India allows naturalization after 11 years of residence, all of which can be on time-limited visas. India also appears to grant work/business visas as renewable

India allows naturalization after 11 years of residence, all of which can be on time-limited visas. India also appears to grant work/business visas as renewable on a 5 year basis https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/international/go-to-market-guide/indian-visa.html https://www.startupindia.gov.in/content/sih/en/international.... So you can become a resident after 11 years and ~3 visa renewals - you don't need to become a permanent resident first, and indeed, based on a cursory search India only grants permanent residence (without citizenship) for a few reasons that don't seem related to work-immigration. But you still have a clear path to permanent residence through naturalization. In the US you can be naturalized only if you are already a permanent resident. The issue I'm mentioning is from converting from a temporary visa (like H1b) to a permanent residence (Green Card). It's subject to something called the Green Card quota. If you have an H1b and technically qualify for getting a GC, you can become subject to the quota and remain on the H1b indefinitely. More info: https://www.immi-usa.com/h1b-visa/h1b-visa-extension/ https://www.immi-usa.com/h1b-visa/h1b-visa-extension/ Effectively this means you can stay in the US forever on H1b as long as you keep getting the visa renewed, but it's hard to switch jobs because of all the bureaucracy involved, and you don't have a path to citizenship until you get a GC.