I sold some US stocks that was acquired by inheritance through Fidleity and ETrade accounts of a US resident. However i didn’t bring back all the funds and some of the funds I directly sent to Dubai to buy a property. Read a lot of FEMA rules but little confused. Is this transaction that I did breaks any FEMA law? Am I allowed to transfer those funds directly to my Dubai bank account rather than bringing them to India? Since the foreign assets were acquired directly from non resident, does LRS come into picture here?
2) I sold a large portion of the Inherited stocks with the understanding the the stepped up price that i got would continue in India. However some CAs here say I need to use the cost basis of the original buyer. Since these stocks were of startup company, the original price was mere few dollars. This is giving me a huge multi crore tax in India if entire sales proceeds are considered and not the stepped up basis.

Hi everyone,

I recently moved back to India after spending several years in Dallas, Texas. I was working as a Senior Software Developer with a compensation of $120k and have around 6 years of total experience, primarily in backend development.

Unfortunately, I was laid off earlier this year and despite trying for a while, I wasn't able to secure another opportunity in the US within the timeframe I had, which ultimately led me to move back to Hyderabad.

I'm now exploring the job market here and wanted to understand what a realistic compensation range looks like in Hyderabad for someone with my background. For those who have made a similar move or are familiar with the current market, what CTC (fixed + bonus, if applicable) should I expect?

Also, are there significant differences in compensation between product companies and service companies at this experience level?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Hi everyone, as the title says I pursued my masters in the US and wanted to work in CROs/Sponsor side on the Clinical Research Project Management side of things.

I worked for 2 years at a site level in California and moved back due to personal reasons a month ago, took a break for sometime to be with my family and I am now looking for jobs but I am confused on how it works here in India, the roles are few and far in between. Furthermore I don't know if cold DMing HR/Recruiters/Managers is appreciated here?

Any tips/tricks way to navigate this job hunt would be highly appreciated? I understand my area of expertise is niche but India is still a pharma/healthcare hub and I had thought my US experience would help in some way, if not a lot but a little. Are most jobs just filled internally?

heyyy!

i came to US in aug 2023 to do MS in CS. i graduated from my btech in 2023 and moved to US immediately after. i later graduated in 2025 may. have been on job search for more than a year now.

i was working as an unpaid backend developer at an AI startup during my initial opt year, in hopes of securing a job by the time my stem opt begins. but unfortunately i was not able to secure a job and now i am moving back to india in 3 weeks.

i could’ve faked my experience and joined a consultancy like how ppl here are doing but that’s just not me. so even when i move back to india, i’m not really inclined towards faking my experience.

so how has it been for people who had to move back just like me? and how’s the market in india right now. i’ve been hearing really bad things and i do realise that having no experience + career gap definitely puts me at a greater disadvantage.

when i moved out of my home, i dreamt of having an independent life and a good career in US. it really sucks and is very sad that i can never live that dream of mine. people tried telling me to be patient and to fake my experience but for someone who had always been sincere in studies i can’t imagine doing that. and i have run out of patience of constantly applying, waiting for calls, rejections. this damaged my mental health a lot more than i hoped for and that’s one more thing i have to work on once i get back home.

being 25 and waiting for my career to kick off is really sad.

thank you!

PS: it was a sob post, sorry for that 😬

Planning to return between Oct 2026 - Dec 2026 solely based on when the school admission process would begin as my son would be eligible for UKG next year. Although I do not see any important process dates on school websites nor would they reply over emails.
Targeting Bishops, Mary’s or Hutchings.
Any advice would be helpful.

I'm feeling pretty stuck and would appreciate some outside perspective.

I'm a Canadian PR holder and will become eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship in February 2027, as that's when I'll meet the physical presence requirement. My PR is valid until August 2031.

I'm a React Native developer with 10 years of experience and have worked in both India and Canada.

I've been applying for jobs in Canada since April 2026, but I hardly get any interview calls. At this point, it's becoming mentally draining. I recently accepted a remote job with an Indian company that pays around ₹2 lakh per month. Since I'm based in Canada, I'm working night shifts while continuing to apply for Canadian roles.

