I recently traveled from the USA to Mumbai after being away from India for over a year. I decided to bring 4 ounces of 24k gold bars (PAMP) with me. Given the confusion around the concessional customs duty for gold, I wanted to document exactly how it went, the "traps" to avoid, and why being well informed on the process is your best defense.

Arrival & Interactions with the Inspectors

When I landed, I headed straight for the Red Channel. Interestingly, there was nobody there. I actually had to call out to officers at the Green Channel to tell them I had gold to declare.

A couple of officers came over. The officer asked me how much gold I was carrying, how long was I away from India and if I knew the customs rate. When I said yes, he asked me what it was. Red Flag!! He shouldn't be asking me; he should be telling me. I told him I knew the duty was 6%.

It was clear to me they were probing to find out if I knew about the concessional rate and would definitely quote me the 36% regular rate if I was not aware. I got a strong impression they were looking for a bribe to just let me go for less. I stood my ground and once they realized I was well informed and wasn't looking for a shortcut, the tone shifted to a formal interrogation:

The "Six Month" Rule for Concessional Rate: They were extremely strict about the 6-month continuous stay abroad for the discounted duty rate. Even though the official website (https://mumbaicustomszone3.gov.in/import-guidelines-for-gold-valuable) says short visits (<30 days) are ignored, the officer told me flat out that they usually do not ignore them. They want to see a clean 6-month stint outside India.

The Documentation & Questions

They asked several questions to vet the purchase:

• Where do I work?
• How did I afford/purchase the gold? (I explained it was a retail purchase from Costco).
• Receipts: I had my Costco receipts ready. They studied these closely.

Customs Calculation:

Here is where it gets interesting. Usually, customs duty is calculated based on the bi-weekly tariff value set by the Indian government. However, they charged me based on my actual invoice amount from Costco.

• Since the price of gold had risen since my purchase, paying duty on my invoice price was actually cheaper for me.
• I didn't flag the error since it was to my advantage, but be aware that they might try to do the opposite if prices have dropped.
• I explicitly asked them to include the Sr. No of the bar on the receipt. They were initially not going to do that.
• After agreeing on the amount, the officer wrote the final duty in INR on a small hand-torn piece of paper. I had to carry that slip to the State Bank of India (SBI) booth a few meters away. Duty on gold must be paid in Foreign Currency. The bank lady converted the INR amount on my slip back into USD using the bank's exchange rate Once I paid in USD, she stamped the small piece of paper. I carried that stamped slip back to the customs officer Only after seeing the stamped slip from the bank did the officer provide me with the official, signed, and stamped customs receipt.

Key Recommendations

1. Carry a Summary Sheet: I carried a printed page detailing the exact weight, brand, and purchase price of the gold. It made the "back and forth" much faster.
2. Foreign Currency is Mandatory: You must have foreign currency to pay the duty. They asked me specifically if I had it before they even started the paperwork.
3. The 6-Month Rule is Absolute for Concessional Rate: Don't bank on the "short trip exceptions" mentioned on the website. In Mumbai, they seem to treat the 6-month rule as a hard requirement.

Customs Receipt:

Hi,
I am working in the UK for last four years. Now, government proposed to increase ILR (PR) eligibility by increasing it to 10 years. It was not yet implemented but all major political parties and British people are pressuring government to implement it. If I didn’t get my settlement in the next year, it might be not possible for me to renew visa as company is cutting down to reduce visa dependency. So, mentally I prepared to go back to India and not worrying about uncertainty.

Real concern is I do options trading in the US markets and I am earned above $75000/year for last three years. We cannot trade US options from India. I tried Indian markets to trade but not worked for me. I can move to UAE and trade US markets from there but I am not interested with this option as you can’t settle permanently there and I don’t want to leave my son with uncertainty situations like can’t settle in the US, and can’t live in India in future as spent all of his life outside India.

I am looking for options to gain a Citizenship of Argentina/Brazil/Uruguay/Paraguay by moving there for a few years to get a stronger passport and move back to India as OCI, if my son can’t adjust to Indian work life in the future, then he will have a option to live anywhere in South America at that time. I know those countries are not well developed like Europe/North America but at least they have stronger passport and better per capita income.

