Mirage of Return

The recent tightening of American immigration rules, culminating in a dramatic hike in H-1B visa fees, has triggered a wave of speculation in India’s policy and business circles: could this finally be the moment when, after decades, outward migration begins to reverse?

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After years of losing some of its brightest minds to the West, there is hope that geopolitical and regulatory shifts abroad might prompt thousands of skilled Indians to return home. But hope is not a plan. Turning this moment into a meaningful reverse brain drain will require far more than rhetoric ~ it will demand strategic statecraft and systemic reform.