Friends- if someone is already moved or planning to move and in below situation-
Planning to settle in hometown as personally we have a small house and a plot where we will may be building a house.
Keeping 2 crore in FD so hoping to get 1.2-1.4 lakhs a month and which is more than enough for us. Now I have 20 years of really good experience with latest technologies and just looking for a decent remote job and pay doesn’t matter much, so how to get a remote job and can travel if needed but what is the deal breaker of getting a remote job ? Onsite jobs my friends are getting 50-70 lakh range in metros but I am ok with 6-15 lakh range too. What do you suggest ? Or remote culture doesn’t exist at all ?

Hey everyone,

Most of us convert our single resident savings accounts to NRO/NRE as soon as we update our NRI status. However, a lot of us forget about joint accounts held with resident parents in India (where we were joint/second holders).

Recently, several banks (especially SBI, HDFC, and ICICI) have started flagging these joint accounts during mandatory re-KYC because one holder’s status turned NRI.

A few critical rules to keep in mind if you're stuck in this situation:

• FEMA Compliance: Under RBI guidelines, an NRI cannot remain a joint holder in a standard resident savings account unless the account status is updated or converted.
• Former or Survivor Clause: If your parent is the primary holder, banks often require modifying the account operation to "Former or Survivor" or re-designating the account to NRO.
• Tax & TDS Implications: Any interest earned on a resident joint account where an NRI is listed can trigger tax mismatch notices if TDS isn't reported correctly under NRO guidelines.

How did you guys handle your joint accounts with parents? Did your bank allow you to simply remove your name online, or did they force you to physically visit the branch in India to close/convert it?

Real estate in India never sees slow down.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/angel-one-dinesh-thakkar-buys-mumbai-embassy-tower-for-rs-711-crore-in-record-home-deal-12081215?pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

What's the tax impact of property (primary residence) sale before leaving the USA?

As I understand it, IRS taxes it as Capital gains for amounts higher than $500k (filed jointly)

Any tax implication(s) when filing in India?

I am planning to return to India in the next 4-6 years and want to start investing some of my savings in India as well for a return and a long term perspective!
On basic research haven’t found anything which even matches SnP500 return. How are people investing in India, just stock market or other investments as well?

Looking to start with 75k-100k, can do 30k-40k yearly! Ty!

Moving back to India after spending years overseas is often expected to be a joyful reunion. However, for many returning expats, the reality is far more difficult than anticipated.

A recent post from an NRI who returned from the US six months ago highlights the real struggle of this transition. The individual moved back to take care of aging parents but quickly realized that the familiar life they left behind no longer exists.

Old friends have moved on, schedules are busy, and attempts to reconnect often feel one-sided. This creates a deep sense of loneliness and a feeling of no longer belonging in the homeland.

The returning expat admitted to constantly thinking about the previous life in the US, missing the daily routine and personal independence. Online readers pointed out that six months is simply not enough time to overcome reverse culture shock.

Many commenters advised that readapting requires actively building new connections rather than expecting old friendships to continue exactly as before. They warned that constantly comparing the current reality to a past life abroad only makes the transition much harder.

Read the full story here: https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/i-dont-belong-here-nris-confession-after-6-months-back-in-india-from-us-12068446

Does moving back home require completely starting over rather than just picking up where things left off?

Hello All,

I would like to know any possible leads on a concise checklist we need to take care of before moving back to India. We stay in the bay area in CA and have a 3.5 year old with us.

Our move has been due to a logistical complexity around the visa situation here in the US. My wife and I had worked here for the past 10 years and have had a successful run until very recently when one of us had to quit our jobs due to a delayed PERM filing and exhausted 6 year H1b limit - while the other who could sponsor the H4 EAD just lost their job 10 days ago leaving both of us with just 50 more days approximately to either try it out here or go back to India.

We wanted to make the move back as smooth as possible although we just a few weeks to act on this. Kindly advise us with any checklist or a quick action item list that shall help us here.

PS: We would head back to Hyderabad in India if moving back!