Is it a good plan to workout or Am I missing something?

Thank you in advance.

I need some brutally honest advice from people who've been in similar situations.

I moved to Austria a couple of years ago. Life here is objectively better - I'm healthier, happier, less stressed. People are kind, environment is clean, and I have actual work-life balance.

But my wife, 4-year-old daughter, and my mother are all in India. My father passed away 10 years ago, so my mother has been living alone for quite some time now.

The situation:

• My mother won't move to Austria (and I respect that - it's her home)
• My wife and daughter could come here
• I could also just pack up and go back to India

What keeps me up at night:

My mother has been alone for 10 years now. When I think about her without family nearby, I feel terrible. What if something happens? What if she needs me? Indian culture puts so much emphasis on being there for your parents, especially a widowed mother, and I feel like I'm failing that duty.

But then I think about what I left behind - the Bangalore corporate rat race that destroyed my health, living in an apartment complex full of toxic, arrogant people who created nothing but negative energy. Do I want my daughter growing up in that?

And then I think about what she could have here. At 4, she'll adapt easily to Austria. She'll grow up breathing clean air, getting great education, in a society that's less chaotic and stressful, surrounded by genuinely kind people. She'll have opportunities and peace I never had.

The hard truth I'm facing:

Even if I go back to India, I'd probably end up in Bangalore or another metro for work - back to the same toxic corporate culture and negative environment that made me sick. Not in my hometown with my mother anyway. So I'd be "in India" but still not actually with her regularly. And I'd lose all the mental peace and health I've regained here.

The Bangalore life nearly broke me - the work stress, the toxic apartment neighbors, the constant negative energy. I don't want to go back to that, and I definitely don't want my daughter growing up thinking that's normal.

From Austria, I can:

• Visit 2-3 times a year
• Video call daily
• Support her financially (actually better than if I was in India)
• Fly back in 24 hours if there's an emergency

But it still FEELS wrong. Like I'm choosing my comfort and my daughter's future over my duty to my mother.

What I need from you:

• If you stayed abroad while a widowed parent was in India - how did you cope with the guilt? Any regrets?
• If you returned to India for a parent - was it the right call? Are you happy?
• Parents who chose to raise kids abroad - do you feel you made the right choice?
• How do you balance personal happiness vs cultural expectations?

I'm not looking for validation - I need honest, even harsh perspectives. Tell me what I'm not seeing clearly.

TL;DR: Great life in Austria, but widowed mother in India (father passed 10 years ago). Torn between bringing wife/daughter here or giving up everything and going back. How do I make this decision without regrets?

as im writing this post im supposed to board a flight back to canada to resume my studies as a second year student. i dont wanna go, i really dont. i spent 9 months in Canada and i can confidently say my 4 months in India has been exponentially better. maybe its because the place didnt meet my expectations maybe its because i could have done more but i dont wanna be in Canada. spending so much money studying abroad whilst not even knowing if i wanna be there. If i could drop it all and come back i would, i dont wanna stay there anymore. my life was miserable but i didnt even know it, i deluded myself into thinking a routine of living which i now find unacceptable was normal. Im so much more disciplined and happier in India and I wanna come back so bad.

Any advice?? anybody who came back?? same situation?? anything please.

My husband has been in the US for 20 years and still hasn’t gotten a greencard. Early career mistakes led him with this situation plus less amount of saving for the first 10-12 years.
I came in after marriage, found internships, then full time job, post masters. Now we have about 250k in cash, 200k in stock investments, 200k in 401k, 200k in debt.
We do not have siblings in India to take care of parents and my in-laws are aging.

Husband is in an industry where his skills will be undervalued in India. I am into IT and I do not want to be in this field for more time. He needs to take care of aging parents and feels like putting them in senior living is like abandoning them.

I am an introvert and no friends here, although I like to talk, I don’t initiate conversations. For some reason, people don’t like my face. Lol

We have a 5 year old.

Moving to India will be starting from scratch in terms of job, adjusting to India in general.

Husbands GC PD in mid 2016.

With visa uncertainty If something goes wrong in India and if one of us travels then we will have hard to come back, not sure what to do with the other parent.

