Reverse Migration: Politics and Policies
During the recent visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Australia, the Indian community had expected him to take up their concerns with the Australian government. Increasingly, Indian migrants in Australia are being targeted by far-right groups. At the same time, there are calls from the United States urging the Indian government to welcome skilled immigrants back home to help strengthen the Indian economy and create jobs. Migration and mobility are facing unprecedented challenges, and the global community seems to have lost its neutral interlocutors capable of navigating these polarising times. Why is this happening, and what has become of the so-called global village? These are among the pressing questions being debated by academics and policymakers alike.
The Australian Situation
From Melbourne, Australia, Mr. Sai Balaji—once a prominent student leader in India—urged the Indian Defence Minister to engage the Australian government on the growing insecurity felt by Indian immigrants. In an article he wrote, he observed that “Indian-born migrants have become the latest sticking point between far-right and anti-fascist forces in Australia.” On August 31, 2025, four major Australian cities—Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide—witnessed large-scale far-right rallies protesting against Indian immigrants. Notably, the Indian community, which is the second-largest in Australia after the British, has been unfairly blamed for the housing crisis and job scarcity. To its credit, the Indian diaspora in Australia has largely maintained political neutrality, refraining from aligning with or against any political party.
Across the Pacific, in the United States—the land of opportunity—the dreams of Indians are also becoming increasingly expensive. Under Donald Trump’s administration, the punitive H-1B visa fee of $100,000 has complicated matters. The influential Indian diaspora has found itself a target of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) campaign. U.S. Congressman Shri Thanedar recently told Hindu leaders and organisations that there is a growing sense of “Hinduphobia” in the U.S., a sentiment some attribute to the public celebration of Hindu festivals and the construction of large temples by wealthy mercantile groups from Gujarat. Elsewhere, tensions have also risen. In London, police recently clashed with over 11,000 anti-migrant protestors, further underscoring the global nature of anti-immigrant sentiment.
Conceptual Issues
The scholarly literature on migration reveals a dense debate around concepts such as migration, brain drain, and brain migration. Migration, in fact, has always been part of human civilisation and the evolution of societies. In the years following India’s independence, many young Indians went abroad for higher studies and returned to contribute to nation-building. However, from the 1960s and 1970s onwards, a new pattern emerged—highly skilled individuals, often beneficiaries of state-subsidised higher education, began permanently settling abroad. This triggered concerns over the “drain” of human resources from developing to developed countries. Sociologist T. K. Oommen drew a distinction between brain drain and brain migration. While brain migration implies a two-way flow of talent—professionals leaving and later returning—brain drain signifies a one-way movement, resulting in a permanent loss of skilled professionals.
In this context, reverse migration has emerged as a relatively new phenomenon, often driven by hostile immigration environments, racism, or restrictive work conditions. In the current era, rising intolerance, economic uncertainty, and political volatility are increasingly pushing some Indians abroad to reconsider returning home.
The tough immigration policies in Western nations such as the U.S., Australia, and Canada might compel some Indians to think seriously about returning to India. However, how many of them would truly see India as an ideal destination after experiencing the lifestyle and opportunities of advanced societies—where their children and grandchildren are now rooted—remains uncertain.
The decision by Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo to leave MIT for Switzerland rather than India offers a sobering reflection. It underscores the need to assess India’s capacity to accommodate and productively engage returnees. The Government of India must undertake honest introspection and policy planning to ensure that those who do return can contribute meaningfully to nation-building and the establishment of institutions of excellence.
Present Scenario
The sentiment favouring a return to the homeland requires serious analysis. It is not easy to abandon a million-dollar position at Meta, for instance, to venture into an uncertain start-up ecosystem burdened by bureaucratic red tape. Many successful Indians who once consciously chose to leave may now find it difficult to re-adapt to the pessimism and inefficiency that still characterise many workplaces in India.
As a nation, India must prepare to create an enabling ecosystem that attracts global talent back home. Journalist Nikhil Inamdar of the BBC reported that a senior bureaucrat close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi revealed the government’s active efforts to encourage overseas Indians to return and contribute to national development. A member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council further confided that attracting global talent would bode well for India’s future.
The crux of the matter is clear: the time is ripe for India to engineer a policy-driven reverse migration strategy to draw back some of the world’s most talented professionals in fields such as technology, science, medicine, and academia. Encouragingly, during Donald Trump’s second term, over 200 NRIs reportedly explored return options. Yet, this optimism must be tempered by data.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, between 2011 and 2023, a total of 1,880,559 Indians renounced their Indian citizenship. India also ranks among the top five countries witnessing an exodus of millionaires seeking citizenship or residency elsewhere. Moreover, a recent Scholars at Risk report indicates that India has slipped in global rankings for academic freedom.
In light of these realities, rather than celebrating outward migration, the Government of India must build an architecture of hope, efficiency, equity, and excellence to make the country an attractive destination for returnees.
The Road Ahead
The way forward demands deep reflection and introspection. As a nation, we must rebuild our political and social foundations. Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta once observed that “India is an open society with a closed mind, while China is a closed society with an open mind.” This difference is striking and instructive. Indian politics today risks becoming increasingly exclusionary and regressive. When the past becomes the future, the scope for imagination and innovation diminishes, trapping the nation in a cycle of nostalgia. To progress, we must stop litigating the past. As Mehta reminds us, “Those who worship the past have no future.”
A recent poll by Nature among U.S.-based researchers found that 1,200 of 1,600 respondents wished to leave the country, citing structural threats to the American knowledge ecosystem. Meanwhile, nations such as China and South Korea have expanded funding to recruit professors affected by Trump-era policies. It is striking that communist China has become a more attractive academic destination than democratic India. Ultimately, economic competitiveness depends on talent mobility, inclusivity, and social trust. Without social stability, no nation can prosper. India’s aspirations for a $30 trillion future will remain unfulfilled unless it cultivates open-mindedness and global engagement.
Mahatma Gandhi, in his timeless wisdom, once said: “I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.”
Prof. Gull Mohammad Wani, Kashmir-based Political Scientist
