‘Why I gave up my Green Card’: Indian woman returns home to launch startup

Bharathi Ramesh, a nutritionist and founder who recently surrendered her US permanent residency, has returned to India to build a startup after a period of personal loss and health struggles. In an Instagram post from her account @nutritionist.bharathi, Ramesh described moving to the US for a master’s in 2020, securing EB-2 NIW and EB-1A approvals, and ultimately choosing to leave that stability behind to relaunch her career in India with the support of her husband.

Direct quote

“My path to becoming a founder was not linear. First, I moved to the U.S. to do my master’s in 2020. I wanted to learn to apply research to nutrition practice. Then I did my EB-2 NIW and EB-1A to secure visa flexibility to build my startup,” Ramesh wrote. She added: “When I was ready to take the leap and work on my startup, I lost a parent. As a compulsive high performer, after years of relentlessly chasing my goals, I finally crashed. It took me 8 months to find myself again.”

Context and details

Ramesh’s Instagram story included an image captioned, “Why I gave up my green card to build my company in India.” She disclosed that her green card was approved under the EB-1A “alien of extraordinary ability” category in her field, underscoring the professional recognition she had achieved in the US before making the move back home.

Despite external markers of success, Ramesh said she was balancing full-time work to cover rent and health insurance while wanting to devote her time to her startup. “I was working full-time to pay rent & have health insurance when what I really wanted to do was work on my startup,” she wrote, describing a tension between financial necessity and entrepreneurial ambition. Health issues compounded that pressure, and the death of a parent prompted a reassessment of priorities.

Ramesh outlined a personal recovery period of roughly eight months after that loss, after which she made the decision to relocate. She told followers that she discussed the plan with her husband, who supported her decision and joined her in moving back to India. “And finally, I’m happy to call myself a founder,” she said, announcing her return to full-time work on her company in India.

Reaction and outlook

The post drew supportive responses on social media. Commenters wrote messages including:

• “More power to you.”
• “Inspiring!! Wishing you the best.”
• “Full potential unlocked, you are going to do so many great things.”
• “Sounds like the right decision. Can't wait to catch up with you here!”

Ramesh’s decision highlights a growing, personal calculus among founders weighing the trade-offs between immigration-based stability and the demands of early-stage entrepreneurship. With her EB-1A recognition, international training and an expressed focus on applying research to nutrition practice, she arrives in India with both credentials and a refreshed personal commitment to building her venture. Her next steps will be watched by peers in the nutrition and health-tech communities as she transitions from US-based security back to India to scale her company.