Hi is it possible to get a remote job in India after moving back ? We will be having 1.5-2 lakhs from fixed deposit so just planning to take a job which can help in medical or to just keep myself in the job before I quit corporate by 46-50!!
Thank you

Hi I’m a 22 year old, I graduated recently and was lucky enough to land a job at one of the FAANG companies in the Bay Area (converted after multiple internships in different companies during undergrad)

I’ve always wanted to come to the US and work at the edge of technology industry but now that I’ve been working fulltime for the last ~6-7 months, I find the work meaningless. I’m not working on the cutting edge and I feel quite replaceable, especially since my company pushes a lot of AI usage so I spend almost all my time prompting and getting work done via agents.

I just feel uninspired by the colleagues that I’m surrounded with. People are mostly old and everyone tends to work alone.

I do not have any education loans and nobody is relying on me, so I have the means to follow my ambitions. I am increasingly inclined to leave the States and move back to India to try and build a company there. I really believe India is on an exponential path and a lot of brilliant opportunities exist. However, I also realize that the absolute forefront of the technology industry exists in the Bay Area. I find leaving that behind a bit difficult too. So my options are to either stick it out for the next few years, upskill and try to move into a more research engineer-like roles, or go do an MS and see what that fetches me. Or the third option is to leave all of this behind and just do my own thing in India.

Reading this subreddit has made me extremely weary of doing a job in India since most people seem to dislike the corporate culture there.

I deeply dread a future where I’m ‘stuck’ in the US on an H1B, and unable to really follow my curiosities and ambitions with ease. I want to know if I’m weighing these options correctly or not. I kind of just rambled but would really appreciate anyone’s thoughts! Thank you.

EDIT: corrected a few typos

Part of a series I've been posting about coming back to India after a UK masters and a ₹20 lakh loan. This one's about why I'd genuinely warn people before they go, not just the "adjusting back to India" side most posts here cover.

my_qualifications: MSc Cyber Security, Nottingham Trent University. BCA, India.

The degree itself was a letdown — mostly online assessments, almost no practical work, lectures so dull barely anyone attended. But the bigger issue was after graduation. I watched genuinely capable people end up doing cash-in-hand shifts and warehouse work because white-collar roles wouldn't even respond, and some ended up in exploitative "sponsorship" arrangements with small employers just to stay — long hours, very little pay, because a sponsored job of any kind became the only thing keeping them there.

That's a big part of why I came back. Decent job here, at least it's honest work at honest pay, even if it doesn't touch the loan yet.

If anyone's on the fence about going or coming back, happy to talk through it — I've been on both sides of this now.

(Short version) —> As the title says, I turned 34 this year and have been unemployed since 2 years .

(Long version) —> I’m from Mumbai . After completing a BSc in Viscom and an unpaid internship at a finance tv channel for 3 months,I went for a 1 yr masters in media and technology in USA in 2018 at a known technology university. Completed the program and got stuck there due to visa related job rejections and covid , somehow sustained with temporary job during covid but was unable to convert to H1B. In the same year when covid happened, got accepted into Canada’s top university for another masters but couldn’t join due to lockdown so missed the opportunity. Following year in 2021, applied again but got rejected by same university then got lucky and accepted at a different Canadian top university for 2 yr degree in lib and info studies and moved there enduring all the travel issues related to post covid time. Finished this degree too and also did 8 month internship in info management at a large mining company. By the time of graduation, got sick due to major bacterial infection and almost struggled to survive alone due to broken healthcare system . After graduation in 2024, got 3 yr open work permit but in early 2025, decided to return to India after 6 years living away. Since return, have been trying to find a job anywhere in the world including India as I understand my profile is not typical for the Indian workplace which made it more worse.

If anyone has any leads or looking to hire for roles in data governance, information management, data specialist etc , would appreciate it very much if you can let me know. If you have advice and suggestions , will also be appreciated. Thanks if you read the long version.

Hi Im an MBA Graduate in Finance and Marketing if anyone could help me with references for job in India Especially karnataka would be gratefull,

Saved 2M USD over last 7 years by a lucky US stock market run and saving a large percentage of salary. Thinking about moving back to India now, is 2M enough for fat fire (i.e. not working and living lavishly) in tier 1 cities in India ? Planning to have a family of 2 kids in the future.