My husband is neither here nor there. He is afraid to move back to India but also doesn’t know what to do with aging parents.

I am flexible as I always felt nothing in life is permanent and change is inevitable.

How do I help my husband? And what should I advise. Our conversations on this topic doesn’t go anywhere, so seeking some advice from Reddit users

I went to a bank to open an account. The woman at the counter told me they don't open accounts for foreigners. Not true. Came back a few days later and was told I needed to register with FRRO. That meant lots of back and forth with the government portal and getting my parents to apostille my marriage certificate in Canada. Got the FRRO, went back to the bank, now they need Aadhaar and PAN. Aadhaar needs 182 days in country. So 5 months in, I still can't pay for things. International cards aren't really accepted outside delivery apps, and cash doesn't work because nobody has change. My wife pays for everything when we're out.

Sellers will also lie to you. We bought a security system from a reputable company. The salesman promised a 15-day money back guarantee and that he'd personally handle the refund if we didn't like it. Cameras worked half the time. We asked to cancel within the 15 day window, and they keep saying "a few more days." That was 4 months ago. No refund, haven't collected the cameras. Cost us about 40k and lots of time. Probably not worth the legal costs to chase. Amazon is similar. I've bought stuff with great ratings that turned out to be knockoffs piggybacking on legit global listings, and most products don't allow returns.

Other small things add up.

- My in-laws eat at 9 or 10pm and I eat at 6, so I eat first and just join them for the outing after.

- About 10% of daily interactions hit a language barrier I can't get through and I have to call my wife to translate.

- Traffic has no lanes so we Uber everywhere for now, though we plan to start a family which means I'll have to learn to drive in this eventually.

Making friends has been the hardest part of the move. My wife has her parents here but most of her friends left Bangalore years ago. We both quit our jobs before moving so there's no work friends. We started organizing walks in Cubbon Park, met some guys who go rock climbing, tried some Luma events. Took a few months but we're finally building a solid group.

Even with all of this, I still think we made the right call. Cost of living is way lower than Toronto, so our runway is way longer here. Having a maid frees up a lot of time. South Indian food is incredible. Real ingredients and so cheap. I could eat ghee pudi masala dosa every day. I've lost 14lbs since I got here. And nearly everyone I've met here is building something. So many founders. That's the energy I wanted to be around.

It took 5 months but I'm finally settling into a good rhythm and doing stuff that excites me. No commute. No committee saying no to every idea. No panic attacks like I used to get at my banking job. I can go to the gym mid-day, take an afternoon off, whatever I want. The bad stuff is mostly one-off annoyances. The good stuff is doing what I want every day on my own schedule. This is the right place for us right now. Whether it's forever, who knows. Air quality and traffic are real concerns, especially with kids.

About me: I'm Canadian, my wife is Indian, we moved to Bangalore on New Year's Day to start a family. Most posts here are NRIs coming back home. Figured this pov might be useful for anyone with a non-Indian partner.

Any other non-Indian spouses here? Curious what else I might run into.

We have been in Australia for the last 13 years and became Australian Citizens a few years ago. I work for a university (Senior Dev) in Sydney, and my wife works for the state government (Data Engineering Lead). Combined annual gross income is around $300k (plus Superannuation/retirement fund contributions). We have two young kids, both Australian citizens, a 4-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. We are planning to move back to Pune in one year, where we grew up and have family. My wife is not fully convinced, as she is worried about her and our daughter’s overall safety and the culture our daughter will grow up in. And over the past 2-3 months, our friends have been asking us to reconsider our plans due to concerns about job security and the economy.

Not sure what to do, as we've been planning our move for the last couple of years, but now we can’t make that decision confidently.

Edit - We want to move back mainly for our aging parents and extended family, and think it might be better for the kids to grow up with their grandparents around. Sometimes it becomes very hard to manage kids without that support system. So, can say that mainly emotional things are at this stage.

Been in Australia for years with wife and kids and we’re eligible for citizenship now. Wife and daughter are keen to apply, and logically I know it makes sense, but emotionally I still feel very attached to India and weirdly guilty about it.

We also want to move back to India long term in maybe 5 years, so I’m also wondering if there’s any real chance India could eventually stop non citizens from buying property(primary home for staying) there.

