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‘Why I gave up my Green Card’: Indian woman returns home to launch startup
In an Instagram post, the founder shared why she decided to leave her stable life in the US to start over as a founder in India.
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Securing a US Green Card is often considered the ultimate dream for thousands of immigrants. Giving up permanent residency means walking away from years of battles, sacrifice, and financial security. However, one founder decided to surrender her hard-earned status and return to India to launch her startup after experiencing a personal loss and health issues.
Taking to Instagram, Bharathi Ramesh shared her journey from being a green card holder in the US to starting over as a founder in India.
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“My path to becoming a founder was not linear. First, I moved to the U.S. to do my master’s in 2020. I wanted to learn to apply research to nutrition practice. Then I did my EB-2 NIW and EB-1A to secure visa flexibility to build my startup,” Ramesh wrote on Instagram.
She continued, “When I was ready to take the leap and work on my startup, I lost a parent. As a compulsive high performer, after years of relentlessly chasing my goals, I finally crashed. It took me 8 months to find myself again.”
The founder expressed that it was the moment she decided to leave the US and move back to India to work on her startup. “And finally, I’m happy to call myself a founder.”
She added more about her journey from India to the US and back in a series of images. The text on the first one read, “Why I gave up my green card to build my company in India.” She added, “My green card was approved under EB-1A ‘alien of extraordinary ability’ category in my field.”
Ramesh recalled that, though her life seemed perfect on the surface, she was struggling in reality. “I was working full-time to pay rent & have health insurance when what I really wanted to do was work on my startup.” At the same time, she was also dealing with health issues.
Finally, she decided to move to India and told her husband about her plans. He supported her and joined her in relocating. She is now back in the country, working for her company.
How did social media react?
Praising, an individual wrote, “More power to you.” Another posted, “Inspiring!! Wishing you the best.”
A third expressed, “Full potential unlocked, you are going to do so many great things.” A fourth commented, “Sounds like the right decision. Can't wait to catch up with you here!” Many reacted to the post using heart emoticons.
