Why I chose immigration

When I was moving to the USA, I was aware that the state of Punjab in our north has a lot of people immigrating especially to Canada. It was shocking to me that even in my own town in Haryana, people were migrating to countries like Canada, Australia even before graduating. When I ask people about the reason for immigration, the common answer I get is that there were not sufficient career opportunities.

Reasons of increased immigration of Indians

1.Lack of education opportunities

Students in India after passing school generally try to compete in engineering or medical exams. But considering the cutoffs and the population competing, it is difficult to get to a good affordable college. And getting admission to private colleges involves too many costs. Students are now opting to give that money to foreign colleges because of the second reason described below.

2.Ability to do any kind of job /No societal pressure

Regardless of the job type, students are free to choose any type of career. Because here there are no neighbors or relatives or even parents around to question the kind of job they are working for. Students can even contribute to their education in foreign countries by working in low-income jobs. But if they do in India then people around will question their parent’s ability to afford education.

3.Good package in a lot of areas

People can earn a good salary in foreign countries even for working in café or restaurant. A good package means enough to afford food and shelter. And with years and experience, it is possible to opt for those careers as permanent.

4.Increase in Salary and benefits

A lot of people in professions like doctors and engineers are migrating because their skills are more appreciated in foreign countries. An increase in salary and work-life culture are other benefits. There is a rare micro management and health and wellness are considered priority.

5.Improved quality of life

People working in any kind of job can afford high-quality electronics like TV or laptop, good quality food or branded clothes. They can afford to rent a house with good living conditions like centralized air-conditioning. And you are entitled to good health facilities as they are already cutting a small contribution from your salary.

So these are the most common reasons in general for Indians’ increased immigration. Let’s talk about my story now.

My story of Immigration

I know a lot of people have a presumption in their minds that I married my husband living in the USA just because I wanted to move to the USA. But only close ones know that I had a difficult time taking this decision and moving. So, it was not my personal choice to settle in the USA. Even he said that if you would not be able to settle in the USA, he will move to India, but he wanted me to give it a try.

It was difficult to adjust for me because I was working in India and here, I was not. But initial months were spent exploring the culture and day-to-day life. We both love to travel and we are not into luxury items. We would save our money to travel around the world. But I did not realize that somewhere I was getting addicted to the lifestyle. I got to know when I came back to India for three months. It was great to meet my family, friends, and relatives.

Lifestyle in USA

But I missed the lifestyle, by lifestyle I mean no societal pressure around. There was no neighbor or relative talking about what to do or where to go. You can simply roam around everywhere in pajamas. There was no continuous need to clean the house as it becomes less dirty in general. The only thing around was friends and they are the best. The lifestyle was quite similar to my lifestyle in Gurgaon except now I could afford more to travel and have a good lifestyle.

And there are people around that are interested in discussions on a lot of topics other than career. You will see people greeting you while walking in the society even when they do not know you. Life is less stressful, there is noone to judge you. There are no people staring at your clothes.

Living in city areas does not mean that we are inhaling polluted air. There was nature around in a balanced way.

If you watch the news in the USA or even Germany, you will see that they encourage opposition and people do not fear to talk about the bad qualities in their leaders. But in India, if someone holds any opinion other than the one shown in media channels then his nationality is questioned. I loved this free exchange of ideas in foreign countries.

Living in the USA has taught me many things. When you live in a foreign country, you get out of your comfort zone and start thinking about the world as a whole. Irrespective of talking about problems of a particular culture, religion, or country, you forget these differences and talk about things in the whole world.

IT profession as a reason for immigration

It is not that I do not miss my family. But as we are both in IT, we must settle down in the metro cities of India. The only nearest one is Delhi with good opportunities. It is not that I do not like Delhi but if you are a person who has spent most of his life living in Haryana or Punjab. It is difficult, we miss the greenery and homemade things. We still cannot live in our hometowns forever even if we want that too.

For people in IT in foreign countries, the work-life is balanced. If you are sick, then they will not ask you if you can join for a call or you can work on any particular task. And this culture is quite prominent in Germany in comparison to the USA. Here work timings are 8 hours with 28 days of paid vacation.

We had to come to India for a long time last year due to visa issues and family reasons. But we never again thought of going to the USA. Because when there is always instability in mind that it may happen that you may need to leave your home anytime, then it is difficult. Having a green card is a difficult goal I would say. Nowadays Indians immigrating to different countries has increased, resulting in delays in getting PRs for Canada and Australia.

We choose Germany because somewhere there are still chances for us of settling here. I am not saying that getting a PR here is easy but when you are given a visa they do not stamp for shorter periods. There is less tension in mind about stability. Another advantage that I consider is easy travel to other countries because I love to travel. Also, there is part of our family living here. There are a lot of health and pension benefits. But I am telling you that lifestyle in foreign countries is addictive once you learn living here. And this time it was my choice to immigrate to Germany.

I love this nomadic culture, migrating and exploring different areas and cultures. You learn so many things that you can never learn from books. Even before my decision to move to the USA, I think of living in southern India as well. No doubt this type of lifestyle is not suitable for everyone.