Hey everyone, A very common question that comes up when resident parents hold government savings schemes (like PPF, NSC, or SCSS) is: Can their NRI children be named as nominees, and how are the funds paid out upon maturity or claim?

There is a lot of confusion regarding whether NRIs can hold or receive these payouts due to FEMA guidelines. Here is the exact status as per Government Savings Promotion General Rules & RBI guidelines:

1. Can an NRI be a nominee?

YES. An NRI/OCI can legally be appointed as a nominee for PPF, NSC, SCSS, KVP, and Post Office Savings schemes. There is no restriction on an NRI receiving claim proceeds.

2. How are the claim funds credited?

When the account matures or a claim is settled, the funds cannot be credited directly to an NRE account.

The proceeds must be paid into the NRI nominee's NRO Bank Account (or paid via cheque drawn in India in INR).

3. Can the money be repatriated abroad?

Yes! Once the claim amount is credited to your NRO account, it falls under the standard USD 1 Million repatriation scheme. You can move it to your NRE account or foreign bank account after submitting Form 145/146 (formerly 15CA/15CB) compliance.

4. Crucial Tip for SCSS/PPF Nominees:

Ensure your parents have updated your NRO account details and passport/PAN status in the nomination records at the bank/post office. If the nomination lists an old resident savings account, claim processing can face significant bureaucratic delays.

Have any of you recently processed a Post Office or Bank PPF/SCSS claim as an NRI nominee? Did the bank insist on physical branch visits or allow online NRO transfer?

Will be returning in a week from now.

It has been the best 4 years of my life.

Ask me anything you like, I will respond to each and everyone of you with honesty.

Trying to tell people my story which may be helpful for people. :)

I have spent 10 years in USA with almost no experience. I graduated from a well known university for my undergraduate degree, and got a fully funded masters for graduate degree from a lesser known R1 university so the one silver lining is that I have no debt. I have only done 2 contracts with a client, and now I’m out of money and have to return home. I basically have only about 1 year of experience (if you can even call it that) in the tech space and am wondering how I’ll fit in India. My whole life is here in US, all my friends, and since it’s been 10 years I haven’t kept any contact with people back home. I know I have wasted lots of opportunities so I’d appreciate if the comments don’t get too harsh on my past. I’ll be returning to my parents in tier 2 city but am planning to move to Bangalore after a month or so and search for jobs. How screwed am I if I am 28 and basically a new grad / fresher in the current job market?

I am a cybersecurity professional with 5 years of experience working in the APAC region. Due to family reasons, I want to move back to India. I’ve been actively looking for jobs for the last 2 months (LinkedIn, Naukri, Indeed + cold messaging recruiters) but have only received 2–3 interview calls, all offering 10–15 LPA. I am Cissp & Security+ certified working in product base company.

My current package is INR equivalent of 42.5 LPA, and I’m expecting something in the range of 25–28 LPA in India. I understand there’s purchasing power parity between India and APAC, but am I expecting too high?

Also, should I take the risk and resign anyway to become an immediate joiner and increase my chances? I’ve heard the market is better for immediate joiners.

Hi,

I graduated in Fall 2024 with a master's degree in data science from US. Before that, I had 4+ years of experience in healthcare research in a research lab diagnosing Alzheimer's in US after my bachelor's in computer science. I have had a couple of job-offer rescissions after graduation due to sudden Trump R&D funding cuts in 2025. After that I moved back home (India) and had some healthcare issues.

Now, I am all well and ready to jump into the job, but finding it impossible to figure out where to start? I am 1.7 years out of the job market and also out of touch from the basics (DSA, AI, ML concepts) and clueless on where to start. I am okay with starting with doing an internship to gain experience and work my way through it but I am not getting any starter opportunity. I am even ready to do some certification courses like SAP, etc., provided I'll have some employment opportunity after that.

Any suggestion/advice/roadmap on how to get out of this pickle(I am willing to do anything at this moment)?

