Guess this is one of the most common questions in the mind of prospective R2Is - when is the right time to do R2I? Most of the people don't want to discuss about this until their R2I plans are firm. With the 1+ year syndrome(if you are not familiar the 1+ year syndrome - this is where people plan for R2I during 'next year' and next year keeps getting pushed out by a year at a time!), it is always bit difficult to say for sure when you will R2I and discuss with friends circle.
There is no one single answer to the question - when is the best time to do R2I? but in some cases, it is very clear that you have to take the decision or forget about it. I have tried outlining few cases below:
1. Few years in US, have H1, no green card yet: It is unlikley this category of folks are reading about R2I yet!. If you have decided that you will be back in India, then your timeframe is basically on completion of H1. Path to green card and citizenship is a loooong one (trust me, this won't change that easily) and unless you have started early on, this will make the wait agonosizing. But, if you are close enough, well worth the wait to complete that process first before planning for R2I.
2. Several years in US, have green card, no citizenship: You have already stayed several years, why not complete citizenship and move once for all? Keeping the green card active while in India is a struggle (have seen several friends doing that, doing back & forth and spending their own $$ from pocket). Better to stay put while planning for R2I like booking an apartment, decide on work location, schools etc. This might get tricky if you have grown up kids since it is much more difficult for grown up kids to come back and adjust to Indian environment.
3. Several years in US, have green card, citizenship but single: Have to say you wouldn't find many people in this category, with the timeframe it takes to move from H1 to green card and citizenship. If you in this category, it is much more easier to decide - basically, whenever you want to is the time frame. Might be easier to find a partner once you are back here!
4. Several years in US, have green card, citizenship, married with smaller kids: Smaller kids here means within the age of 6-7 years. If you are satisfied with the savings and think you are ready for R2I, this is the right time. Smaller kids tend to forget things and adjust to the newer environment quickly than older kids(see next point). They learn the new food habits, enjoy the ceremoinies and mix well with kids here. Their English gets indiginized much more quickly than older kids, without they being aware.
5. Several years in US, have green card, citizenship, married with grown-up kids: This is the case of now or never. Main points to consider in this case are - kids school, how used to US culture the kids are and how flexible they are in accomodating changes. Once kids are 10+ years, they won't forget how things are in US (serioulsy, there is no comparision!) and will always think US is better - won't argue with the logic in-terms of facilities, cleanliness, structure, discipline etc. The value of staying closer to immediate family members is not visible immediately and it takes a good amount of time to establish the bonds. Hence, if your kids are older than 12 years or so, it might be bit late. However, if they have grown up learning the mother tongue, have very good exposure to Indian environment etc, it could work out. But, try to have some discussions with the kids - they are old enough to provide their feedback. They might have good amount of negative feelings based on their short stays in India during vacations but ask them to look beyond that.
If you are still confused, take the the assessment and evaluate yourself here:
http://r2idiaries.blogspot.in/2011/12/r2i-or-nr2i-not-to-r2i-dilemma-take.html
Appreciate your feedback and comments, please leave a comment if you found this post useful (or not!) ...
There is no one single answer to the question - when is the best time to do R2I? but in some cases, it is very clear that you have to take the decision or forget about it. I have tried outlining few cases below:
1. Few years in US, have H1, no green card yet: It is unlikley this category of folks are reading about R2I yet!. If you have decided that you will be back in India, then your timeframe is basically on completion of H1. Path to green card and citizenship is a loooong one (trust me, this won't change that easily) and unless you have started early on, this will make the wait agonosizing. But, if you are close enough, well worth the wait to complete that process first before planning for R2I.
2. Several years in US, have green card, no citizenship: You have already stayed several years, why not complete citizenship and move once for all? Keeping the green card active while in India is a struggle (have seen several friends doing that, doing back & forth and spending their own $$ from pocket). Better to stay put while planning for R2I like booking an apartment, decide on work location, schools etc. This might get tricky if you have grown up kids since it is much more difficult for grown up kids to come back and adjust to Indian environment.
3. Several years in US, have green card, citizenship but single: Have to say you wouldn't find many people in this category, with the timeframe it takes to move from H1 to green card and citizenship. If you in this category, it is much more easier to decide - basically, whenever you want to is the time frame. Might be easier to find a partner once you are back here!
4. Several years in US, have green card, citizenship, married with smaller kids: Smaller kids here means within the age of 6-7 years. If you are satisfied with the savings and think you are ready for R2I, this is the right time. Smaller kids tend to forget things and adjust to the newer environment quickly than older kids(see next point). They learn the new food habits, enjoy the ceremoinies and mix well with kids here. Their English gets indiginized much more quickly than older kids, without they being aware.
5. Several years in US, have green card, citizenship, married with grown-up kids: This is the case of now or never. Main points to consider in this case are - kids school, how used to US culture the kids are and how flexible they are in accomodating changes. Once kids are 10+ years, they won't forget how things are in US (serioulsy, there is no comparision!) and will always think US is better - won't argue with the logic in-terms of facilities, cleanliness, structure, discipline etc. The value of staying closer to immediate family members is not visible immediately and it takes a good amount of time to establish the bonds. Hence, if your kids are older than 12 years or so, it might be bit late. However, if they have grown up learning the mother tongue, have very good exposure to Indian environment etc, it could work out. But, try to have some discussions with the kids - they are old enough to provide their feedback. They might have good amount of negative feelings based on their short stays in India during vacations but ask them to look beyond that.
If you are still confused, take the the assessment and evaluate yourself here:
http://r2idiaries.blogspot.in/2011/12/r2i-or-nr2i-not-to-r2i-dilemma-take.html
Appreciate your feedback and comments, please leave a comment if you found this post useful (or not!) ...
