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Latest policy changes in the America, featuring a significant hike to H-1B visa fees, have motivated Indian leaders to actively encourage skilled expatriates to relocate and participate in domestic development.

A high-ranking bureaucrat close to the PM pointed out that the administration is dedicated to attracting expatriates. At the same time, a different council member noted that American immigration policies have consistently favored the America, and the latest hike could actually support India in wooing international professionals.

The central idea is that the moment is right for India to engineer a reverse brain drain and attract world-class workers in IT, medicine, and various cutting-edge industries who emigrated from the nation over the previous 30 years.

Some reports suggest that a more restrictive immigration climate in the US is leading some Indians to consider returning. However, analysts note that persuading many individuals to leave American hubs for home soil will be difficult.

Nithin Hassan is among the small group of expatriates who, after 20 years in the America, took a leap of faith and moved to Bengaluru last year.

The decision involved risk. He abandoned a lucrative position at Meta to enter the uncertain arena of start-ups.

"I long aimed to establish my own business, but my immigration status in the United States restricted that opportunity," he explained.

Upon his return, he has started a couple of ventures, including a initiative titled Return to India that assists other Indians based in the US "handle the emotional, monetary, and work-related challenges of relocating to India."

He added that latest changes in US immigration policy have resulted in a noticeable surge in enquiries from people interested in return, and the visa issue could accelerate this shift.

"A lot of workers now realize that a US citizenship may remain elusive, and inquiries to the platform have increased – roughly tripling since recent changes started. In just the recent period, over two hundred NRIs have expressed interest to consider coming back," he commented.

Further talent scouts who focus on students from institutions abroad support this shift in attitude.

"The count of Indian students from top-tier schools looking to come back to India post their degrees has risen by thirty percent recently," an executive explained.

She continued that the volatility is also causing senior Indian executives "reconsider their professional paths in the America."

"While many are still anchored there, we notice a clear rise in CXO and senior tech leaders exploring India as a serious alternative," she remarked.

This shift in mindset could further supported by a significant expansion in Global Capability Centres – or remote units of multinational companies in India – that have created viable career options for expatriates.

These GCCs could serve as options for those from the IT sector when the US restricts entry, making GCCs "highly desirable to talent, notably as onsite opportunities diminish," based on an asset manager.

But facilitating talent return at scale will demand a concerted and substantial initiative by the leadership, and that's currently missing, notes a ex- consultant to a former PM and expert on India's brain drain.

"Officials will have to go out and effectively select professionals – including top-of-the-line scientists, specialists, and innovators – it wants back. That demands work, and it must receive high-level support," he commented.

He explained that this method was used by Jawaharlal Nehru in the earlier days to attract top minds in fields like science and advanced research and establish institutions like the renowned a top research institute.

"They were driven by a deep nationalism. What is the incentive to return now?" he questioned.

Conversely, there are multiple attractive and repelling elements that have resulted in educated individuals repeatedly exiting the nation, he said, and India has celebrated this movement, rather than reversing it.

Attractions abroad include a growing range of destinations offering golden visas and long-term stays through entry policies.

Indeed, as the America strengthened its immigration system, locations {such as