The 'multi-decade' bit was just meant to be tongue-in-cheek. I was just implying that it took sooo much longer to complete the PhD in the US, as opposed to Commonwealth countries (UK, and to some extent, Australia, New Zealand). Giving up 7 years of my life is just too much to ask.

Also, when I mention about visa requirement, I mean the restriction on freely moving into a country and expecting to be able to work right away. Studying anywhere in the world is not much of a problem for me, visa-wise.