After years of building successful careers in the United States, entrepreneur Astha Chaturvedi and her husband, Karthik, made a decision many Indian professionals are increasingly considering: they left America and moved back home. The couple relocated from San Francisco to Bengaluru after spending years caught in the US employment-based green card backlog, with no certainty about when they would be granted permanent residency. Karthik’s green card priority date dated back to 2015, while Chaturvedi’s application was filed in 2020, Business Insider reported.
For Chaturvedi, a former Big Tech professional whose career included stints at McKinsey and Ripple, the move was about more than immigration paperwork. It was an opportunity to fully commit to building her startup, Mouri Living, without the constraints that often come with temporary work visas.
The turning point came during a trip to India in 2024. Chaturvedi had travelled to Bengaluru to hire a chief technology officer for her company, but what she found was a thriving startup ecosystem filled with talent, energy, and opportunity. A conversation with a family member sparked a bigger idea. Instead of simply hiring in India, why not build the company there? she thought.
That thought led to a life-changing decision.
Rather than continuing to organise their lives around visa requirements and uncertain timelines, the couple decided to leave on their own terms. They sold their San Francisco home for approximately $2.3 million and began planning a permanent move to Bengaluru.
The transition was carefully coordinated. Chaturvedi moved first, taking charge of finding a home and securing a school for their daughter, while Karthik stayed behind temporarily to wrap up logistics, insurance matters, and other US-based commitments.
While premium living in Bengaluru comes with its own costs, the family says lower healthcare expenses and easy access to household support have made everyday life more manageable. Chaturvedi also describes the city as offering a more vibrant and connected lifestyle for her family, including their daughter and pet, than they experienced during their final years in the United States.
Professionally, the move has given her greater control as a founder and closer access to India’s deep pool of engineering and startup talent. The family acknowledges challenges such as traffic congestion and bureaucratic inefficiencies but believes the advantages outweigh the frustrations.
Their story reflects a broader trend among Indian professionals reconsidering life in the United States. Faced with lengthy green card backlogs, rising healthcare and childcare costs, and a desire to be closer to family, many are returning to India and settling in startup hubs such as Bengaluru.