years ago and that was a fluke lol. If I were to interview myself, I would never hire myself. My team is pretty mediocre, but it is a smallish European bank and not much work happens here, it is a support kind of role. I stopped doing real coding ages ago and I more of a process guy. My skills will not get my any job here in Singapore and I hate to upskill, no ambition, since I have already made enough. This also means, that I am stuck with this job and stuck with this boss. I will be doing everyone a favour by quitting myself, even though I have lots of process knowledge and my boss will most likely be happy for me to continue working from India on a Indian vendor's payroll. I havent spoken to him yet, I am waiting for my bonus letter.
5) My daughter's school some of her friends are already moving back to India this year. The kind of parents who continue to send their kids to the indian intl school at higher grades like the O level and A level are the type of parents who are like senior level condo dwelling dual income executives. Their jobs are pretty stable and they are likely to be pretty open to send their kids to study anywhere in the world, if their kids dont manage to get into the Singapore universities. I am not that big a hitter in my career. I also dont know if my daughter will be comfortable studying alone abroad for her university. Also I dont want to commit to living in Singapore until my daughter's college is over and then it is never ending right, I will have to try to stay here until she finds a job. What about her visa status and all that. I just feel that is too much of long term uncertainty to deal with.
6) My parents are old (75 and 70) and alone, although they are fit and do everything on their own and they are part of a very well knit community. They have built a landed house in Bangalore and they live in the ground floor and the upper floor is rent out. We are planning to go and live in the upper floor, so we get to have our privacy and still be there for our parents and for my daughter to know her grand parents better. So that is a huge plus for me. Even though my wife doesnt get along with my parents, we hope we can find a happy coexistence.

So those are my reasons, sorry for the long rant
[/quote]

[wd40]

... I have never heard or seen rich leaving. India is perfect place for rich people. They use all the cheap labor to manage all their activities. They use corruption to skirt all the laws and exert power and get away with murder. They live excellent life here and have people who give a shit about them. In UAE nobody cares. They will feel lost and any criminal activity and they will be hanged on public outpost.

I agree with this and this was true even in case of the migration from rural to urban during my parents generation.

My dad always likes to muse about how he took a metal trunk and boarded a train from Udupi to Bombay, after his matriculation ,with nothing in pocket and then studied in evening college and got a bank job etc

But then it is only now I realize, my dad's parents were poor and drowning in debt so he had to leave his village and there was nothing there for him, but when I see my wife's uncles, they have huge lands in Udupi, they have like a rice mill a huge clothes store etc, their networth is easily 50-100cr. Their kids even though well educated have joined the family business and driving 20L worth cars in Udupi. They have absolutely no interest in going to Bombay or Bangalore and slogging there. They are very culturally integrated and part of RSS etc

Whereas my dad has now settled in Bangalore and built his own house and there is none of his relatives in Udupi now, all in Bombay. As a kid, I used to think village people are poor bumpkins and city people speak English and are high class. But after my wedding and watching my wife's family this entire notion of mine turned upside down.

This same logic applies to those who went overseas, although it is relative.