From The Peopling of New York City

Interview with Nirav Kavi

Where you born in the United States?

No, I was born in northern India. I am Punjabi.

When did you come to the United States?

I came here in October of 2005 on a H1 visa.

What is your profession?

I work in IT.

What is your educational background?

I received a Bachelors of Commerce from Gujarat University in India. Then, I received a Masters of Commerce from Gujarat University.

Did you work in India?

Yes, I worked for about six years in Computer Science. My title was Senior Engineer.

You said before that you are on a H1 visa, could you explain what this is?

I am in the United States on a H1B visa. This visa is intended for specialty occupations like engineer or medicine.

Can you explain the process you had to go through?

First of all, the job is only available to a foreign worker if no American wants to fill the job. I had to hire a lawyer to verify my credentials. Then, I was sponsored by a US company to come and work here. There was a long process of verification and cross checking that I was responsible for financing.

What are the conditions of your stay in the US?

I can only stay here as long as I have a job. If I was to be fired from this company, I would need to find another job and another employer to sponsor me.

Does the fear of termination affect how you work?

Sometimes I am worried about getting fired. If I were to be fired, my wife and I would have to go back to India. I think that it is more difficult for people with this immigration status to excel in the workplace. We are afraid to ask for raises because we do not want to get fired. We work hard because we are thankful to be here.

You mention that you have a wife, what is here occupation.

Last year, I went back to India to get married. I did not want to marry an Indian-American.

Why didn’t you want to marry an Indian American?

I think that America changes people and it changes their morals. I did not want this. Anyway, my wife has a Masters in Microbiology from an Indian University. She cannot find work because of her immigration status. She is here legally, as my wife, but she does not have a social security number. She tried to find a job teaching in New Jersey, but they could not hire her despite her qualifications.

How common are H1B visas within the Indian community in America?

Im not exactly sure. But the Indians mess up the entire system. They fake being professionals in order to come here. They also fake F1 visas or visas for students. Many of them come here saying that they are going to study and then they disappear. In these cases, the government forgets to cross check references or something like that. Then these so called professionals end up working at Dunkin Donuts or at a convenience store. They ruin it for the rest of us. Now it is even worse because they use a lottery system. Your qualifications no longer matter, it all depends on whether you were picked by the lottery.

Do you have any problems in work because of cultural differences?

Probably the hardest thing for me is the language barrier. I am not best at expressing myself in English.

Do you think that your educational background meets your current job requirements?

Not really. I was trained for a higher level than what I am doing now. But I feel that in any job and in any situation this is probably the case. You cannot always work at the level you were trained for.

Do you see that the H1b visa process has changed with poor economy?

Yes, in the past the allotted spots were filled almost immediately. Now the time to claim the visas expires, and there are still visas left over. The problem is that we have to find a job in the US before filing for the visa, and now there are no jobs in the US. Whatever jobs there are, Americans find a way to fill them.

Where do you live in the US?

I live near Edison, New Jersey.

Do you like living near an Indian community?

It is nice because I do not feel homesick. I can see Indian movies and eat good Indian food.

Have you ever been to Jackson Heights?

Yes.

What is your opinion of the area?

It seems to me as if these people are rural Indian people or lower class.

What do you mean?

The way they act is similar to rural Indians. Whenever I go there I see people spitting in the street. If my mother ever saw me in India spitting into the street, she would be very angry.