In a recent social media exchange, Perplexity AI’s CEO Aravind Srinivas joined a conversation that spotlighted the often lengthy and challenging process of obtaining a green card in the United States. The conversation began with a post from Rohit Krishnan, Chief Product Officer at Bodo.ai, who shared insights on the significant hurdles involved in U.S. immigration, especially for high-skilled immigrants.
“One thing I find about the immigration dialogue is how few people realize the difficulty of actually immigrating to this country. I've been an immigrant three times now, and the U.S. process has been by far the longest and hardest,” Krishnan noted on social media, highlighting the challenges and delays that often deter skilled professionals from pursuing opportunities in the United States.
Srinivas, who co-founded Perplexity AI in 2022 and is of Indian origin, replied to Krishnan’s post, adding a personal perspective. “Yep. I have been waiting for my green card for the last three years. Still haven’t gotten it. People mostly have no idea when they talk about immigration,” Srinivas commented, stressing the uncertainties and frustrations experienced by many skilled immigrants.
Social media users quickly engaged with the discussion, resonating with Srinivas and Krishnan’s experiences. One of the initial comments read, “The irony of this, and the number of times my friends and I use Perplexity for immigration-related queries, would make for great stand-up material."
Another commented, “It's a shame that someone like you has to wait 3+ years for a green card given the value you’ve added to America.”
A third user commented on how the wait has been even longer for some people. "EB2, EB3 current dates are 2011. Folks come for Masters and got job in 2010, and applied for GC in 2011 are still waiting, probably after paying couple of Million dollars in taxes since then."
Others joined in with their own immigration experiences, sharing timelines that extended well beyond what most anticipated. One person shared, "I came here from Canada, spent seven years in immigration processes while paying over $1 million in taxes. Finally got my green card this year because I married my (American) wife."
Aravind Srinivas is a graduate of IIT Madras and holds a PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. Before founding Perplexity AI, he worked with OpenAI, DeepMind, and Google, accumulating expertise in artificial intelligence and contributing to cutting-edge research in the field.