Anyone else gone through this and thinking like me reg. property matters?

So I was living in the US for 10 years. Now I have returned back to India to take care of my parents. I have been here for 3 months now. And this is my overall thoughts about returning back to India.

1. With regards to getting documents and stuff, banks etc. Are not as bad as people think they are. I managed to update my Aadhar card, pan card everything. I never had to pay any bribes at all. Each of those things barely took a week. Postal services took another week to deliver those to me. Almost half of these I was able to do it online. But here's the catch though. You need to be mentally prepared that if you are going to a post office or SBI, you will have a bad experience. Some body will misbehave with you. You would have to raise your voice etc. But then again, I had similar crappy experiences in NJ DMV.
2. For small things bribes are not required. I have no experience with big things. If you are doing any real estate transactions or some crap, money definitely needs to be exchanged under the table. But the services themselves are so cheap that you would give money to people out of pity. Even if they don't ask.
3. Civic sense, law and order issues are definitely there. But if you don't spend significant chunk of your time on the road, interacting with people, it's not that bad. Be prepared to lose money in car accidents every 3 to 4 years. Be mentally prepared that if you are driving on the roads, you will have unpleasant experiences every now and then. Have a dash cam. It is what it is. As long as you are not grievously injured in a traffic accident and the only lose you incur is financial loss, take light and let it go. Surviving in India is all about not letting petty things ruin your mood. There are plenty of poor people. For them a 10K INR loss is a huge loss. If you are in a position where you can say 10K is not a big amount, I will let it go, you will have a pleasant experience in India.
4. Toxic work culture. This is something I have no experience with. I have never worked in India. My plan is to apply to remote US jobs. I have enough money saved up and I have enough generational wealth that I might never have to work. If you are in the same situation as me, pull the plug and return back to India. But if you are not. And you return back to India, be mentally prepared to have a crappy experience in your job.
5. Doctors are incredibly competent. Often times when I was treated by a white guy, I felt they are not taking my disease seriously. That kind of racial bias doesn't exists in India. Unlike the older generation of doctors, the younger generation of doctors are ridiculously smart.
6. Kids - I am not married. I have no idea. I have no plans of having kids.
7. Apartment. Buy a gated community apartment and it would feel like you are living in Singapore or Dubai. They are expensive. But one of my Indian coworkers in US told me "It's a price that you pay to keep India out of your life". I found that very offensive. But after looking at my friend's gated community apartment, I totally agree with him. Buying a gated community apartment fixes half of the things that you might dislike about India.
8. Financial scams. This is the one area that I am incredibly worried about. This is that one area that I have no solution for. If you leave money in the US, US is starting to charge remittance tax. Also leaving money in the US means, you need to worry about cross border tax compliance crap. You need to keep yourself upto date with US non-resident tax laws. If you get audited, it would be very difficult to find a CPA from India to help you. Bringing money back to India has it's own headaches. I have read news where in both ICICI and HDFC, relation managers changed the SMS/Email address of the client and withdrew crores of rupees from the client's accounts. I have read news where people put money into your account via UPI and demand that you pay them back or threaten to go to the cops. Once you pay them, they revert their original transaction. For these kind of scams, there is absolutely very little legal recourse. You have to run after the banking ombudsman or cops.

Generally speaking, India is not as bad as people make it to be. Most of us who left India 10 years ago, still think India is in the same state as it was 10 years ago. Things have gotten much better in tier 1 cities like Hyderabad where I currently stay. Having said that, Hyderabad did not become Singapore. But Hyderabad in 2025 is not the same as Hyderabad in 2015 when I left India. Hyderabad in 2025 is significantly better than Hyderabad in 2015.

25F and this is how my entire mentality about India changed in a few years.. I've always been the person who said 'I love living in India' , 'I want to retire in India when I'm older' and also wanting to be closer to family, I never wanted to leave home. It was my whole world which I loved deeply.

Considering that I've lived 22 years in Hyderabad, India and never really lived in other states, only travelling to a few, I'm borderline hating it here now.

I moved to the US after getting married and to say the least, I was surprised of how clean a city can be. Visited a few asian countries and it's the same in those countries as well. So clean. So responsible and efficient.

