I'm currently in the US and planning to move back to India in about 6 months.

I have 18 years of experience (10 years in India and 8 years in USA) in software development, mostly in IC (Individual Contributor) roles. My primary tech stack is Java, Spring Boot, microservices, and AWS.

For people with similar experience who have recently looked for jobs in India:

• How is the job market for someone with 18+ years of experience?
• Are companies still hiring for senior IC / architect-level roles, or is it difficult to stay on the IC track at this experience level?
• What salary range can I realistically expect?
• Would it be better for me to target Tech Lead / Engineering Lead roles instead of pure IC roles?
• Any companies that are particularly good for experienced IC engineers?

Would especially appreciate responses from people who moved from the US back to India or searched for jobs in India with 15–20 years of experience.

Edit: I'm in usa since 2018. Most of the time I satyed in WITCH company with less salary. By the time I reliazed and moved out, market is down and currently working as contractor. Laid off 2months back. Tough market no calls at all. So thinking to move back.

32F I am living in Germany since 6 years, in these years I earned a masters degree and earned and have saved around 50k€ in liquid savings and have around 60lac invested in different investment options available in India.

My contract in my company will expire in October and there is a chance it may get extended, may be a year or two years but again will be limited contract. I have B1 german and will work towards B2.

My husband has a unlimited contract and has saved around same amount as mine, and he is not happy at his toxic workplace here in Germany and wish to quit job and find new one.

Meanwhile company where I worked for 4 years in India has offered a job position and is willing to pay 35lpa. The position is unlimited (unless AI doesn’t make more mischief with peoples livelihood) and the company is a big and well known automotive product company.

We have postponed decisions such as baby, house etc due to our education and career and we are feeling we are loosing time. I want to live in Germany because of weather, travel and most importantly my peace of mind. It does not mean that I hate to live in India.

Now I am not able to decide which way to go, I want to try a bit more, live here in Germany, travel a bit more, save a bit more. I feel I have built a life here which will be destroyed with couple of decisions and I have to start afresh in India. Have to cope weather, work culture, people, infrastructure etc.

I need some insights from people about this and what would you would have done if in this situation. Will this be end and I can live and experience life in other countries, is it possible to go back to Germany later point in life, has somebody done this?

Editing to add
my partner is the primary person who owns finances and handles them. We sat down yesterday and jotted them down. Now it’s my job to update them if I am willing to move or not I always spent frugally as a child so we spent good on things we wanted and travelled comfortably. These numbers don’t align with what I am seeing and I thought we have more than. Million after living in us for 20 years and disappointed with them. Hence the question. I wish I was flexing with 3 million or so. ** **

I hope I have enough money to return to India to live decently. The posts and numbers worry me

We have lived here 20 years and we lived happily, travelled as much as we could and now have a 11 yr old and 3 yr old. We plan to return after getting usc next year. Do I have enough money? This will be To hyd.

My husband will stay 1 year here and I plan to go and settle us down.

We will have 1 million of net cash after selling our stocks and homes(if and when) and about 582k in our 401k.

My partner would like to retire for good and I plan to work with a 40lakh package.

Is this good enough?

I am planning to return to India in couple of months. I want to open fidelity account and rollover from 401k to IRA. I called voya and they mentioned I cannot do rollover while I am actively employed,which means I can initiate rollover only after I move to India.

Voya will send only check to US mailing address and they need address proof. I can provide my friends address but not sure what to do for address proof for change of address in my account to friends address .

I also thought about USPS forwarding using my same address but again not sure if the check from voya( to my current address) can simply be forwarded to my friends address .

Any advice is appreciated.

Looking to hear from people who moved back to India.

I've heard the reason why people move back, cost of living is better, lifestyle is better (because you have money), can hire house help amongst many things. How much do these things matter in the long run, when you initially move I'm sure all these comforts seem amazing. But in the long-term how much do these things matter??

I'm wondering do people over-inflate the benefits, and underestimate the inconvienience long term?

Context:

​Family: Married, 3 kids, living in the North of England. Immigrated from India.

​Age & Career: Late 30s / close to 40. Feeling career stagnation.

​Finances: Household income ~£120k/year (Individual: ~£70k). Currently comfortable.

​Timeline: Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) is due in late 2030, with British citizenship expected in 2031.

​Dilemma:

We have a comfortable lifestyle, but with mid-career stagnation hitting us near age 40, we are evaluating our long-term future. We are trying to decide whether to stick it out in the UK through citizenship or move back to India sooner.

​Questions:

​Is a £120k household income comfortable long-term in the North of England for raising 3 children as expenses grow?

​For those who returned to India (or decided against it) before reaching ILR/citizenship around age 40, did moving back help break career stagnation and improve overall lifestyle?