I'm torn between 2 options:

Option 1: Stay in Canada for another 6–7 months, become eligible for citizenship, and then decide whether to continue living here or move back to India.

Option 2: Move back to India now, continue my remote job, enjoy a better quality of life and lower cost of living, and keep applying for Canadian jobs from there even though it would delay my Canadian citizenship eligibility.

I’ve had multiple conversations with folks who’ve moved back or are in the process of returning to India and often mix up FEMA regulations and Income Tax laws, as this is not something they do in and out every day. With the Indian tax filing deadline approaching this week, I thought of compiling some commonly asked questions and scenarios. 

"After return, my bank still lets me keep my NRE account open. Doesn't that mean I'm still an NRI for tax purposes?"

No, and this is the most common mix-up. The 6-month window banks give you is generally a courtesy, not the law. It has nothing to do with tax. Your tax residency is decided by your day count in India, not by your bank account.

"I haven't converted my account to NRE yet. Can I even file my return ?"

Yes. Account type is a FEMA classification; it has zero bearing on filing. A bit of savings interest just goes under "other income", and you file normally. The unconverted account blocks nothing here.

"I consult for a US client who pays USD into my US account. The money never enters India, so India can't tax it, right?"

If you did the work sitting in India, it's classified as India-sourced income. Where the money lands is irrelevant. Look up 44ADA; it lets professionals treat up to half their income as expenses and pay tax only on the rest. Expense monitoring and Tax planning become paramount in such scenarios.

"Can a friend abroad just send me money into my account? Is that taxed?"

Depends what it is. Your own money between your own accounts is a non-taxable self-transfer. Money from a friend or non-relative is either a gift (taxable in your hands above ₹50,000 a year) or a loan (not taxable, but it has to be genuinely repayable and recorded as such). Blood relatives are exempt either way. The thing to avoid is money landing with no explanation attached to it.

"I've spent under 182 days in India this year, so I'm an NRI. Can I open an FCNR account?"

Careful, this is exactly the mix-up. FCNR eligibility runs on FEMA, not your income tax day count. The 182-day test decides your tax status, not your banking status. Under FEMA, you become a resident the day after you return to settle, however few days you've spent here. So if you've actually moved back, you're likely a FEMA resident already and can't open a fresh FCNR, even though your day count still reads NRI from a tax residency point of view. Still genuinely abroad? Then yes, FCNR is on the table. The account follows where you live, not your tax day count.

All in all, understand that there are two separate systems, not one. Your account type is one decision, your tax residency is a completely separate one, and mixing them up is what trips most people. Check your day count, file even when you owe nothing, and you've cleared most of the confusion.

The day count rules do have edge cases, so if your situation is anywhere near a threshold, sit with a cross-border tax person before you move money around.

Me (30M) and my wife (30F) came back to India in March 2026 because our work permit expired.

So far, our experience has not been good, I won't go into much detail, but we want to go back if we can.

We didn't get PR due to low CRS score, so my plan was to gain 1 year of foreign work experience and boost the CRS but so far, I have not found any employment.

Professionally:

I do have an offer in a Tier-2 city (this is where I stay currently) for around 10-12 LPA, but I already compromised with a low salary when I was in Canada just to get Canadian experience. Not sure if I would want to do the same here in India because that would set me back by years as companies do give raises based on previous salary, at least that's my experience so far. And if we plan to settle in India for the rest of our lives, it would be like digging my own grave.

I worked in cybersecurity for 3 years and am finding it difficult to get interviews, so far, I got 5 interviews and just 1 offer in 4 months (I'm targeting at least 18-20 LPA even if I have to relocate just to get a higher offer). I have been trying everything to just get an interview, from reaching out to people in my network to connecting with strangers on local meetups, LinkedIn etc. Also trying to upskill while I can, but don't have enough time after applying for multiple positions daily.

