H-1B & Green Card Weren't Success - Giving Them Up Was: Why Anupam Mittal Celebrates His Return To India

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Anupam Mittal, Shaadi founder and Shark Tank judge, recently reflected on his rightful decision to return to India from the US. In a social media post, the 53-year-old entrepreneur shared personal insights about the growth opportunities he found in his home country, opportunities that, he says, have brought him massive success.

This post comes amid rising H-1B visa fees in the US, now pegged at $100,000. This development has left many Indian professionals abroad torn between the life-changing choice of staying in the US or returning home.

In a LinkedIn post, Anupam Mittal said,“I thought my H1B & green card was success. Turns out, giving it up was.”

He described the emotional difficulty of surrendering his US residency, saying,“Giving up my US residency was really emotional.”

According to Anupam Mittal, real fulfilment may come not from staying abroad but from returning home to actively contribute to India's growth.

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Mittal recalled visiting the US embassy twice to surrender his US residency. He said the officer there told him, "Nobody your age does this... you should reconsider.”

He added,“It took 5 years and my lawyers forcing an ultimatum."

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“Fun fact," he added, "When you surrender a green card, Uncle Sam doesn't just take your visa. He slaps you with a ~30% exit tax - not on income, but on your global wealth. Thankfully, at the time, I had no wealth to give.”

Reflecting on his journey, Anupam Mittal said that giving up his safety net was what ultimately enabled him to build something meaningful. He wrote,“But cutting that string is what helped create it. Had I kept my safety net, I'd most likely be a VP of Product in the Valley. Respectable but replaceable.”

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He credited his return to India with giving him the“freedom to build,” face chaos and hunger.

A key figure in India's tech and startup ecosystem, Anupam Mittal, pointed to his Cost of Sales (COS), 300+ startups and Shark Tank India fame as proof that growth lies in India.

He closed the post with a candid remark, "India is as messy as ever, but that's where growth lies."

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