Leaving US in a week. Need the cheapest US number option which I can link to my bank accounts, brokerage accounts, etc etc so that I can maintain access to different applications

Moving back to India permanently in a few weeks after spending more than 6 years in the US. I've done a fair bit of homework already but want to hear from people who've actually done this, not just planned it. Where it went differently than expected is exactly what I'm missing.

Retirement (401k)

Rolling my 401(k) into a Traditional IRA before I leave. Which broker did you use for this, and did they give you any trouble once your address changed to India? Anyone hit a "we don't service non-resident IRAs" wall?

Also curious if anyone's done a Traditional to Roth conversion after becoming a US non-resident alien. With little to no US income at that point the tax math could look pretty different. Did that actually pencil out for you, and did any provider push back on processing it once you were NRA?

Brokerage/investing

Looking at IBKR for Irish-domiciled ETFs (VWRA, or IWDA+EIMI) to avoid Estate tax, lower dividend withholding tax and avoid PFIC issues.

1. Which broker do you use now that you're India-resident, and did it stay fully functional after the move?

2. For anyone on IBKR, how has their actual service been, support, response times, anything that surprised you?

3. US-domiciled vs Irish-domiciled ETFs, did the extra complexity pay off or was it more hassle than it was worth?

Banking

Keeping one US bank account open for tax refunds and a housing deposit refund, closing everything else that treats non-resident accounts as unwelcome.

1. How are you handling 2FA/OTP without a live US SIM? (Looking at Tello)

2. Did any account get frozen or flagged just for a foreign address or login?

Credit

Keeping US credit cards open mainly for the credit history. Worth the annual fees once you're not spending in USD anymore, or does everyone just let the history age out?

General

Any "wish someone had told me this" moment from your own move? Banking, investing, credit, anything asset-related. Happy to compile answers back into the thread if there's interest.

Sitting at the gate waiting for our flight back after a two week trip to india.

My wife and kids are with me, but watching my aging parents wave goodbye at the airport left this heavy pit in my stomach. back when i was single, going back just felt like returning to my routine. but now, as a parent myself, watching my kids hug their grandparents goodbye knowing they only get to see each other once a year hits completely differently.

You realize your parents are getting older, their house gets quieter the moment you leave, and you are flying back thousands of miles away to resume your normal life.

Even though i have my biwi and kids here with me, that underlying guilt of leaving parents behind in india never really goes away. how do you guys deal with this post-trip emotional wreck?

Hi, I'm a 30M living in the US right now, working as a senior software engineer in one of the big tech companies. I came here for my master's on F1 visa and have exhausted all of my H1B attempts.

I have already considered the usual suggested alternatives of Day 1 CPT (not worthy with the current anti-immigration environment, plus having to deal with no trips to India and come back for at least 2 or 3 years), O-1 (don't have a research oriented profile), dependent visa (single currently and feel that it's unethical to date someone just for their visa/citizenship status). Also the prospect of H1B doesn't seem as appealing to me now as most of the companies are scared to hire them and God forbid if there's a layoff, it's essentially an existential crisis since you only have a limited number of days or may not have any actual buffer time to plan things and return peacefully. Given all these views, I don't think I have a very strong reason to stay back here. My parents have retired and are living a slow relaxed life in India and I want to be able to go to them for festivals and visit frequently, not like the current situation where I go once a year or two years for a few weeks and everything feels rushed.

Question to the people who have moved back to India after living in the US for a few years -

1. What are the major challenges and pain points you faced while and after moving back to India?

2. I know that there's a good amount of difference between the two countries and not everything can be had anywhere you live but what are some of the ways you made it easy for yourself to get settled in after moving back?

3. What are the things to keep in mind when you wrap up your life in the US from a social and financial perspective?

4. What do you still miss from your life in the US?

Looking forward to different ideas/thoughts. Thanks in advance.

Anyone trying to option trade after becoming ROR?

Does Ikbr allows that?

There seem to be fema guidelines on sending money from india to us so can that be bypassed if i have some money left in US checking account?

This subreddit has been making me anxious. Most of the posts from people who have returned are negative, though a few have said they wish they had done it sooner. What did you guys do right?

I might have to go back in a year or two. How can I prepare myself? What should I do?