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Recent immigration reforms in the America, featuring a significant rise of H-1B visa fees, have prompted the Indian government officials to actively encourage qualified expatriates to come back and support nation-building.

A senior official working with the government pointed out that the administration is prioritizing attracting expatriates. Meanwhile, a different expert noted that US work permits have consistently favored the United States, and the new fee increase could possibly help India in drawing global talent.

The main idea is that conditions are favorable for India to engineer a talent repatriation and attract exceptional individuals in IT, medicine, and other innovative sectors who departed the country over the last several years.

Preliminary evidence indicate that a tighter policy landscape in the America is leading several expatriates to think about coming back. However, experts caution that persuading large numbers to leave cities like Bellevue for Bengaluru will be easier said than done.

A former expatriate is part of the few of Indians who, after two decades in the US, made a bold move and shifted to a tech hub last year.

The choice wasn't easy. He abandoned a high-paying role at a leading firm to plunge into the volatile world of entrepreneurship.

"I've always aimed to establish something of my own, but my visa situation in the US hindered that possibility," he mentioned.

Upon his return, he's launched a couple of businesses, among them a platform named Return to India that supports additional Indians living in the US "manage the psychological, monetary, and professional challenges of coming back."

He noted that recent changes in American visa rules have caused a noticeable increase in enquiries from individuals considering return, and the H-1B issue could hasten this movement.

"Numerous experts now understand that a permanent residency may remain elusive, and requests to our service have increased – almost tripling after recent changes commenced. In only the past half-year, more than 200 non-resident Indians have expressed interest to consider relocation possibilities," he said.

Additional headhunters who focus on professionals from institutions abroad confirm this change in sentiment.

"The number of learners from prestigious colleges aiming to relocate to India post their studies has increased by thirty percent this season," an executive stated.

She added that the instability is also leading top leaders "evaluate their long-term careers in the America."

"While many are still settled there, we observe a significant rise in executive and top professionals evaluating India as a serious alternative," she remarked.

This growing interest could strengthened by a significant boom in GCCs – also known as international centers of multinational companies in India – that have created attractive career options for professionals coming back.

The remote centers could serve as options for those from the tech industry when the America tightens policies, making GCCs "highly desirable to skilled workers, particularly as overseas postings decrease," according to an investment company.

Yet achieving repatriation significantly will demand a coordinated and serious effort by the leadership, and that's currently missing, says a previous advisor to a past prime minister and author on India's brain drain.

"The government will have to reach out and actually select experts – such as top-of-the-line researchers, professionals, and entrepreneurs – it wants back. That demands resources, and it must receive high-level support," he commented.

He said that this strategy was adopted by Jawaharlal Nehru in the past to recruit leading experts in fields like aerospace and nuclear technology and build institutions like the renowned a top research institute.

"Those individuals were inspired by a deep nationalism. What is the reason to come back now?" he asked.

Conversely, there are various pull and push reasons that have caused educated professionals continuously departing the country, he noted, and India has applauded this pattern, rather than arresting it.

Overseas incentives include a increasing variety of nations offering residency programs and permanent status through visa options.

In fact, as the US strengthened its work permit rules, countries {such as