Visa squeeze in the West sends Indians packing for home

Bengaluru: Avani Patel, 25, did not plan to return to India. She completed a communications and media course in the United Kingdom in 2024 and had nearly two years to find a job there. Instead, she found herself facing a problem that had little to do with her qualifications: the rising cost of visa sponsorship.

At least two companies told her they could not afford to sponsor her visa. "They were like, you're great, but we can't have you. Because two years down the line, we're not going to be able to sponsor you," said Patel.

In the past two years, the UK has tightened its work visa rules at least twice: the minimum salary threshold for jobs eligible for a skilled worker visa rose from nearly $35,409 in 2024 to about $52,303 by April and then to nearly $56,358 in July 2025.


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The squeeze is beginning to change how Indian employers think about overseas talent.

A Bengaluru-based company recently posted an AI/ML engineer role with 'Reverse Brain Drain' as a catchphrase. Companies including Reliance Industries, Mahindra Automotive and Axis Bank have also posted openings for people returning to India, according to an ET analysis of such posts.

Patel moved to India earlier this year after her visa expired. She is not alone.

Arundev S, 25, is actively looking for jobs in India that can pay him at least ₹9 lakh a year.

"Whatever I earn in the UK is going towards my expenses, which are too high over the years," he said. But Arundev is not ready to return until he finds a job that can help him pay off his loans.

The shift is also showing up in the job market. UK-based career platform Student Circus allows students to find jobs in the UK and other countries.

Jobs in Metros in Demand

It has also started listing jobs in India, and interest in those roles is rising.

India-based job views on the platform rose nearly threefold to 22,312 till July 2026 from 8,052 in 2023.

"For international students, getting the first job is only one part of the equation. The ability to secure sponsorship, build a long-term career and remain in the country increasingly factors into where they choose to start their careers," said Tripti Maheshwari, cofounder of Student Circus, which partners with universities including Leeds, Bristol and Imperial College London.

Most graduates using the platform are looking for jobs in metro cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai, Gurugram and Hyderabad.

Visas dictating career choices

Divya S, 26, worked as a social work officer in London. As her visa neared its end, she too began weighing a return. Her employer did not sponsor visas, even as the UK tightened its visa criteria. "Towards the end, I think like my last six months over there, they also tightened the visa criteria," she said.

By October last year, Divya had shifted to applying only for jobs in India. She eventually found one in April this year, but said several friends who returned around the same time are still unemployed.

"I know seven-eight people who are literally unemployed right now and they're not getting a job," she said.

The shift comes amid a growing number of people leaving the UK. According to the Office for National Statistics, an estimated 278,000 non-European Union nationals left the UK long-term in the year ending 2025. Indians were the largest nationality within this group, followed by Chinese nationals.

Beyond British isles

The trend is not limited to the UK. A growing number of Indians abroad are finding that immigration rules and visa uncertainty are affecting their career plans.

The United States is seeing a similar trend, with some Indian professionals returning to India amid uncertainty over visas.

"Returnee volumes have risen every year, and the gap between outbound and returning talent continues to narrow. H-1B policy is one factor, with the new petition fee and shifting green card rules making it harder to plan and underwrite a multi-year horizon," said Kapil Joshi, chief executive of IT staffing at Quess Corp.

Coming Home Has A Cost

But returning home does not necessarily mean more jobs or higher salaries. A recent survey by anonymous community app for job seekers Blind found that many returnees are joining the India offices of the same multinational companies they previously worked for in the US, but at significantly lower salaries.

The survey of 1,276 verified professionals in India found that 53% had seen people return from the US because of visa-related issues. Of these, 36% said colleagues or job candidates had already returned, while another 17% knew people planning to come back. The visa squeeze is also reaching students. The post-study stay period for international students in the UK is being shortened, with the graduate visa duration falling from two years to 18 months for applications made from January next year.

(Names of returnees have been changed to protect identity)changed to protect identity)