Indians stand out because the grabbers of the biggest chunk of international visas on this planet. College students and professionals line up for US, UK, Canada, Australia and Germany visas at embassies to check in one of the best faculties and for profitable jobs. This 12 months, we now have roughly 1.8 million Indian college students finding out overseas and a scholar spending of some $80 billion.
Visas aren’t simply journey paperwork — they’re gateways to alternative. Our poor spend lakhs on brokers who assist them get visas for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman the place they may work as labourers. 13 million Indian nationals are already working there. There’s a complete cottage trade that helps them get there legally or barely legally, usually fabricating paperwork, concocting references, and sprucing up their English language abilities.
We’re deft at negotiating visas with international heads of state. In addition they know that nothing pleases Indians greater than the “visa cushion”. Indian diplomats have responded gallantly to our insatiable urge for food for visas and achieved nice success on this regard. Each second bureaucrat’s kids are finding out overseas and diplomats who’re posted overseas love to go away their children behind to finish their research and begin their lives anew. Visas are a matter of proper for us, contemplating the variety of prime brains mendacity idle in our nation and simply numerous consulates with wistful eyes. One of many many necessary concerns in backing Kamala Harris or Donald Trump within the impending US elections is the variety of visas every is predicted to announce after taking up.
The German Chancellor visiting India introduced a file annual consumption of 90,000 Indian expert employees as a substitute of the hitherto measly 20,000. One other milestone was achieved with the issuance of the highest-ever variety of 1,40,000 scholar visas by the US consulates in 2023, together with over 3,80,000 employment visas. This 12 months, until June, the earlier excessive mark has additionally been breached. College students, professionals and the center class — all wish to migrate to a white nation which is wealthy and salubrious. Come September, there’s a regular outflow of the brightest college students from India to numerous US universities.
Those that are capable of, revoke their citizenship to settle overseas. In 2022, 2,25,620 Indians relinquished their citizenship. In 2023, it got here down marginally to 2,16,219. In distinction, 1,000 immigrants are granted citizenship per 12 months, most of them from Pakistan. Many professionals are transferring their base to the UAE to keep away from taxes and hassles with the federal government.
The final class wishing to to migrate are these with extremist political concepts and people with out visas. Since Khalistan as an thought finds few takers in Punjab, they search islands of assist in Canada, the US and the UK ostensibly as asylum seekers. A number of days again, a plane-load of unlawful immigrants from India was returned by the US authorities. Muslim refugees from war-torn zones of the world additionally wish to reside in first-world international locations.
It’s disconcerting to see this migration, although it varieties a really small share of our inhabitants. Nonetheless, research present that India loses round 0.5 per cent of its GDP yearly as a result of this migration. They go for higher schooling, jobs, salaries, surroundings, ease of enterprise and dwelling. It hurts as a result of among the greatest minds, entrepreneurs, medical doctors, engineers and scientists are leaving India and we’d like them right here badly. Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” of labour going to the very best payer continues unabated.
When a rustic with the fourth-largest financial system loses its greatest expertise, it’s time to get up. Superstar stars of cricket and cinema giving pleasure to the general public can rightfully earn many crores a 12 months. However a prime nuclear scientist, mathematician, engineer, physician or economist can add larger worth and wealth to the nation. Why can’t we predict out of the field to maintain them right here? Allocate a separate funds simply to pay them stupendous quantities and supply one of the best services. Why can’t we now have reservation for the highest-paid greatest jobs for our brightest? We could also be feeding the biggest variety of poor on this planet free however larger recognition on the world stage will solely come after we win extra Nobels, Olympic medals, Pulitzers, Oscars, Grammies and awards in all different fields. To be a superpower, India wants its greatest expertise at residence.
The author is a former Central Info Commissioner and a retired IPS officer who served as Secretary, Safety, and Particular Director, Intelligence Bureau. Views are private