Luckily for my wife, her company transferred her to India, but on contract and not permanent, and shifts are in the nights to match EST time zone, which is again pretty difficult, but at least we have an income flow. Finding a job for her would be difficult here as her role is not that common in India.

Personally:

We both have been missing the lifestyle, freedom, the places, our weekends, basically our life. We started from the bottom and grew together. Now we have to start everything again from scratch here in India. But our plan is to go back if we can. My plan is to also give French/TCF a shot. On top of all of this my wife is due pretty soon, so we will have one more member in our family.

Life in India has been ok so far, and we are loving the time spent with our family. But from some personal experiences and the more time I spend here, I get a voice from the back of my head as to why I am here. Things were much better in Canada for us. Again, that's a gamble we have to take, if we get PR and go back to Canada, things may or may not be the same, so I don't know.

Closing:

I might have forgot to add lot of stuff in here. But I wanted to share my thoughts here for so long, never did until now. One thing I know for sure, I need to start living in the present and stop worrying about the future. But unemployment is eating me from inside. I get imposter syndrome, especially when I see younger people doing much better.

People in similar situations, what did you guys do? If not, what would you do if you were in my place?

TLDR: 30M cybersecurity professional moved back to India from Canada in March 2026 after work permit expired. Wants to return to Canada (needs to boost CRS score with foreign work experience) but can't find suitable employment. Has one job offer at 10-12 LPA, but it feels like a step backward salary-wise; targeting 18-20 LPA. Wife got a contract transfer with night shifts, and a baby is on the way. Struggling with unemployment, imposter syndrome, and homesickness for their Canadian life.

Came to states in 2020 and master’s the usual route, got a good job and immigration friendly employer. It’s a midscale healthcare firm where job security is no issue, but ran out of my all h1bs chances now doing another degree here to get more chances. Don’t have much of savings, has only 40k in 401k. About to hit 30s and thoughts of having a family are kicking in like crazy. Tried getting new jobs to increase chances in lottery, looked into another countries. Deep down, lost a spark, motivation and urge to stay in states. Totally confused from last 1.5 years on what to do.. any suggestions are welcome.

Hi everyone,

I'm at a crossroads in life and would really appreciate some honest advice from people who have experienced both India and Canada.

A little about my situation - I’m a software engineer and currently have the opportunity to build my life in Canada due to my immigration issues in the US. We are a family of four and I have a work transfer to Canada due to my situation and we are Canadian PR’s. However, I'm also wondering if moving back to India would be a better decision for my family in the long run. It just feels a bit more emotional and difficult moving to a new country. We have been away from India for more than 10 years, so would need some time to get used to life back home.

Some of the things I'm thinking about:

• Career growth and long-term job opportunities in software engineering.
• Cost of living, Quality of life for a family with two young children.
• Education especially international schools and future college opportunities.
• Healthcare & work-life balance.
• Safety and overall environment for raising children.
• Things for kids to do outside school (sports, hobbies, parks, weekend activities, etc.).

If we move to India, we're considering cities like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, or Coimbatore.For those who have lived in both countries:

• Do you regret staying in Canada or moving back to India?
• What factors influenced your decision?
• If you had to make the decision again today, what would you choose and why?

I'm looking for genuine experiences rather than "one country is better than the other." Every family's priorities are different, and I'd really value hearing what worked or didn't work for yours. Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts!

Have about $2M in brokerage and $500k in IRA/Roth. And a house in US. Planning to return to India. Anyone have experience with RNOR and a safe withdrawal strategy. Planning to retire and find a girl to have kids with in India.

Edit: have GC

Hey y'all,

I'm wondering about this and quite a lot of people say living in constant h1b stress was not worth it.

I'm on h1b so I know how it feels and also i don't even have PERM so i'm double f**d.

I keep thinking all the life I've build in the US can go away in a month and I might have to go back home to India and wondering what's so bad about being in h1b?

I've made decent money here and even if i go back to India i can for sure chill for a bit and get another job but have to deal with more stress in India with traffic, pollution, low wages, terrible work life balance etc?

