‘I finally crashed’: Indian woman gives up US Green Card after loss and burnout to return home and pursue her startup dream
For many Indians who move to the US, obtaining a Green Card represents years of effort, uncertainty and sacrifice. But for Bharathi Ramesh, giving up that hard-earned permanent residency became part of a very different decision: returning to India to build the company she had long wanted to pursue. Ramesh recently shared her journey on Instagram, explaining how her move to the US, academic ambitions, immigration process, personal loss and health struggles eventually led her back to India. Her story offers a different perspective on what it means to walk away from a seemingly secure life to pursue a more meaningful path.
From India to the US in pursuit of research and impact
Ramesh moved to the US in 2020 to pursue her master’s degree. According to her account, she wanted to explore how research could be applied to nutrition practice. Her immigration journey later gave her greater flexibility to pursue her professional ambitions. She said, “Then I did my EB-2 NIW and EB-1A to secure visa flexibility to build my startup.” Her green card was eventually approved under the EB-1A category, which is designed for individuals who can demonstrate extraordinary ability in their field. For Ramesh, this represented a significant achievement after years of building her professional profile. But having the freedom to build a startup and actually having the time and energy to do it were two different things.“When I was ready to take the leap and work on my startup, I lost a parent,” she wrote. The loss came after years of intense professional ambition. Ramesh described herself as a “compulsive high performer” and said that after spending years relentlessly pursuing her goals, she eventually reached a point of exhaustion. “It took me 8 months to find myself again,” she said.
A Green Card could not solve what she was struggling with
From the outside, Ramesh’s life appeared to have many of the markers of success. She had studied in the US, built her career and secured permanent residency through EB-1A. But behind that picture, she said, she was struggling with the practical and personal realities of her life. “I was working full-time to pay rent & have health insurance when what I really wanted to do was work on my startup,” Ramesh wrote. She was also dealing with health issues, adding another layer of difficulty to an already challenging period. The experience appears to have forced her to reassess what she wanted from her life and career. The Green Card, despite the security it offered, could not by itself provide the time or circumstances she needed to focus on her entrepreneurial plans. That realisation eventually led her to make a decision that many immigrants might find difficult to imagine. She decided to leave the US and return to India.
Returning to India to finally become a founder
Ramesh shared that she discussed the decision with her husband, who supported her plans and eventually joined her in relocating to India. The move meant giving up a status that many immigrants spend years trying to obtain. But for Ramesh, returning home was not simply about leaving America. It was about making room for a different chapter of her life. She described the decision through the question, “Why I gave up my green card to build my company in India.” Her journey also reflects how personal circumstances can change the meaning of professional success. What once represented security may no longer feel like the right choice when someone’s priorities, health and ambitions evolve.After returning to India, Ramesh began working on her company and embraced the identity she had been working towards for years. “And finally, I’m happy to call myself a founder,” she wrote. Her story is not necessarily an argument against pursuing opportunities abroad or obtaining permanent residency. Instead, it highlights the fact that career decisions can change as life changes. For Ramesh, years of education, immigration and professional achievement eventually brought her to a point where she had to ask what she actually wanted to build. The answer was not another job or another milestone in the US, but a startup in India. Her decision also shows that returning home after years abroad does not always represent a step backwards. For some professionals, it can mean starting again with greater clarity and choosing a path that better matches their ambitions and personal priorities. In Ramesh’s case, giving up her green card became less about what she was losing and more about what she hoped to create.