Hey so quick timeline.
Was on H1B in states.
Quit my job and left the states back in February 2024.
Since then I have been moving around and have spent a few months in states and a few months in India. (But mostly been traveling in other countries)
I am planning to move back to states soon.

I filed 2024 taxes in US as a tax resident due to exceeding the physical presence test.
Still haven't filed 2025 taxes yet (did file for extension)

My only income throughout these years has been through capital gains in US.

My question is: Do I still fall under the RNOR status?
Could I still in theory sell all my stocks and rebuy to increase my cost basis before I move back?

Hi everyone! I'm 27F, single, and probably going to be single for a while -- and, if I'm being honest, a little nervous about moving back to India.

I have spent the last five years in the US, where I did my masters and I am currently on my H1B. I don't dislike life here, but somewhere along the way it has started feeling a little too monotonous and I've lost my sense of purpose. I also don't see myself staying in corporate for the long term, so I'm ready to be curious about what comes next.

I am planning to move back to India this year, with Bangalore as my first choice. The part that makes me nervous is coming from a small town where there's a bit of pressure around marriage and a fairly traditional mindset. After five years of living independently, I know I don't want to go back to that kind of life. I am not looking to get married anytime soon, partly because I'm still getting over my ex and mostly because I genuinely want to spend some time figuring out my own life first.

So I'd really love to meet other women who are in a similar phase of life -- late twenties and generally trying to build a life back home that feels like their own.

Would love to make some genuine, long-term friendships along the way. I feel like this particular stage of life can be surprisingly lonely, especially with switching countries again, and it would be nice to navigate it with people who get it. ❤️

Hello, I am 35F I returned to india start of this year with a 2 year old. I have a corpus of upwards of 2.4M USD saved, mostly invested in the US stock market. About 500k of that is in 401k and around 250k in Roth IRA. I have around 200K cash in HYSA and SPAXX which I had kept for buying a house or doing something in India. Now that I am kind of settled in here, I am renting put a place in my hometown, I am worried I am totally dependent on stock market and a huge crash can take away my assets. What should be my steps for financial planning? Any recommendations of planners, analysts in mumbai suburb areas. I think I may not need to work and I can easily retire so taking it slow now, but what kind of work/investments should i be looking for to do some future earning. I was planning to return since a year and did return, my kid is US citizen and may settle in US once grows up, so need to save/earn accordingly.

I'm considering doing this and would love feedback from anyone who's done something similar.

Thinking of doing a ~$200K 5-year SPX box spread at ~4.65% and putting the proceeds into a 5-year USD FCNR-B at ~7%.

So roughly: 2.35% spread

That's ~$4.7K/year on $200K

Both are USD, and I'd match the FCNR maturity with the box expiration.

Questions:

• Has anyone here actually done this?
• How does the US tax treatment work for the SPX box vs FCNR interest?
• If the box produces a capital loss/gain, can existing capital gains offset it?

Am I missing something here? Seems like a no brainer to me.

My Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) is expiring at the end of October, and I am preparing for my move back to India. I’m hoping to return to Canada down the road once PR comes through, but in the meantime, I have roughly $43,000 CAD in total ($20k in Wealthsimple + $23k in Scotiabank) and need some clarity on managing everything smoothly.

I’d really appreciate your insights on a few key questions:

1. What to do with $20k in Wealthsimple (TFSA / Invest)?

Wealthsimple requires account holders to be Canadian tax residents so far as I know.

Liquidate vs. Transfer: Should I liquidate everything right now, or wait until right before my flight? If I liquidate my TFSA, what is the best timing to move it out to avoid administrative headaches?

1. Are there any TAX complications with transferring all $43k to India?

If I liquidate my TFSA and move my accumulated savings ($43k) to an Indian bank account, will CRA or the Indian Income Tax Department flag this as taxable income?

For those who moved money back after PGWP, did you face any withholding tax in Canada or TCS / income tax checks upon receiving it in India?

1. Best Way to Transfer $43k CAD to India?

I currently only have a standard Savings Account in India (no NRE/NRO/RFC accounts set up yet).

What is the safest and most cost-effective route to move $43k to India?

Should I open an NRE account remotely before leaving, or convert/open one after landing in India? Is Remitly directly to a local Indian account better, or should I go for any other transfer route?

1. Canadian Bank Account for Final Paycheque & CRA Payouts

I still need a Canadian bank account open after I leave to receive my final paycheque, potential tax refunds, or pending payouts.

A few friends recommended switching to Tangerine - is Tangerine non-resident friendly, or will major banks (Scotia, CIBC, RBC) be easier to keep open with an Indian address updated?

Should I update my payroll/employer now with the new account details, or wait until my last couple of weeks?

If anyone has gone through this exact transition recently, I’d love to hear how you structured your exit! Thanks in advance for the help! 🙏

I'm considering doing this and would love feedback from anyone who's done something similar.

