[carboy]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

It's almost impossible for an L-1 visa holder to switch jobs, so you can not really compare it with the market rate.

A different company can apply for a H1B visa for a L1 Holder if the H1B quota isn't finished.

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

Extended stay used to give monthly rates of about 500-600 USD here, room service only weekly I think.

Must be somewhere in the boondocks - even there would be difficult.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by Gandhi

You can't be serious about this. We stayed in (outside) Baltimore Extended Stay america in early 2011 for couple months while my wife was on business trip there. We paid 1200 USD/month there. I checked with them when we moved to Bay Area last year for our initial accommodation and best rate I could get was 70 USD/day if we stay for more than 3 weeks (after corporate discount).

This was in 2010, a team mate who used to commute from chicago negotiated this price. I think it has to do with demand and supply and looking for a less popular place with slow business. Did you have full service in room?

A different company can apply for a H1B visa for a L1 Holder if the H1B quota isn't finished.

You can do that from India even otherwise, don't have to be on L1 for that. You are probably right about the location of extended stay, he only used it for sleeping and would return to chicago on weekend.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

This was in 2010, a team mate who used to commute from chicago negotiated this price. I think it has to do with demand and supply and looking for a less popular place with slow business. Did you have full service in room?

This was with NO service in the room . They would provide vacuum cleaner, towels, bedsheets etc at no extra charge but we had to do everything ourselves. My wife was on business trip for 3 months via an Indian services company and I accompanied her for a month and a half by taking vacation. Only other options close to her office were high-end hotels like Hyatt.

[hdus001]

Originally Posted by mjumrani

Not as easy as you think. The taxes can be quite heavy on the pocket.

But over a period of time a family can definitely start enjoying their lives a bit, only if the salary is near what you mentioned though.

Taxes are pretty much the same as in India (ie around 30-35%). Plus you get a lot more returns for your taxes (eg: a welfare safety net, a better public healthcare system than India, better infrastructure, access to low rate education loans, quicker justice system etc).

A lot of big ticket items cost pretty much the same whether in India and overseas - cars, motorbikes, electronic things like tv etc, overseas vacations - but they are a lot more affordable on a dollar salary. And you mave have more free time to enjoy it as well, with lesser working hours, less time spent stuck in traffic etc.

[getsurya]

Hi Venu,


Hope you are doing great! Chanced upon this thread and below are my 2 cents.

I am in US on L1-A for couple of years on an executive secondment living out of mid-west.

Is the move worth it? NO, not at all. I am not talking about money, but the cultural compromise is too much(for me). Remember- I have been traveling to USA from last 15 years on an average once in 4-5 months for attending meetings. The shortest visit was for two days with the longest being for 6 months over so many years.

In my view, if we earn above 1.5 lacs/month in India we can live like a King! Nothing in USA can come close to that life style and satisfaction!

For more discussion on this subject, please PM me and we shall catch up!

Good luck!

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by getsurya

Hi Venu,


Hope you are doing great! Chanced upon this thread and below are my 2 cents.

I am in US on L1-A for couple of years on an executive secondment living out of mid-west.

Is the move worth it? NO, not at all. I am not talking about money, but the cultural compromise is too much(for me). Remember- I have been traveling to USA from last 15 years on an average once in 4-5 months for attending meetings. The shortest visit was for two days with the longest being for 6 months over so many years.

In my view, if we earn above 1.5 lacs/month in India we can live like a King! Nothing in USA can come close to that life style and satisfaction!

For more discussion on this subject, please PM me and we shall catch up!

Good luck!

Why not?
If one is earning proportionally higher in US (taking into account the parity and standards of living) - why can't he live like a King.

In India, you have to be extremely lucky to have that earning power and SIMULTANEOUSLY have enough leisure time.

[sgiitk]

Money is not the end of life. Moving or staying is a personal decision. More important if you plnt o move do it early, definitely before you are 35 or at most 40. This is necessary to build up a nest for your retirement.

[absynthguzzler]

1. Stick to the place where you can grow up the ladder or make money quick . Forget all comforts whilst you're at this stage. In each case, this may be India such as mine.Maybe its US for some. When you make the decision, give priority to speed of growth more than comforts
2. Invest or plan to retire early instead of creature comforts. Personally, i feel working till 40-45 at the max and ensuring family leads a "respectable" life that is judged purely by you. One should plan that post 45yrs, he's got on average 80-100,000USD returns annually. The returns can be via investments/own business or just a job/specialization/consultancy that doesnt need you working 9am-5pm 365days a year.
3. Choose a place that allows one to remain calm and joyful. A place that is fun and always happy. 100,000USD is more than enough no matter where you wanna lead a joyous life without comparison of standards between peers.

