Economy

Visa Restrictions in Western Countries Drive Indian Professionals Home

AI SUMMARY

Tightening visa rules and rising sponsorship costs in countries like the UK and the US are forcing Indian graduates and professionals to return home.

The UK skilled worker visa minimum salary threshold rose from nearly $35,409 in 2024 to about $52,303 in April and nearly $56,358 in July 2025.
Indian professionals and students are returning home as companies refuse or cannot afford expensive visa sponsorships.
Major Indian companies such as Reliance Industries, Mahindra Automotive, and Axis Bank are actively posting job openings for returning talent under a reverse brain drain trend.
Job views for India-based roles on the UK career platform Student Circus rose nearly threefold to 22,312 by July 2026 compared to 8,052 in 2023.
An estimated 278,000 non-European Union nationals left the UK long-term in the year ending 2025, with Indians forming the largest nationality group.
United States H-1B visa policy uncertainties and shifting green card rules are similarly driving Indian professionals back to India.
A survey by job seeker app Blind found that 53 percent of respondents saw people return from the US due to visa issues, often taking jobs at lower salaries in multinational branch offices in India.
The UK graduate visa duration for international students is scheduled to fall from two years to 18 months for applications made starting January next year.