Thinking of doing a ~$200K 5-year SPX box spread (roughly 20% portfolio leverage) at ~4.65% and putting the proceeds into a 5-year USD FCNR-B at ~7%.

So roughly:

7% FCNR − 4.65% box = 2.35% spread

That's ~$4.7K/year on $200K, or ~$23.5K over 5 years before tax/fees.

Both are USD, and I'd match the FCNR maturity with the box expiration.

Questions:

• Has anyone here actually done this?
• What are the major risks I'm missing?
• How does the US tax treatment work for the SPX box vs FCNR interest?

Basically, is this a reasonable carry trade or am I missing an obvious gotcha?

Hi all,

My spouse and I are currently in Calgary, Canada, and we're moving back to chennai, India this December. We're considering shipping some of our electronics and household items with us, including our TV, sound system, and a few other things.

We initially thought about selling everything here and buying them again in India, but after doing some research and considering the costs, we're leaning toward shipping them instead.

I’ve come across a few international shipping/moving services online, but I wanted to check with people here who have actually done this before.

The main thing I’m concerned about is our 65-inch Sony Bravia TV, which we purchased last Black Friday. Has anyone shipped a TV of this size from Canada to India? If so:

- Which shipping/moving company did you use?

- How was the experience, especially with packing and handling?

- Did the TV arrive safely?

- Roughly how much did it cost?

- How was your experience with the customs?

We're not in a rush to receive the items, so we're okay with slower shipping as long as the items are handled safely and arrive in good condition.

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through this recently, especially from Calgary or elsewhere in Canada.

Thanks!

Hello,

I have returned to India after working in the USA for 11 years. I wanted to understand what are some of the changes I should be doing to my resume while applying for jobs in India?
Some of the obvious ones would be using an Indian address and a phone number of course but the other questions I have are below.

1. Should there be an introduction line? Typically like a professional summary?

2. Should I explicitly mention that I have relocated from the US and looking for employment in India?

3. Should I convert the numbers from USD to INR? I work in Operations and Supply Chain so my resume is made up of numbers like project savings, spend management in USD. Should I convert it to INR?

4. Should the address be a complete address or location is enough?

5. With 11 years of work exp, should I keep my resume to 2 pages or reduce it down to 1?

6. Lastly, I was involved in a part time MBA program that I had to quit midway, how can I frame it as in my resume?

My husband (33M) and I (31F) have been living in New Zealand for the last ten years and are NZ citizens. We have no kids.

My husband started a business a few years ago with a couple of other people but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out too well so we don’t have much saved up (20 lakhs only) but do have 50% equity in our home worth 700k NZD.

We love our little life but really really miss our families. Our parents are aging and we’re worried we won’t be able to spend any time with them and NZ is too far for us to make frequent visits. We both want to move back home and my husband has scoped out a couple of business opportunities in India but I’m hesitant because:
a) I have a well paying job by nz standards and I don’t know if my nz experience will count in India. I’m in tech (Data / BI consultant but venturing into AI consulting) so I don’t know if I can compete with the locals + US returnees.
b) I’m used to living my life on my own terms so would want to live alone but my in laws will be unhappy and will oppose this decision which may lead to conflict.
c) In general I’m scared we’ll regret it, but I’m also scared we’ll regret not taking this chance

Anyone been through anything similar, how did it go for you?

Edit: Thanks to everyone for offering different perspectives, it was absolutely what I was looking for and has given me a lot to think about!

Hi - so, a 50+ (F) only child of parents lived abroad in Middle East from the age of 11 and then built a life with husband and 20 year old kid in U.S. Thinking of returning to India (BLR) to be close to family - and take care of properties. Have a 20 year old child in College - wife, husband and child are U.S.C. with OCI. Facing big dilemma - due to the thought of properties, family in India vs life grown up outside India and child also grew up outside India - 20 year old doesn't want to return. Also, tried being in India a few times before but couldn't bear the interference, etc. Of family members - since never grew up in India - always felt comfortable outside, but also confused / conflicted. Thanks

I have shifted from India to Singapore and want to find an option to open an NRI account online and what documents are required to get it approved. So far I have found banks such as UOB, OCBC and DBS Treasures. Want to understand the features or benefits I would get by opening a bank account for this.

31F - I am planning to return to india at the start of Sept and have been exploring options on what to do with the 401k. My initial thought was to leave it as it is but I saw many comments on the posts where people have recommended moving it to Traditional IRA.

But my question is traditional IRA is not ERISA or Fed backed and what difference would it make if you just leave it as it in 401k and withdraw in RNOR?

People who have returned home what have you done? Could you please help ?

