Illustration: Onkarnath Bhattacharya

A green card in the US — that piece of paper that entitles you to stay there and work towards citizenship — has long been coveted by many Hindustan leavers. They are prepared to face any amount of indignity to become a taxi driver in New York or a motel manager in California.

Traditional wisdom is that the drawbacks that come with second-class citizenship last only a few years. After that, you get integrated into US society. A new survey by Asia Society indicates otherwise. It says that Asians have fewer problems in the initial years. The dissatisfaction grows as time goes on.

There is an explanation for that. It takes time to realise that you have got the short end of the stick. Initially, Asians compare their situations with what they would have faced in their home countries. Employment conditions are likely to be better in the US. Thus, there is a great deal of satisfaction in having improved one’s circumstances.

Living in the US also gives you bragging rights. You can come back home and flash your dollars around. The exchange rate and purchasing power parity make you a king back home.

The dissonance arrives a few years later as you gain experience in your job. At that stage you start making a comparison with other immigrants. The sad truth is that Asians hit a glass ceiling.

According to the Asia Society survey, “the model minority stereotype assumes that the hardworking, intelligent, Asian American employee, who does not rock the boat, has no problem rising up the corporate ladder. This is especially true for those who are culturally ‘American’. But a look at the senior ranks of most companies shows that the reality is quite different. Asian-American faces are almost entirely absent.”

Explains Vishakha N. Desai, president of the Asia Society: “New Asian immigrants are singularly focussed on establishing a foothold both economically and culturally. On the other hand, Asian-Americans who were born here may recognise more easily where Corporate America’s formal policies and commitment to diversity are not fully realised at the day-to-day level.”

The start-up companies of the dotcom era, when Indian techies were deemed to have an advantage, show this in no small measure. Most of the information technology companies set up to tap the boom had Indians as their chief technology officers (CTOs). But the person who was ostensibly leading the show — the chief executive officer (CEO) — was a Wasp (Western Anglo Saxon Protestant).

The problem has become so acute — and blacks too are a discriminated-against bunch — that the CDO (chief diversity officer) is making his presence felt. In a few years, he will attain the same stature as the CFO (chief financial officer) or the CIO (chief information officer). “Cultural factors drive Indians back home,” says Mumbai-based HR consultant D. Singh. “Now issues of discrimination have started raising their head too.” He gives the example of Rajat Gupta, who has been hauled up for alleged insider trading. “It is the American establishment hitting back,” adds Singh. “The man has been totally destroyed — his reputation is in shreds — even before he has been proved guilty.”

Singh says there are a couple of lessons here for the Asians (and Indians). First, give the US a miss now that the Indian economy is booming and there are jobs aplenty. Second, between being a babu in Bombay and a waiter in Washington, there really is no choice.

NOT BY HARD WORK ALONE

The longer Asian Pacific American (APA) employees live in the US, the less favourably they view their companies. This decline starts after about 10 years and is most apparent amongst APA employees who have lived in the US 20+ years or who are US-born. Among those surveyed:

Only 49 per cent of APA employees who have been in the US for 20+ years view their companies favourably in terms of professional growth.

53 per cent of APA employees who have been in the US 11-20 years view their companies favourably on this dimension.

While 62 per cent of APA employees, who have been in the US 10 years or less, view their companies favourably in terms of professional growth; this group constitutes only 24 per cent of APAs in the US.