India Wants to Entice its Best Minds Home from the US – But It Won't Be Easy
Latest policy changes in the US, featuring a sharp hike to H-1B visa fees, have motivated Indian leaders to invite skilled Indians abroad to relocate and support nation-building.
An influential bureaucrat associated with the government mentioned that the regime is focused on attracting overseas Indians. At the same time, a different council member suggested that US work permits have historically served the host country, and the recent hike could possibly help India in drawing global talent.
The central idea is that conditions are favorable for India to facilitate a professional homecoming and bring back exceptional workers in technology, research, and other innovative industries who left the homeland over the past three decades.
Some indicators indicate that a more restrictive policy landscape in the America is encouraging some Indians to consider moving back. Yet, experts note that motivating large numbers to depart American hubs for Bengaluru will be challenging.
One returnee is one of the small group of expatriates who, after a long stint in the US, decided to return and moved to Bengaluru last year.
The move involved risk. He quit a lucrative position at a leading firm to plunge into the risky arena of start-ups.
"I long aimed to establish my own business, but my legal standing in the United States restricted that freedom," he explained.
Upon moving home, he has launched two ventures, one being a platform called Back to India that supports fellow Indians living in the US "navigate the psychological, economic, and work-related hurdles of returning home."
He added that latest shifts in United States entry regulations have caused a noticeable surge in enquiries from people looking to relocate, and the H-1B controversy could hasten this movement.
"Many professionals now understand that a US citizenship may remain elusive, and inquiries to our service have surged – nearly increasing threefold after policy updates began. In only the last six months, over a couple of hundred NRIs have reached out to explore relocation possibilities," he stated.
Further talent scouts who specialize in Indian talent from American colleges corroborate this growing trend.
"The number of graduates from prestigious colleges wanting to relocate to India after their education has increased by 30% recently," a recruitment CEO mentioned.
She added that the instability is also making senior Indian executives "reconsider their professional paths in the America."
"Although a lot are still based there, we observe a clear uptick in senior and top professionals exploring India as a credible choice," she said.
The growing interest could further supported by a huge expansion in offshore offices – also known as international operations of multinational companies in India – that have provided viable work opportunities for expatriates.
The offshore operations could become destinations for those from the IT sector when the America tightens policies, making GCCs "increasingly attractive to talent, notably as onsite opportunities decrease," based on an investment company.
Yet facilitating reverse migration significantly will need a focused and serious initiative by the government, and such efforts are absent, notes a ex- consultant to a previous leader and author on talent exodus.
"The government will have to actively pursue and effectively identify individuals – featuring top-of-the-line academics, specialists, and entrepreneurs – it wants back. That demands effort, and it should come straight from the top," he emphasized.
He explained that this strategy was adopted by India's first prime minister in the earlier days to recruit leading experts in fields like aerospace and advanced research and build organizations like the renowned a top research institute.
"Those individuals were inspired by a strong nationalism. Where is the incentive to come back now?" he questioned.
On the contrary, there are both attractive and repelling factors that have resulted in educated individuals repeatedly departing the country, he said, and India has celebrated this movement, rather than stopping it.
The pull factors comprise a increasing variety of destinations granting golden visas and citizenship or residency through immigration programmes.
Indeed, while the US restricted its immigration system, locations {such as
