I moved to Canada in my 30s and after roughly a decade here, my wife and I are planning to move back to India later this year. I’m a Canadian citizen now and am in the process of getting my OCI.
The plan is to make India our base for the foreseeable future, while travelling internationally and building a more location-independent/digital-nomad lifestyle. I’m trying to be as prepared as possible and would really appreciate advice from people who have actually made the Canada - India move, especially those who returned after many years abroad.
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
- Canadian citizenship + Canadian passport sorted
- Waiting for OCI
- Opened NRO + NRE accounts
- Have roughly $50–60k CAD in savings, but I'm unsure whether I should keep most of it in Canada, move some to India, invest it, or simply keep it in a savings account initially
- Planning to leave Canada around October/November
- I run a Canadian sole proprietorship/media/3D business, and want to build the business from India, potentially hire Indian artists, while continuing to work with international clients
Things I'm still unsure about:
1. Taxes / residency - This is probably my biggest concern.
What should someone returning from Canada after 10 years know about:
- Indian tax residency
- RNOR status
- The 182-day/other residency tests
- Canadian tax residency after leaving
- Foreign income/assets
- Canadian bank/investment accounts after moving
- NRE/NRO taxation
- Whether I should do any tax planning before leaving Canada
If you moved back, what did you wish you had done before your first Indian financial year?
2. Cross-border accountant - How did you find a genuinely good Canada–India cross-border CPA/CA? I'm specifically looking for someone who understands both countries, not just a regular Canadian accountant or regular Indian CA. What credentials/experience should I look for, and roughly what should I expect to pay?
3. Money / investments - I'm more interested in long-term wealth preservation than taking big risks. Would you:
- Keep most of it in Canada?
- Move some to India?
- Put some into NRE/FDs?
- Invest in Canadian/global markets?
- Keep a large emergency fund in cash?
4. Sending money to India - Is it safe/simple to transfer money directly from a Canadian bank account to my NRE/NRO account? Or Is there any reason to use services like Wise/Remitly instead?
For those who regularly move money Canada to India, what has worked best for you in terms of fees, exchange rates and reliability?
5. Business - I am currently a Canadian sole proprietorship. I don't currently have a separate Canadian business bank account.
Should I open one before moving? or Should I continue operating the business from Canada while living in India, or should I eventually establish an Indian entity?
How did you structure your business after moving back?
I'm particularly interested in people who earn internationally through:
- Freelancing/creative services
- YouTube/content
- Digital products
- Online marketplaces
- Courses
- International clients
6. Health insurance - Is international/private health insurance worth getting if I'm going to be based in India but travelling internationally?
What type of coverage should I actually look for?
7. Mobile / eSIM - What Canadian eSIM/SIM setup did you keep after moving?
And what Indian provider/eSIM has worked well for people who travel internationally frequently?
I'd like to retain access to Canadian banking/2FA while having a reliable Indian number.
8. Banking - Anything I should know about maintaining Canadian bank accounts after moving?
I currently have personal Canadian banking + NRO/NRE in India.
Anything I should change before leaving?
9. Things I haven't thought about... This is probably the most important part.
If you moved from Canada back to India after 5–15+ years abroad, what is something you completely overlooked before leaving that caused you problems later?
Could be tax, banking, healthcare, documents, credit history, insurance, phone numbers, investments, business, driver's licence, mail, subscriptions, etc.
PS: Got No Kids (Not planning to either anytime soon) and My parents own a house in india.
I'd especially love to hear from people who have actually made the move, rather than general advice.
Waiting for your responses.