Anything more than that, i just feel all examples given to justify will border on an opulent lifestyle. This is purely my take on how i plan to remain calm, stress free and give myself the chance to enjoy this world.

[devil_klm]

Hi All, I am in UK for 6 months on a tire2 intra company transfer visa from india. Is it possible to switch jobs using this visa. Also i heard that UK embassy is not issuing T1 visa now. So only if i can get a sponsor here, i can get another job here?

[vnabhi]

Thanks guys for your responses and advice. The reason some team members want to go is because US experience is given heavier weightage in India than working in India.

@getsurya--I shall PM you , thanks for chipping in.

@Arun---it is in everybody's dream to retire before 50, but unless you hit a jackpot, you cannot do that. Kids education, house loans, etc will make you work till retirement.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

@Arun---it is in everybody's dream to retire before 50, but unless you hit a jackpot, you cannot do that. Kids education, house loans, etc will make you work till retirement.

More likely until death old chap and possibly even in the blighted after-life, given the rising prices and lack of social security in this devil's den called India...

[getsurya]

Why not?
If one is earning proportionally higher in US (taking into account the parity and standards of living) - why can't he live like a King.

In India, you have to be extremely lucky to have that earning power and SIMULTANEOUSLY have enough leisure time.

Hi alpha1, Thanks for your response.

Why not?

1. The creature comforts you can afford in India can never be done in USA
2. Labour is very expensive in USA, I have a full time driver, 24 hour servant, Gardener & other domestic aids in India. These are not affordable in US, inspite of making good money. It is not just money only, it is the 'convenience' you get in India with the time flexibility according to your choice, In USA- it is the other way, you are dependent upon their time provided to you! So, you end up doing all work on your own( I am not saying it is bad, however depending upon your age and flexibility this might not be a working option for everybody!) including cleaning the potty, washing clothes etc. Life becomes too robotic here due to addition of all these daily chores. I definitely miss my club visits once in a while in India on the weekends, here neither I can afford one nor I have time!!
3. Life in US has no variety and is laden with monotony. It is the same Burger King/KFC/Starbucks etc across the country even when you drive long. In India, drop of every 70 miles I can look for 'newness' in culture, food and as basic as 'chai' variety on the road.
4. What ever level/money you earn in USA, does not have any correlation to your social status( in most cases) as nobody cares! The psuedo culture is keeping their own children away from their parents, compare this with India(al least most of India, as of now), we still care for our siblings & parents/family.

Inspite of the above, we can learn a lot from USA. From MY perspective, the balance is much better in India than here. It depends on how you define 'standards of living' and to each, his own.

My advance apologies to anybody if this is coming across as a strong opinion, however I have seen US from a long time now and one of my hobbies is learning new cultures

[mohit]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Money is not the end of life. Moving or staying is a personal decision. More important if you plnt o move do it early, definitely before you are 35 or at most 40. This is necessary to build up a nest for your retirement.

Well said! Another reason is that our ability to learn and adjust diminishes as we grow older. And both these things are required in plenty when you move to a new land.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Money is not the end of life. Moving or staying is a personal decision. More important if you plnt o move do it early, definitely before you are 35 or at most 40. This is necessary to build up a nest for your retirement.

That is a very good point about money.

Back in India, my wife and I were both earning quite well. We had a full time maid to take care of the kids. Another one to wash the dishes, clean the house, clothes etc. A cleaner to wash the cars. A dhobi to iron the clothes. etc etc.

Here, there is no one. My wife does not work here. She takes care of the kids and the house. I help whenever i can.

Still, I think my life here is much better. Why? Because i get to spend time with my family. I travel the same distance here as i did in Bangalore. Except that here it takes me 10-15 minutes of blissful driving and there it took me anywhere between 45 to 75 minutes of harrowing, frustrating tiring commute. I used to be half dead by the time i reached office. And by the time i got back home, all i could do was eat and sleep. Moving close to office in Bangalore was not an option as that would have meant more commute time for my wife and we needed two incomes.

Here, I am the sole earning member of the family and yet, we are more happy thanks to the work-life balance.

You have to be open to varied experiences to enjoy though. Yesterday a colleague asked me whether i am free during lunch. I said yes. He said lets go to a shooting range. Yesterday for the first time in my life i realised how it feels to hold a Glock and fire it.

This Friday, I am going to a track day at the New Jersey Motor Park! *I am hoping for rain *

I guess if I were to answer the original question of the thread, whether it is worth it or not, then i would say you can make it worth it. It is entirely up to you.

[vdiatech]

I was in Europe for a decade, was a PR of UK. Gave that up ( for how bad things have become there ) and came back to India for good ( or thought so !) Its been 4 years here and now two weeks ago got PR status for Canada for myself and family ( wife and kid ) .

So, round 2 of migrating on Aug 12th. Wonder how long this one will last !