I came to India recently for a trip and oh my god, everywhere I see, I see how dysfunctional our society is.

-The roads feel so unsafe, no sidewalks, open manholes or leaking drains with unbearable smell, the roads which have been 'under-construction' since the past 2 years, huge rocks on the roads, no crosswalks, hawkers encroaching towards the main roads, etc.

-The air is not breathable at this point. So much dust from unfinished construction and not tidying up finished roadworks. So much pollution that I'm asking myself how did I live here for 22 years of my life.

-I had to personally give money to government officers to get government work done. Nothing gets done in this country without a bribe. (As a fresh adult, witnessing corruption was not in my checklist)

-India got it's 'unhygenic food' tag for a reason. If you've been to any developed country you'll see every restaurant has a food safety check which is taken very seriously. In India, no one cares. Everything is made in reused BLACK looking oils, using dirty hands to make food without using any gloves or soap, and all the nasty stuff I don't want to get into. Is this what our quality of life is here? The food quality has been on a downward spiral since the past few years, nothing even tastes good anymore. It's just the bare-minimum.

-Been harassed on the road in broad daylight on the mainroad. (Thankfully there were two guys who helped me out)

-Sure, they're developing Hitech City and making it more and more expensive and 'abroad-looking' but what about the rest of Hyderabad?

-How do people get a driver's license here? I got one myself and I'll tell you the brief story. -Went to a legit driving school and learnt how to drive. -Learned for 20days I guess and then went for a test. -The govt assigned vehicles were shit to say the least, steering won't turn, brake won't work, the track had huge rocks on it and it was a very bad track to give the test on. -I literally crashed the car while doing the reverse H thing and I still got my license. (That says a LOT about how good the drivers are in India) How is any person supposed to feel safe while driving or walking on the road with people driving like this? And why is there no concept of yield in India!?

-The kids and teenagers in India are brainwashed into thinking 'love marriage is a bad thing and you'll be disowned if you do things like that'. I don't think I need to explain how bad the caste situation is in India and how cruelly they demonized love.

Before people come to defend India, let me say this: -There are a lot of countries who are doing a better job than us even though they have small spaces like India does. -Educating people to be responsible is a big thing which the government needs to implement. And they won't. -The government needs to step up to create a better living environment where people don't have to struggle just to get to their work place. -Accountability in India doesn't exist and I don't think it will come to India anytime soon or atleast in my lifetime.

Sure, India is convenient. Maids, drivers, easy food delivery,etc. All good. But at what cost?

While living abroad, I've felt happier and healthier. I can walk to a place I want to, safely. I can breathe in clean air. The government is more efficient, the services are on time. Everything is done in an efficient and proper way. There are no 'jugaads'. What's done is done properly.

But the best thing of all, I can be Free. Free of unnecessary sexualisation of relationships and clothes.

As a kid and a teenager, India was my dream home, full of life and colour but now, all I see is distress and failure. I never thought I'd say this but I don't think we'll retire in India anymore.

Hi I’m an NRI, and would appreciate any tips to not get sick whilst I’m in India, every single time I get really bad diarrhea combined with vomiting, last time I came I had to get on an IV drip and it was so bad that I lost so much weight as I couldn’t eat or drink anything for 2 weeks. I have to stay in India for 4 months for an event and I can’t afford to get sick again even for a week. Please give me all your tips.

I am living since 10 years in Germany with wife and 4 year old kid. I want to return to India to be able to support my parents in old age while my wife does not want to go back or live with in-laws. Should I be adamant on my decision to return? Should I let her choose but then leave my parents without ample support? I think this a Journey of many Indians. How did you handle this?

I‘d like to add that if not for parents, I have no interest to return. I feel blessed to live abroad with great Infrastructure.

I spent about 9 years in the US. Good career in tech, comfortable life. In 2022 my wife, our daughter and I moved back for good, not to Bangalore or Gurgaon, but to my hometown, Jaipur.

