You are !welcome:

This is a very different country. Back in 1998, I still was a brown skinned guy making decent money. There always was a section that claimed I had taken someone’s job because I came in cheap. Sometimes they said it on my face. My belief at that time – match my skillset, be as efficient as I am, and yes command the kind of money I make – then we can talk about who has taken whose job.

With new restrictions and regulations on the H visa program, I as a direct beneficiary of it, want to ask the people applying for, and the USCIS a few pertinent questions:

For the visa aspirants:

1. Here is the most likely scenario that you will face, if they approve your application. You will land up in the US and the glitz and shine will bedazzle you. The fast cars and great roads and nicely manicured landscapes etc. For you though – you are now in shackles. Your employer will probably pay you close to what your American counterparts make – that is the law. In exchange, you will be working both US hours and India hours.

2. At this point, you are chained to your employer. If you try to change jobs – you will need someone else to sponsor. And that employer is fully aware of your situation. So you will end up working more hours.

3. You will probably run like hell chasing the American dream. That is buy the car you always dreamt of, even venture to buy a house.

4. If you are married and your spouse is qualified and capable, she will be sitting idle. Guaranteed recipe for a rocky conjugal life.

5. Then the grind begins – it is basically begging the US government to give you a green card. And by that I mean countless hours worrying about dates; phone calls with rude people that hardly have crossed high school. And you wait..wait..and wait.

6. By this time, you have spent a good five six years. You haven’t dared to venture out of the country; lest they stop you while returning. If your visa expires in between, you go begging again.

7. If you are able to, you get your parents in for a visit; try to amaze them with the huge stores like Costco. In a couple of weeks, they are bored out of their minds and they want to get back to their habitat. And you keep questioning yourself whether you should be doing the same.

8. In the meantime, you hear a constant barrage of criticism towards people like you coming straight from the Potus. And more restrictions follow; somehow it is meant to protect American jobs. No one dares to ask whether there are enough qualified “American” workers that can even come close to your skillset. I can only imagine what happens when the same jobs are taken over by half educated yuppies.

9. And you leave in constant fear; you are fully aware that you may wake up one fine morning and your job isn’t there. There goes your visa. And you are out of status; and you need to pack furiously to leave before the 2 weeks’ notice period; or find another job. Which you probably have slim chances of getting. Now you have two cars, two kids, a house and a wife, four credit cards and eleven thousand dollars due on the credit cards.

10. The house won’t sell that fast – and trust me – it is because it smells like “curry” – which is true.

11. You will have grown high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes with regular digestive problems.

12. If your kids are going to school, you live on the edge everyday hoping that a crazy shooter is not lose at the school grounds.

If you were to assume that all of the above are true, the question you need to ask before you apply for that dream American visa – is it worth what you have to give up? Probably more pertinent – are you at all welcome here? Forget that picture with really nice people standing outside airports with “Refugees Welcome” signs. What about the rest?