A surge in Indian professionals returning from the United States gathered pace last year, driven by job insecurity under U.S. President Donald Trump’s second-term immigration crackdown, executives at search and recruitment firms said.
Tech workers dominate the “reverse brain drain,” but mid- and senior-level executives from consumer sectors are also heading home in greater numbers due to tighter H-1B and L-1 visa rules, the executives told Reuters. Most returnees held non-immigrant visas and earned $150,000-$400,000 annually in the U.S.
More than a dozen CXOs from consumer tech firms have taken senior India roles, one search firm executive said. A packaged foods multinational CXO, who spent a decade in the U.S., returned last September despite prior lucrative India offers.
India’s booming job market – in the world’s fastest-growing major economy – acts as a pull factor. Returnees are landing positions in global capability centres (GCCs), semiconductors, electric vehicles, startups, conglomerates and tech consulting, experts said. Layoff-hit tech workers often accept pay cuts.
“We have observed a meaningful increase in NRIs considering India-based roles across pharma, healthcare, finance, supply chain and tech,” Sonal Agrawal, managing partner at Accord India, told Reuters. Previously driven by family ties, 2025 returns accelerated due to U.S. immigration friction and layoffs, she added, citing a GCC hiring boom.
Ratna Gupta, senior partner at ABC Consultants, noted a sharp rise in U.S.-based senior Indian managers exploring or executing returns.
The trend underscores shifting global talent flows as India’s tech and manufacturing sectors expand amid U.S. policy shifts.