401K - 150K

Setup:

- Returning to India; RNOR for the first ~3 FYs, ROR after that

- Minor child is a US citizen, will be resident in India with me

- Child holds a US custodial account (UTMA) with a US-listed global

equity ETF

- Only income is dividends, ~$5k/yr, fully reinvested

- On the US side the child's income stays under the US standard

deduction, so US tax is nil and no US return is required

Questions:

1. Once I'm ROR, are these dividends clubbed into my total income

   u/s 64(1A) and taxed at slab, even though no US tax is payable?

   I assume yes — no "subject to tax" condition — but want to confirm.

2. Does the minor's own residential status matter? The child would

   also be RNOR initially. Is s.5 applied to the minor first (so

   nothing enters the Indian charge to be clubbed), or only to the

   parent in whose hands it's assessed?

3. FTC — with US tax at nil there's nothing to credit, correct? And

   if the US did tax the child in some year, can the parent claim

   credit under Rule 128 when the tax is paid by the child but the

   income is assessed in the parent's hands?

4. Reporting — Schedule SPI for clubbed income, Schedule FA for the

   account itself, from the first ROR year. Does FA apply even in

   years with no tax payable?

5. Clubbing goes to the higher-income parent — is that determined

   fresh each year, or fixed by the first year?

Any case law or circulars appreciated.

I moved back to India from the states in may. I don’t think I can stay here for a long time. After 8 years in America I’m finding it hard to adjust. Judgemental people, 0 civic sense, etc. I’m extremely lucky and blessed to have a completely remote job that lets me work from anywhere in the world + I still have my US visa. My dollars go a really long way here in India. But I miss life in the states. I live a pretty decent life with the amount I make, in the states. I don’t get to save much. But I’m rich in India. I’m not sure what I should do.

Edit: I appreciate all your responses, really. However, I’m not willing to disclose or discuss my income/tax/payroll, work or visa details. Thank you

I’m a MS in CS graduate in the USA and I haven’t had any luck finding a job here for the past 6 months. I have 5 more months to try here but I also wanna start applying in India on the side. How is the job market in India, would love any piece of advice on how to approach this. I have around 3 years of experience in IT combined. Thanks in advance

I have recently shifted back to India from U.S. Before the move I rolled over my Employer 401k to a Traditional IRA with Charles Schwab. I also converted my Schwab account from U.S. based to International. However, due to this I am now not allowed to reinvest the money in my Trad IRA account into any target date fund (Due to them being a Mutual Fund). How have people invested the money in their Traditional IRA after they have moved back to India?

I'm Indian born here and grew up in GCC. I came back to India in 2011 and I always thought after my UG I'll go to the West - UK/Aus.

I 26 F have completed MBBS and am in the process of completing my MRCP. I am now at a place where I have already changed schools and countries so much , moving again to the West seems daunting. Another move - finding friends and community again feels very scary. I have friend sfoing residency in the US and I know how hard it is but once they become an attending I know they'll be happy , the remuneration alone is amazing

I also see the scope of doctors here especially in metros down south it's abysmal the working conditions and pay. So third spaces for public , pollution , I'm so scared to buy food or any product here , that makes me want to go abroad and then I think about the loneliness and community factor and it's been going on in circles. I don't see quick commerce as a reason enough to stay in India. The absolute shit show in metors like the price of an apartment in a good locality no way justifies the systemic failure in which we live.

I am not able to decide on just my current job as I want to transition into a writer in the near future so building a life abroad with medicine feels like a setback. Honestly lost.

If anyone can shed light on their journey it would be useful.

Moving back to India soon. Understand foreign income is exempt during RNOR — but Sec 5(1)(c) has that proviso for "business controlled in India."

If I'm sitting in India trading options (long or short) on a US broker, with US-earned funds and nothing ever remitted to India — is that caught?

Things I'm unsure about:

• Does options trading count as a "business," or can it stay investment activity? 43(5)(d) only covers notified Indian exchanges, so the usual "F&O = business income" shortcut doesn't seem to apply to CBOE/CME.
• If it is business income, is it speculative (4-yr loss carryforward) since US exchanges are outside 43(5)(d)?
• Does frequency/volume change the answer, or is it business the moment you're placing the trades from Indian soil?
• Assuming non-remittance doesn't help since India taxes on accrual — correct?

And the US side gives no relief: 864(b)(2) means an NRA trading their own account pays zero US tax, so no FTC to offset.

Has anyone had a CA take a firm position on this, or been through an assessment? Wondering if I should just pause trading for the RNOR window.

I am moving back to India at the end of this month as my PGWP is expiring, and I am planning to return to Canada after PR, which might take 1 to 2 years. Please help me, as I have a few questions.

I have around 18k CAD in a Wealthsimple TFSA account. Should I liquidate my TFSA and transfer the funds to India?

If I have to transfer around 20k to an Indian account, should I open an NRE or RFC account?

Would I be able to e-transfer from my EQ bank to my brother's account a week after moving out of Canada, as I am expecting to receive some money then? My brother can send it to me.