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Recent visa fee hikes in the US, including a significant increase in H-1B visa fees, have prompted the Indian policymakers to actively encourage skilled expatriates to relocate and participate in economic growth.

A senior advisor working with the government mentioned that the regime is focused on bringing back overseas Indians. Additionally, another economic advisor commented that US work permits have consistently benefited the United States, and the latest fee increase could actually help India in attracting global talent.

The main argument is that now is the time for India to engineer a professional homecoming and lure exceptional workers in software, research, and diverse advanced industries who departed the country over the past several years.

Anecdotal evidence suggest that a tighter policy landscape in the US is prompting some Indians to think about moving back. Yet, experts note that motivating hundreds of thousands to exit cities like Bellevue for Bengaluru will be difficult.

A former expatriate is part of the handful of professionals who, after 20 years in the US, decided to return and relocated to India's Silicon Valley last year.

The move involved risk. He quit a high-paying role at Meta to explore the uncertain sector of entrepreneurship.

"I long wanted to start a personal venture, but my immigration status in the United States limited that opportunity," he explained.

Upon his return, he's launched multiple businesses, including a platform called Return to India that supports other NRIs based in the United States "navigate the psychological, monetary, and career hurdles of relocating to India."

He noted that recent shifts in American immigration policy have led to a noticeable increase in requests from individuals looking to relocate, and the H-1B issue could hasten this movement.

"A lot of workers now accept that a green card may never come, and inquiries to the platform have surged – roughly tripling following policy updates began. In merely the last six months, over 200 expatriates have contacted us to look into return options," he commented.

Additional talent scouts who focus on students from US universities support this growing trend.

"The number of graduates from top-tier schools looking to return to India following their degrees has grown by 30% lately," an executive explained.

She continued that the instability is also making top leaders "think harder their professional paths in the US."

"While many are still based there, we see a clear uptick in senior and top professionals evaluating India as a credible alternative," she said.

The growing interest could strengthened by a huge growth in GCCs – also known as offshore operations of global firms in India – that have created promising job prospects for professionals coming back.

The GCCs could become options for those from the software field when the United States restricts entry, making GCCs "increasingly attractive to skilled workers, particularly as onsite opportunities diminish," based on a financial firm.

Yet achieving repatriation significantly will need a coordinated and dedicated campaign by the leadership, and this is lacking, notes a former advisor to a past prime minister and writer on talent exodus.

"The government will have to actively pursue and truly pinpoint experts – featuring elite researchers, professionals, and entrepreneurs – it seeks to repatriate. That needs resources, and it needs to be prioritized by leadership," he stated.

He explained that this method was employed by India's first prime minister in the previous era to attract top minds in sectors like space and nuclear technology and build centers like the premier Indian Institute of Science.

"They were driven by a strong sense of purpose. Is there the incentive to return now?" he asked.

On the contrary, there are multiple positive and negative elements that have led to skilled workers consistently leaving the country, he noted, and India has encouraged this movement, instead of reversing it.

Overseas incentives include a growing variety of countries granting citizenship schemes and permanent status through visa options.

Actually, as the US tightened its H-1B visa regime, nations {such as