'Don't come to US': Indian couple living there says India now offers same opportunities without waiting years for stability

An Indian couple living in the US has advised young Indians to reconsider moving abroad, arguing that many of the opportunities that once attracted them to the country are now available in India as well.

Suhas and Priyanka shared their views during a street-style interview with Darshana, also known as @darshanaconnects, in a video posted on Instagram. Their comments have triggered an online debate over whether Indians should continue moving to the US for education and employment.

When asked what he would tell young people planning to move to the US, Suhas responded, "Don't come." He then questioned what was wrong with India and explained that the circumstances were different when he and Priyanka moved abroad.

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‘The US was a very easy bet’ when they moved

Suhas said their decision to leave India was influenced by the difficulty of finding good employment and achieving a quality lifestyle at the time.

"We came here because, at that time, India was very tough for us to crack into. It was very difficult to land a good job, very difficult to have a good quality of life. The US was a very easy bet. You come here, you get your master's, you get your job, and you are set," he said.

However, he believes the situation has changed and similar opportunities can now be found in India.

"But it's the same now in India. You can do everything that you do here, you can do it in India," Suhas said.

Priyanka also pointed to investment flowing into India, saying the country is attracting significant interest from investors.

Couple highlights personal cost of immigration

Suhas said moving abroad also involved costs that cannot be measured through salary alone. He spoke about leaving family and friends behind, adjusting to a foreign country and trying to feel accepted.

"Huge cost of leaving your family, leaving your friends, coming to a foreign land, making new friends, feeling accepted. I still don't feel like I'm accepted here. I would rather just live in India. If I could, I would," he said.

The couple also compared the choices made by Indians and Chinese students and professionals. Suhas said Chinese people often travel to the US to acquire education and knowledge before returning to China to contribute to their home country.

"They come here, they get an education, they extract the knowledge, and they go back, and they produce value in the country," he said.

Priyanka said that even people who spend several years pursuing advanced education, including seven-year PhDs, return to China.

"Indians are not very good at that," she said.

Suhas says he would not move to US today

The couple's remarks drew mixed responses online. While one user wrote, "Agree 100%," another encouraged Indians to take opportunities abroad, saying, "Guys, if you ever get the opportunity to come to the USA or Any other country, take it. It's an experience you won't regret."

Some users also questioned why Suhas did not simply return to India if he believed staying there would be preferable. Responding in the comments, he said his circumstances had changed after years of living in the US.

"India being difficult does not automatically make America worth it," he wrote. "I already paid the cost of moving and built a life here. Moving back now would mean paying another huge cost. That does not mean I would make the original decision again," he said.

"The real question is: If I were in India today, would I move to America? My answer is no," he added.

Immigration uncertainty a major concern

Suhas identified immigration uncertainty as a major reason for his current position. He referred to the long green-card wait for Indians, dependence on employment to maintain legal status and uncertainty affecting spouses and children on dependent visas.

"Immigration is the biggest reason. For Indians, it is not a simple path from a good job to a green card," he wrote.

He urged people considering immigration to assess more than their potential salaries and account for visa uncertainty, dependence on employers, the effect on a spouse's career, children's immigration status, separation from parents and the years spent waiting for long-term stability.

"So don't count only the salary. Count the visa anxiety, employer dependence, your spouse's stalled career, uncertainty for your children, distance from your parents, and the years spent waiting for stability," he wrote.

"Knowing the full cost, I would not make the move today," he added.

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Social media users debate moving abroad

The discussion continued in the comments, with one user comparing migration to changing a SIM card and arguing that rebuilding a life in another country, then doing it again elsewhere, is a major undertaking.

The commenter referred to the "Sunk Cost Trap", saying that after spending savings and dealing with visa uncertainty, people may hesitate to reconsider their original decision. The user added that starting the immigration process from scratch in 2026 would not be appealing.

Another commenter praised the couple's honesty and said living and earning in one's own country among one's own people was preferable, describing immigration as something driven by desperation rather than luxury.

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