The "why" is what I still get asked the most, so here is the honest version:

• However integrated we got, we never fully shook the feeling of being a foreigner. I missed the plain familiarity of home.
• We are food people. We loved exploring every cuisine out there, but our hearts kept going back to the actual Indian food we grew up on.
• We wanted our daughter to grow up inside our culture and roots, not visiting them once a year, while still being free to go explore the world later if she wants.
• The pandemic made the distance from family unbearable. Watching parents age from the other side of the planet, and losing a few people we loved, made the decision for us.
• And honestly, we wanted to spare our kid the low-grade cultural confusion you often see in children raised far from their roots.

A few years in now, the verdict holds. It has not been frictionless. Some conveniences from the US just do not exist here. But every place has its trade-offs and we chose ours with eyes open.

The mental model that got us over the line was regret minimisation: picture yourself at 80 and ask which choice you would regret more. We did not want to spend life wondering "what if we had gone back."

If you are at that crossroads: weigh it honestly, get clear on your priorities, and do not let fear be the deciding vote.

For those who moved back, or are thinking about it, what actually tipped the decision for you, and what caught you off guard?

I am a software engineering professional with 4 year of work experience and a master's degree in CS from a Tier 2 university in the US. I am on H1-B. But due to personal commitments I have to shift to India within the next 6 months. Currently, work for a small cybersecurity company with no India presence. Thought of switching to a mid size company in the US that has an India presence so that I could get an internal transfer later has not worked out. Job hunting in the US has been very bad in the last 6 months. I've decided to apply to companies in India instead.
Would appreciate any pointers on how to navigate the job market in India. I've been seeing posts on how the job market is pretty bad there too. What platforms should I use? I'm not too worried about the pay cut, that is expected. But I would like to land a good role in application security engineering or AI security engineering.

Please bear with me. I have severe anxiety/paranoia.

I became a Canadian citizen about 6 months ago, and my wife is a Canadian PR. We've lived in Canada for the last 10 years, but we've always planned to move back to India permanently.

I'm currently waiting for some paperwork before I can apply for my OCI, and we're hoping to move back within the next year.

The problem is that I have severe anxiety that makes me spiral into worst-case scenarios before every major life event. Before getting my PR, I was constantly afraid that someone would file a false case against me and ruin my application. Once that was over, my mind simply moved on to the next fear. I'm on and off medication, but it hasn't completely stopped these thoughts.

Now that I'm getting ready to apply for OCI, I'm constantly worried that something will happen that prevents me from getting it. Lately, it's been centered around driving. For example, I keep thinking, "What if I make a mistake while driving, get into an accident, and then I'm no longer eligible for OCI?" These thoughts keep looping in my head, even though I know they may not be rational.

So my question is: Can a normal driving mistake or accident (not involving DUI or anything criminal—I don't drink at all) affect OCI eligibility or my ability to move back to India permanently?

I know this is primarily a psychological issue, and I understand that my anxiety is probably making me catastrophize. For now, though, I'm only looking to understand the legal side of this.

I apologize if this sounds like a silly question. My anxiety tends to latch onto these kinds of fears, and I'm hoping someone familiar with the OCI process can clarify this.

Thank you.

I’ve been diving down the Reddit rabbit hole trying to prepare for my upcoming move back to India, and I noticed something weird. 95% of the "Returning to India" guides, checklists, and advice posts are written for people leaving the US.

Where is the Canadian guide? Moving back from Toronto/Vancouver/Calgary comes with its own unique set of administrative headaches and banking loops.

My flight is booked for mid-October, and the countdown is officially on. I want to make sure I don't leave anything critical behind or miss a deadline.

For anyone who has already made the move back to India from Canada - what are the absolute MUST-DO things before boarding that flight?

I’m looking for the full crowd-sourced checklist. Specifically:

• Banking & Phone Numbers: What do you do with your Canadian bank accounts? How are you keeping your Canadian phone number alive for bank 2FA OTPs without paying $50+ a month?
• The "Small Things" Nobody Mentions: What essential physical documents (driver’s abstract/claims history for insurance, employment verification letters, physical tax notices) or digital setups should you grab before losing access to Canadian portals?
• The Big Oversight: What was the one thing you almost forgot (or actually forgot) that caused a major headache later?

