Why Indians Wish to Immigrate Abroad at Any Cost
Introduction
Many Indians wish to at some point in their life to immigrate abroad. It could be due to various reasons like for studying in international universities, to be employed by foreign companies, or travel to the country for a temporary stay. Whether one wishes to travel or work, whether one wants to obtain residence or work visa, it is an undeniable fact that the number of Indians immigrating abroad is the highest among the other countries.
The Dangers of Immigration
Immigrating to a foreign land is not a fairytale and people have different reasons for leaving the home country. But whatever their reason might be, it is a fact that not everyone is welcome abroad.
Indians in the USA especially face the backlash of hijacking the jobs of Americans. They have to face bullying, racism, discrimination, a dominant culture that they may find hard to penetrate. With the rise in nationalism, this hate towards the immigrants, this intolerance towards the aliens is only rising.
So why are the Indians so desperate to immigrate abroad despite the strict immigration, visa, and green card policies? Why do the Indians wait for several years to obtain citizenship of a foreign country?
Let’s Get Our Facts Right
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As compared to the year 2017, the number of Indians getting Canadian citizenship rose by 50%. India was the second highest country applying for citizenship.
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As of April 2018, there were 6,32,219 Indians waiting for their green cards in various countries and only 10% of them were successful to get the green cards. India has the maximum number of people waiting patiently or frustratingly in line to get the green cards.
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The Indian students who secured a Canadian visa increased by 60% as compared to 2017.
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The international students enrolling in the US universities is dipping due to the policies of Donald Trump.
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India is the largest source of migrants abroad with 16 million of its 1.3 billion population living abroad and the country with the highest number of Indian immigrants is UAE.
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India is the country which receives the highest remittances among other countries.
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Inquiries about foreign citizenship by the Indians has doubled in recent years.
Why are Indians so desperate to immigrate abroad?
There are many reasons as to why the Indians immigrate. Read on to peak into the reasons that make these immigrants craving to go abroad.
1. The Indian Culture
We as Indians may be very proud of our culture but there are many flaws in the same culture that makes us want to go abroad like the lack of personal space, unnecessary bureaucracy, civic responsibility, communal sense, lack of basic infrastructure, endless family judgments.
2. A World-Class Education
Every year close to 8,00,000 students immigrates abroad to get admissions in the foreign universities which costs the country $15 Billion of forex annually. India has one of the world’s largest education infrastructure but due to the huge demographic bulge, it lacks both in capacity and quality.
3. Employment Opportunities
The US citizenship and immigration services outlined that 73.7% of the total 4,19,637 applications received by it for the H-1B visa belonged to the Indian nationals. The H-1B lottery allows US employers to employ overseas workers in specialty jobs. The huge population of India dreams to work at quality companies and earn high salaries but the Indian jobs are just not sufficient to absorb the workers and so they look elsewhere.
4. The American Dream
The immigrants will go abroad either for work, study, or travel purposes but many also travel to free themselves of the shackles of the Indian society. Their ROI may not be promising but to them, their personal and professional freedom matters much more. This American dream may be shattering due to the wave of nationalism but other countries like Canada are surely opening their doors and Indians are flocking towards it.
5. The Hoarder Mentality
The immigrants have a hoarder mentality whereby they want to make a quick buck by starting a new lifestyle in a foreign country. This desire basically stems from their lack of belief in the Indian economy. Unfortunately, what they fail to see is that the cost of living in a foreign land is way too high and the populism wave is against the migrants taking the jobs of the locals. The anti-migrant agenda has risen to a level where it has become a poplar political dispute with nationalist fervor.
Conclusion
The Indian migrants comprise the biggest overseas population in countries like the UK, America, and Canada and the top destinations for the Indian students are Canada, Germany, Australia, United States, and Italy. The number of wealthy Indians wanting to bag citizenship abroad has doubled in recent years. In terms of remittances too, India stands at the top and according to the Migration and Remittances Fact Book, the country had a remittance of $72 Billion in 2015.
Since the foreign countries realize and value the contribution of the Indian workers, the new US law aims to alter the Immigration and Nationality Act eliminating limitations related to the place of birth, a blessing exclusively for the employment-based Indian immigrants. With the students having to prepare for exams like SAT, GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, etc. one wonders is the immigration really after all a brain drain of the quality workers.
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