5 Ways To Move From India to USA

Method 1: Move to the US to Study on an F1 Visa

This is by far one of the most popular ways to move to the US. Many of our friends and colleagues moved to the US as students to pursue their Master's degrees. 

You can also move to complete your bachelor’s, but that will be a bit costly, considering a bachelor’s course in the US is 4 years long. 

Earning a master’s degree involves a significant financial investment, including tuition, fees, and other expenses. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that the average graduate degree costs $19,749 per year in tuition and fees as of the 2020-21 academic year.

Add living expenses, and it will be around 25-30K USD per year. So yes, it is a significant amount, and most middle-class students would need to get a loan to study here in the US. Having said that, once you complete your Master's and get a job, it’s also fairly easy to pay off these loans with the right mindset. 

There are obviously various scholarships available for International Students, which you can apply for, which will help in the overall reduction of your tuition fees. 

The process of moving to the US on an F1 visa is that you first need to apply to different colleges and secure admission. Some institutes require you to give the GRE, some don’t. But almost all colleges would require an English proficiency test, i.e, either a TOEFL or an IELTS. 

Once you’ve secured your admission, apply for the Student visa, appear for your visa interview, and then fly to the US. Depending upon your course, you either get 1 1-year or 3-year post-study work permit after you graduate, and within that period, you need to secure a US work visa, such as the H1B, for yourself to continue staying and working in the US. 

Of course, the whole process is quite intricate and requires a full blog by itself. But this is just an overview of how you can move here as a student.

Method 2: Through Work: H1B Visa

You’ve probably heard of this visa. The H1B visa is a US work visa that allows foreign workers to come and work in the US for a temporary period. It is initially awarded for 3 years and can be extended for another 3 years. In these 6 years, your company can file for a US Green Card for you. 

There is great demand for this visa, and since 200,8 the US has conducted a lottery for this visa. To give you an idea, there are only 65000 H1B visas allocated each year, and last year there were ~7 lakh applications for these 65000 slots. 

Also, you cannot apply for this visa yourself. You need an employer to file for your H1B visa. 

Now there are 2 ways to secure an H1B work visa from India. 

1. Either your employer has US clients and you’re working on one of those projects, or they decide to send you to work for the client and apply for your H1B visa.

2. There are some staffing companies and consulting companies that find projects for you to work in the US, and then they file your H1B visa. 

There are a ton of fake companies that will take money from you and not file any visas for you. Please be careful of such scams and always try to go through reputable staffing or consulting companies. We have a full video about consulting companies, their pros and cons. We’ll link it in the description box. 

We have a blog post titled, “Everything you need to know about the H1B visa”. Do read it for more details.

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Method 3: Intra-Company Transfer: L1 Visa

Fun fact, this is the method that I used to move to the US in 2017. I used to work for Google in India in Hyderabad, and I found a role in the Chicago office and moved here on an L1 Visa. 

Suppose you’re working for a company in India, such as Microsoft, Google, Expedia, or Facebook, and these companies have an opening in their US branch, then you can apply for those roles, and if you secure that job, you can move to the US on an L1 visa. This is also called an Intra-Company Transfer. There’s a catch, however, here. To be eligible for this visa, you should have worked in the company in India for at least 1 year in a managerial or executive role or 1 year in a specialized skill. 

If you fulfill this criterion and get a role in the US branch, then you can move to the US on an L1 visa. There are 2 types of L1 visa. L1a and L1b. L1 is for managers, and it allows you to stay in the US for 7 years total, including multiple visa extensions, and L1b allows you to stay for 5 years, including an extension. 

We have a great video detailing everything you need to know about the L1 visa in the US. I’m linking it here and will also leave the link in the description. 

Method 4: Get Married To a US Citizen or a GC Holder

Probably the easiest and the most difficult way to move to the US. Easy because you only need to find someone to marry. Toughest because, in today’s day and age, finding someone to marry is probably the toughest thing next to finding a new job. 

Jokes aside, marrying a US citizen or a Green card holder will allow you to be eligible to apply for a Green Card for yourself and move to the U.S

Method 5: J1 Visa

The J-1 visa is a visa issued by the U.S. government to individuals participating in approved exchange programs. It's designed to promote cultural exchange and foster international understanding. There are various categories under which you can apply for a J-1 visa, such as Au Pair, Intern, Trainee, Research Scholar, and more.

There are a variety of J1 visa programs available, but Indians largely use the following:

• The J1 Trainee Program: This program allows Indians to come to the United States for on-the-job training in a specific field.

• The J1 Intern Program: This program allows Indians to come to the United States for internships in a variety of fields.

• The J1 Summer Work Travel Program: This program allows Indians to come to the United States for seasonal work during the summer months.

• The J1 Scholar Program: This program allows Indians to come to the United States for research, teaching, or other scholarly activities.

J1 visa holders are eligible for a wide range of professions and jobs in the United States. Some common examples include:

• Trainees: Trainees can work in a variety of fields, including business, engineering, healthcare, and hospitality.

• Interns: Interns can work in a variety of fields, including business, education, government, and nonprofits.

• Summer work travel participants: Summer work travel participants can work in a variety of seasonal jobs, such as camp counselors, lifeguards, and retail workers.

• Scholars: Scholars can work in a variety of fields, including research, teaching, and consulting.

The duration of this visa depends on the category, but it ranges from 1 year to 5 years. 

We have a detailed video on everything you need to know about the J1 visa in the US. We’re linking it here, and we will also leave it in the description box below.

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These were the 5 Ways or Methods someone from India can move to the US. Of course, this isn’t a detailed step-by-step video but a general overview of each method, and we’ve linked the detailed videos for almost all the methods below in the description box. This video should be a great starting point to get you started on your research. 

So all the best. And if things aren’t going well for you today, remember they soon will, and it’s Ok Yaar.