Heritage Sikhs In The USA

Hello guys,

I am from London (born and raised) and I am interested in Sikhs living in the USA; are Sikhs spread out over America or do they tend to concentrate in certain areas; also, what sort of perception do Americans have towards those with turbans.

I am interested in moving to America - so I was also wondering how most Sikhs immigrated to America and what the most common methods are.
In the UK most Sikhs came here from India to work (in the 1960s the UK government encouraged migrants as there was a labour shortage); through marriage i.e. those who came to work also brought their families and their sons and daughters married people from back home and through; thought humanitarian reasons i.e. when Sikhs were removed from Africa (Kenya and Uganda) many settled in the uk.

Any suggestions for the best way to move to the USA. I was considering studying a MBA in USA – is this a common method?

thanks

fateh ji
come to cali, sikhs here are in greater numbers than other states. i dont suggest u move to middle states, people there dont take well to the apearence. cali is a beautiful state. nyc is good too. but having turban there is a bit of trouble.
central california is good live and work.
fateh

nihung said:

fateh ji
come to cali, sikhs here are in greater numbers than other states. i dont suggest u move to middle states, people there dont take well to the apearence. cali is a beautiful state. nyc is good too. but having turban there is a bit of trouble.
central california is good live and work.
fateh

Click to expand...

thanks. what is the most common route that sikhs use to immigrate to the US from India.... are most HB1 visa people? looking for a way i could move from the UK to the USA.

do u really need to struggle to come to usa from london?? if u r born and raised in uk, means u r a citizen, i dont think u will have any trouble getting any visa. dont know much about wat visa is for wat. sorry.. hb1 is that a visa study?
well, i thnk many ppl do get those visa fairly easy. dont know much about that..sorry..-

i don't think you need to get into a lot of work permit related tangles if you are british citizen

studying in US institutions is certainly a good step towards integrating with the corporate culture as it is quite different from european/British

frankly, i find US more tolerant that UK

kslondon01 said:

Hello guys,

I am from London (born and raised) and I am interested in Sikhs living in the USA; are Sikhs spread out over America or do they tend to concentrate in certain areas; also, what sort of perception do Americans have towards those with turbans.

I am interested in moving to America - so I was also wondering how most Sikhs immigrated to America and what the most common methods are.
In the UK most Sikhs came here from India to work (in the 1960s the UK government encouraged migrants as there was a labour shortage); through marriage i.e. those who came to work also brought their families and their sons and daughters married people from back home and through; thought humanitarian reasons i.e. when Sikhs were removed from Africa (Kenya and Uganda) many settled in the uk.

Any suggestions for the best way to move to the USA. I was considering studying a MBA in USA – is this a common method?

thanks

Click to expand...

doing the MBA in the US and settling here after is a very common way for people to immigrate.

sikhs have been in the US as far back as the late 1800s. most came as labourers, brought by the british (of course). many of those sikhs settled on the west coast, especially in washington and california. many of the large fruit farms in northern california are owned by sikhs. you'll find third generation american sikhs primarily on the west coast, while most (not all) east coast sikhs are immigrants.

the second big wave came in the 80s, people escaping political persecution in punjab. many went on to own their own small businesses. on the west coast, you'll see many gas stations, shops, and hotels owned by sikhs.

the third wave came with the tech workers who have come mostly in the last 15-20 years. these sikhs have settled more widely, with concentrations in large metro areas in california, washington, new york, new jersey, texas, and chicago.


please note: this is a really broad view of sikh-american history, of course many sikhs came independently of these "waves".


my husband and i are both turban wearing sikhs living in texas and we don't experience any difficulty at all. i think in general, in large cities, people with turbans are accepted as part of american life.

Sat Nam, Ji! Yes, California is a state that has many Sikhs, and yes, the farmland is excellent for the agriculture. New York has a lot of Sikhs, as does Texas, with the majority being Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston. There are some in Illinois, too. As for the turban, New Mexico has many American-born Sikhs wearing turbans, and you would be most welcome there.
Americans like the hard-work ethic Sikhs have, and while some have difficulties with the turban at first, once they realize what it means they are fine with it.
Keep up posted on your moving plans, and the best of everything to you all!
Wahe Guru,
Kulwant