1.63 lakh Indians relinquished citizenship in 2021; US top destination

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As many as 1.63 lakh Indian citizens relinquished their citizenship last year, with nearly half of these taking up citizenship in the US, according to a parliamentary response by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

In all, 3.93 lakh Indians have renounced citizenship between 2019 and 2021. As many as 1.44 lakh Indians gave up their citizenship in 2019, and another 85,256 in 2020, the response which cited details provided by the Ministry of External Affairs, said.

Most Indians who gave up their citizenship in 2021 received citizenship from the US (78,284), followed by Australia (23,533), Canada (21,597), the UK (14,637), Italy (5,986), New Zealand (2,643) and the city-state of Singapore (2,516).

The US is the top destination for Indians who renounce their citizenship, according to data for the last three years.

India does not offer dual citizenship so people seeking citizenship in other countries must give up their Indian passport. However, Indians who renounce citizenship can still apply for an Overseas Citizen of India card, which gives them the benefit of residing and even running a business in India.

The number of Indians renouncing citizenship for greener pastures has been steadily rising, apart from the fall in 2020, which was likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2018, 1.35 lakh Indians gave up their Indian passports, higher than 1.33 lakh in 2017. The year 2016 saw 1.42 lakh Indians relinquish citizenship, following 1.31 lakh in 2015, according to earlier parliamentary responses.

According to the Expat Insider 2021 survey by InterNations, 59 percent of Indians working abroad relocated for their career — a much higher share than the global average, which is 47 percent. Close to one-quarter found a job on their own, 19 percent were recruited internationally, and 14 percent were sent by their employer. Just three percent moved abroad to start their own business, which is still a slightly higher share than the global average of 2 percent.

Indian expats working abroad average 38.7 years, which is about four years younger than the global average of 43.1. The gender split among them is very uneven: 81 percent are men versus 53 percent globally, while just 19 percent are women versus 46 percent globally.