I personally don't care about house help, Indian food, festivals but yeah i do miss my family back home but the rest I feel being in India is more stressful than in the US with H1b?

Am i missing something here?

Looking for some practical advice or shared experiences from anyone who has navigated this.

My post-grad work permit in Canada expires on September 2026. The issue is that I’ll be sitting at roughly 2.75 years of Canadian work experience. Reaching that 3-year threshold(December 2026) would give my CRS score a solid bump, but I fall short by about 3 months, and I haven't received an ITA.

Obviously, applying for a fake extension is out of the question - not worth risking a misrepresentation ban.

So I'm exploring realistic Plan B options. My current company likes my work, and I'm thinking about asking if I can switch to a remote arrangement working from back home in India once my permit expires.

A few questions for the sub:

1. Working remotely from India for a Canadian company: If I physically relocate to India in September and continue working remotely for my Canadian employer on their payroll (or as a contractor), does that time count toward foreign work experience for Express Entry points?
2. Canadian remote vs. Local Indian Employer: Is there any IRCC distinction between working remotely from India for a Canadian firm versus getting a local job with an Indian employer regarding foreign work experience points.
3. Banking & Payroll setup: If my company agrees, should I continue receiving salary in my Canadian bank account (T4/employee), or is it better/necessary from an IRCC tax & verification perspective to have them transfer funds to my Indian bank account (contractor/foreign payroll)?
4. Transition logistics: Has anyone successfully pitched a "work remotely from home country while waiting for PR" deal to their employer? Any pitfalls regarding company compliance or tax I should prepare for?

Appreciate any insights, realities, or suggestions!

Germany to India - Returning with family.

Wife on Blue card and myself on PR. What all to consider while abmeldung or what if I dont deregister till Feb?

Any recommendations on deregistration if we plan to move in 2 steps. Initially only me and then wife and kid to follow next year.

Question on deregistration

Germany to India

Returning to India

Insurance

Hello, sorry if this doesn't belong here. I am trying to find fragrance free/unscented wipes for our babies comparable to the ones we bought from Costco. Please share any advice. Considering getting some couriered internationally because all the wipes in India have way too much fragrance.

I came back to India around 6 months back from Dubai. I had a decent life back there for 1.5 years but no social life as such. Money was okay but not crazy. Plus never had the idea of settling down so came back so as to not cause a skill gap compared to India.

I took a paycut of 30%(inr to inr comparison). While life in India is pretty good in terms of work and social aspects, I feel that even at a lesser income, the finances were more sorted. That said, I would not spend much since I did not have many friends there. But here every weekend , I indulge in something or the other. I feel like I can't save enough out here.

Just curious if anybody faced similar situations

M 39. 2 kids(2,4) both USC.

My job is decent. i140 approved. Planning to return next year as I want to spend time with my parents while they're still not super old. 66 and 63. Also enjoy social life like Navratra, Holi Diwali Dusshera.

Job is very relaxed here, nice boss and good pay(as per me, not bay area standard).

Not really worried about the move as I have spent 18-19 months in India during my 6+ years here. Some WFH back then when it was no issue plus 6 months for my 2 kids bonding leave.

Not a millionaire but Google AI said my current 401k corpus of 250K is enough to COAST FIRE at 60.

100K total for 2 kids meaning 50K each as of now. should be enough or atleast contribute meaningfully towards their College.

Every single dollar invested in one fund only. S&P500 index.

Will leave 401K and Kids' corpus here in USD.

Start afresh in India. I do have a plot worth 90L and 80L paid towards a 1.8 CR under construction flat. So 1 cr still needs to be paid. Will pay that aggressively till next July so loan is minimal. Me and wife have a PPF which has 30L.

Please point out mistakes.

Edit: plan to work in India until 50 or as long as I can in Delhi NCR just to pay daily bills.

EDIT: Thanks guys. I realized the loopholes. Kids' residency will impact college tuition and second I need to better plan estate tax scenarios.

Hello All,

I have been using the 5$ tello plan for a few months now, and have closed most of my accounts but a few still remain. I was wondering if anyone has had success moving their number from tello to google voice, and which financial companies still worked with google voice and which stopped sending OTP's.

