For people who qualify for H1B and other immigration visas, the following are true. 1. Vast majority are from really rich families. Like million dollars in family assets. The education is either very expensive or they were top students in their schools, which usually happens because they went to private schools. 2. People working in India never take low pay after 2 years of experience. It's only during the first few years that we trade an opportunity to gain experience with low wages. Theres a very high attrition rate in all it companies in India and salaries are ever increasing. 3. Young Indians have the opposite problem of being hard working. Most spend extended hours in office to socialize than to actually get stuff done. 4. The part about growing smugness is true. Indians traditionally seldom call ourselves "experts" in any thing even if we know stuff. 5. Losing h1b is big deal. You are given notice to leave country with your family in no time. Technically u need to leave the country within a month if you don't want to be barred from reentry. So in that one month, you have to try and sell all your stuff, cars, house, furniture, discontinue schooling for your kids and collect transcripts, medical records,file taxes,payoff debt. Instead most people would jump into any job to hold onto the status.