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A study of the growth of the Indian software industry offers a unique vantage point to study both the pitfalls and opportunities presented by temporary mobility schemes. Growing as an industry focused on the export of services, the Indian software industry 'took off' with the H-1B visa or non-immigrant 'guest worker' scheme to the US. Literature on temporary mobility schemes have tended to train the spotlight on the benefits accruing to sending countries in terms of remittances, and the return of the skilled. However, the long-term developmental benefits might be limited, particularly in a context where short-term mobility may not lead to absorption of new technologies, there are no efforts channelled towards skill enhancement as it is not in the interests of the concerned sectors in receiving countries to invest in short-term workers, and where the return of workers itself might be beset with problems as opportunities for growth and career improvement in the long-term may be lacking. In the Indian case, some of these disadvantages were offset by a parallel development -- the presence of a critical mass of people of Indian origin in the US software sector, who played a critical role, persuading companies to shift development offshore to India, and later becoming angel investors and conduits of market and business intelligence for the Indian industry. And as synergies developed between the US and India, fewer workers began exercising the option of a green card sponsorship, as return of the skilled for high-end work became both a possible and desirable option.