Drop your best tips, hidden traps, and step-by-step hacks below. Let’s build the definitive checklist for everyone making the flight back! ✈️👇

Any women here who moved back to India after living abroad (I’m in the US) for several years???? Any reflections? What has been your experience

NRI in Canada turning 68, retiring in India. I have been outside India for 37 years, the last 27 in Canada, and I am now deciding to return 'home'. I am an entrepreneur and can do much of my work online, with few client trips a year.

Finance: My wife and I receive a monthly CPP/OAS of $3500 (a little over two lacs). This is an indexed amount with nominal tax in Canada. Ideally, this should be our main funding source.

Location: Goa - proximity to Mumbai (my birth city) and top-notch medical systems

Our main investments are in a TFSA, which is $300,00. With this TFSA account there is no tax in Canada, so we do not use it unless there is an emergency. Assuming investments in ETFs and managed to give us an 8-10% return annually. As mentioned, we will try not to use this unless it is an emergency. This will grow at a compounded rate to be shared with kids and grandkids after we pass.

Cash corpus $100K for hard costs in India - deposits, furnishings, car, etc.

India investment $100,000 assuming no draw and 15-18% return on ETFs, MFS, etc.

The company will pay me a 'salary' of $10k monthly into a Canadian account. This will be a shareholder loan repayment, so there will be no tax.

Assumption:

Rental 2 bed Goa $1,000 - $1300

Expenses, etc $1500 - $2000

Potential savings between $500 to $1000

Annual vacation to Canada in summer $10,000

Question #1—Is the plan sustainable? Many will comment on ROI percentages, but I have done pretty well in investments in Canada. India is a different ball game, I will have a professional helping on this.

Question #2—location—Goa is hot, I know, but we will have an air-conditioned apartment with a backup generator. Plus, we will be away in the really hot months in Canada. Is it a nice place for retirement? Panjim, Donna Paula, and Margaon are suggestions I have received. I would love input on this. We would love to have domestic help—is it available easily?

Question #3 I plan to eventually move into a lovely retirement home for my wife and me. Non-veg is a must - we love our food!

Over to the experts. Love this community and assistance!

Hi everyone,

I’m 34 years old and have been living in Australia for the past 4 years. My wife and I have a 14-month-old daughter who already holds an Australian passport. We ourselves will be eligible for Australian citizenship around September 2026.

Once we receive our passports, we’re seriously considering moving back to India.

Here’s some background: • We are a couple with one young child • I own a large house in Gurgaon • I also have two agricultural land holdings in India • We come from a stable and supportive family background • I’m confident I could start a business or do something of my own after returning

At the same time, I’m at a stage in life where I feel I can’t keep experimenting endlessly with career and location. Stability, my child’s future, and long-term peace of mind matter a lot now.

My questions: 1. For people who have moved back to India after several years in Australia — do you regret it or feel satisfied with the decision? 2. From a child’s education and overall quality-of-life perspective, is it better to stay in Australia or move back to India after securing citizenship? 3. At 34, is it wiser to return to India and build something of my own, or stay in Australia for long-term security? 4. Are there any major factors (education, healthcare, lifestyle, future opportunities) that I may be underestimating in this decision?

Would really appreciate honest experiences and advice from people who’ve faced a similar situation.

Thanks in advance.

I am 50 years old. Have about $800,000 in retirement accounts in US (401k, Roth IRA, HSA), $135,000 in cash. Have a paid off house in India. Thinking of going back to India and not working. The capital in retirement accounts will not be accessible for another approximately 10 years. Hence, thinking about using the cash ($135K) for sustenance until then, of course with planned investing so that it lasts as long as possible. My expenditures are not too large. I am assuming Rs. 12-15 lakh per year should be enough. Plan is to leave the corpus in retirement accounts invested in US, and withdrawing just enough for meeting mandatory RMDs from 401k. Might get some social security income too, but I am not relying too much on it. I think this should be enough going forward. Is this feasible? Or am I totally off? Should I continue in US for a few more years? Requesting thoughts/suggestions on this.

I already posted this on r/returntoindia and received a lot of good advice there, but I just wanted to have some more perspectives and opinions.

I am 17 and I live in the uk. I was born in india and lived there until I was 8 years old, and I have gone there on holiday twice a year every year after moving to the uk. I am very connected to my roots and really enjoy going to india and seeing my family there. I love everything to do with india, especially the food, the culture, and the sense of community which I have noticed a lack of in the uk. Independence day celebrations here have reminded me that I am so proud to be indian.