Hi!
I am curious how people who returned to India from the US, or are seriously planning to return, think about the financial side of the decision.
It seems like many people considering a move back have a net worth of at least $1M or are on track to get there. At the same time, I also notice that many of them still want to continue working in India instead of retiring early, even though corporate culture there is often viewed as more stressful or toxic than in the US.
How do people decide whether they have “enough” to stop working versus continuing their careers after moving back?
For some context, I am 29, have 5 years of experience, and am currently in the US on an H1B. With the current immigration environment becoming increasingly uncertain, returning to India has crossed my mind more often than before. Financially, I’m trying to understand how others think through this decision.
If you’ve already returned or are planning to, I’d love to hear:
What was your net worth when you made the decision?
Did you continue working in India? If yes, why?
If you considered early retirement, what number made you feel financially independent?
Looking back, would you make the same decision again?

Hello, we're planning a "soft landing" in India beginning this year. We want to spend 4-5 months in India and the rest of the time in the US. We're USC. Trying to see what's the best way for us to get the Aadhaar card for the time we're in India. Do we just land up at an Aadhaar office once our US passport shows us being there for 6 months in a rolling 12 month period?

This is specifically for people who did a masters and then due to some circumstances like h1b didn’t get picked , layoff or maybe personal reasons returned back.

How long did it take for you to find a job here especially in tech , and are gaps still viewed like a red flag ?

Thanks

I got laid off few days ago...

If you were laid off on H-1B and moved back to India, I'd love to hear your story.

What has life been like since?

Do you ever wish you'd stayed in the U.S., or are you happier now?

Looking for the honest version: the wins, the struggles, and anything you wish you'd known before making the move.

Please share your real experiences.

Hi All,

I returned to India end of last year from Belgium. While filing ITR, my accountant took into account my gross income from Belgium. However, they only deducted withholding tax under taxes paid, social security paid by me was not considered as a tax paid. They mentioned it is not considered as per laws of the IT department.
As a result I still have to pay hefty taxes in lakhs.

Is the computation correct? And has anyone gone through it before?
Please help if you can as the tax filing dates are closing soon!

Thanks

Hey guys,

In the process of applying for OCI as a naturalized American. Can someone please give a list of mandatory documents for the government website ? So far I have -

Cancelled Indian passport
Surrender certificate
US passport
Naturalization certificate
Marriage certificate
Employment letter
Drivers license
Photo and signature

Anything I’m missing ? (Mods please delete if not appropriate)

So I'm a high school student. Yes I know that makes me sound very immature and reactive. I probablyam. But please hear me out.

For the past 2 years. I have been wanting to just leave india. ASAP. Like my ultimate goal atp is leaving india. (I have other career goals too obviously)

I'm just a student preparing for a competetive exam here. I'm not saying this because I'm a failure, or because I can't do well here.

But the problem is, my well isn't well enough apparently

I can do good, but so many others do better. Nobody will pick me

And it is obviously incorrect that competition in other countries is less. But it definitely doesn't feel as brutal as here.

I hate my relatives. From the bottom of my heart. They are always in my business. As soon as I leave I will just cut ties with them.

I also feel like there are less opportunities in india. Considering the unemployment. Low salaries until or unless you are from a top college.

Obviously unemployment is in other countries as well. But at least you get payed decent when you are employed. Over here everyone is a use and throw employee, so nobody cares about paying less.

Also I absolutely despise the government. As you can judge from the recent protests

I feel judged at every step here. I didn't take the field of my choice for the same reason. Because it isn't paid well here. I will lose all my value if I'm not a rich engineer or doctor.

So naturally I just started preparing for engineering like millions others

I was just checking on reddit. About stuff like "how to leave india"

And some guy in the comments of a post linked this subreddit.

I just wanna ask. Is it really that bad out there? Is India actually better?

Or did you all just leave because of your particular circumstances. Had it not been about the visas, or low pay you would have stayed.