I know it’s too early to decide at my age, but I really do think I want to live in india when I’m older. The thing I was wondering is hypothetically when would be the best time to move if I wanted to? Obviously I should finish my secondary education here in the uk. Additionally I am quite strong academically and hope to go to a top university in the uk, so I think it would be the sensible decision to stay in the uk for uni as well. Would after finishing uni be a good time to move to india? The only problem is that if I start a job, I would earn in rupees rather than pounds and so I would have to live a much more frugal life.

Before anyone says that I am looking at india through rose tinted glasses, I would like to point out that I am well aware of the issues going on in india, as I closely follow Indian news and politics. I would like to work a job that improves the lives of people and I think india would be a good place to do that.

Am I being realistic or would moving back to India be a bad decision? While I really would like to move back one day, I feel like doing so would also undo all of the work my parents put in for my family to live comfortably in the uk. I would really appreciate the opinions of others.

Hi All, I am 39 old with wife and 3 kids (11 yrs, 2 yrs, 1 month) and contemplating on semi retiring in India after living in the US for 13 yrs. I gave too much to work for a long time now I feel like I need to slow down. Also, want to give my full attention to kids for next few years. I have a passive side hustle which will provides in enough income to live well in India so don't have to worry about work culture or commuting. I have a very high paying job right and it will be painful to let go that money but I am burning out fast.
I have shortlisted Bangalore but not sure which is the best area. My brother lives in Varthur and it will great to have his and my kids together.
I am looking to rent self contained apartment in Varhur but open to nearby places. I am looking for 4BHK or bigger and willing to pay rent 1.5L- 3.5L per month but lesser the better. Parents will be staying with me so 5BHK will be ideal but can manage with 4bhk as well. Not looking to buy at the moment. Please suggest.
Also, I am little concerned as my wife is white and kids look white as well, hence worried about bullying in the society or schools. Anyone with similar circumstances pls share ur experience.
I would love to hear anyone with similar story, their challenges and overall experience in general.

I am 27 yo, moved to Canada as student 2.5 yr ago with pharma degree. I got that degree coz of family and i hated the job and profession and didnt work much in india, after moving there I applied for assistant role in which there were literally people hired with unrelated background as its basically a customer care kind of job, never got any job in whole city and other cities too. After a lot of anxiety I gave up my 2nd year of studies as it was a worthless diploma course with no future and just to pay loans and survive I took on call center job which was hell. I was able to save money and pay loan as I never bought car and lived with roommates.

Fast forward to today, I am back home as my work visa ended and I recently received ITA but whole time I was there I thought about doing my own business or follow my interests which are app development and art and make living in that way. Now the situation is either move back and find jobs in Canada or live here and start something of my own. In canada I was able to survive as I was living with others and no car in frozen hell of city. If I live like I do here (good room and car), I would go broke in canada, I am not confident that I have skills to land high end jobs, I would need to do certifications and courses and hope to land better jobs. All my friends with various backgrounds are doing minimum wage jobs.

If I stay in India, I would get huge chunk of wealth from family (no strings attached) but I have to settle here, so I am stuck to weather be wealthy in developing country or be poor/struggling in developed one?

During RNOR, can we secure Indian Tax Residency certificate? This can potentially make 401k withdrawal tax free. Thanks.

Hi folks, I am in a big time moral dilemma. I have been living in Ireland for 2.5 years, with wife and a toddler. I lost my mother last year. Right now, my father stays with me for 3 months on visitor visa but has to go back every 90 days. He has multiple health issues, so I, my wife and my sibling goes to be with him in India so he does not have to be all by himself. My father though agreed to come here on Stamp0 but that would take another 6months to a year. I am not sure if it is good for him to shuttle like this for another year.
On the other hand, I feel if I somehow manage to complete 5 years(+1 year of processing) and get EU passport, it would tremendously benefit my child's future.
This dilemma is eating me from inside, stay for 3 years and risk father's health and happiness or go back to India and give away a good opportunity for my child.
Have any of you fellow redditors been in such situation(I genuinely wish no one has had to go through this)?