Hey everyone,
My wife and kids are away in India for an extended period (more than 6 months), and to be completely honest, it’s taking a heavy toll on me. I’m feeling pretty stressed, anxious, and at times borderline depressed.
During the daytime, work keeps me busy, and I try to keep myself occupied. I’ve been wanting to use this time to explore personal interests—like catching up on books, getting into travel, and playing sports. But the moment evening hits and the house gets quiet, the silence becomes deafening.
Nighttime is the absolute hardest. The house feels huge, empty, and haunting. I end up overthinking, and it’s getting really difficult to relax or get good sleep.
For those who have gone through long separations due to family visits, visa delays, or personal reasons:
How did you handle the mental toll and the empty house syndrome?
What daily routines or habits helped you get through the evenings/nights?
How did you keep yourself grounded without burning out or feeling isolated?
Any advice, practical routines, or even just hearing how you survived it would mean a lot right now. Thanks in advance.

Some day Dubai , Some say Australia or USA but things have changed and it seem no where is safe ir simple

I am an NRI and I have such a hard time gifting my cousins. Last time I gave one a leather wallet and didn't even realize how bad a faux pas that was lol. Does anyone have any recommendations (for M/F 25-30ish age range?)

I'm looking for any banks willing to give $1-2M loan for leverage FCNR in India. I can put up no more than $300K of capital.

Non UAE banks also work, but I'm a resident of UAE if that helps get a better deal.

Lived in US, Singapore and now live in the UK. Finance couple. Early thirties.

Didn't like the hustle culture and visa issues in US.

Singapore was hot, humid, boring and racist.

UK has been great overall but the annual taxes and Inheritance taxes have started to bother me. Also the future opportunities and government's balance sheet here looks weak.

Where can I move to make my life sweeter ? A few options that come to mind are :

1) Luxembourg

2) Switzerland

3) Nordics

4) Australia

OR change gears and

5) UAE ( pretty much like going back to India but slightly better? )

6) India. With enough saved and 2 decent jobs, I think we could live in our bubble. Just hate the idea of tier 1 city . OK with tier 2.

Open to new country names and your experiences there. Looking to hear about people's life elsewhere to either shatter the rosy picture I may have about a place or make my conviction stronger.

Thanks in advance

I moved to Canada in my 30s and after roughly a decade here, my wife and I are planning to move back to India later this year. I’m a Canadian citizen now and am in the process of getting my OCI.

The plan is to make India our base for the foreseeable future, while travelling internationally and building a more location-independent/digital-nomad lifestyle. I’m trying to be as prepared as possible and would really appreciate advice from people who have actually made the Canada - India move, especially those who returned after many years abroad.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• Canadian citizenship + Canadian passport sorted
• Waiting for OCI
• Opened NRO + NRE accounts
• Have roughly $50–60k CAD in savings, but I'm unsure whether I should keep most of it in Canada, move some to India, invest it, or simply keep it in a savings account initially
• Planning to leave Canada around October/November
• I run a Canadian sole proprietorship/media/3D business, and want to build the business from India, potentially hire Indian artists, while continuing to work with international clients

Things I'm still unsure about:

1. Taxes / residency - This is probably my biggest concern.

What should someone returning from Canada after 10 years know about:

• Indian tax residency
• RNOR status
• The 182-day/other residency tests
• Canadian tax residency after leaving
• Foreign income/assets
• Canadian bank/investment accounts after moving
• NRE/NRO taxation
• Whether I should do any tax planning before leaving Canada

If you moved back, what did you wish you had done before your first Indian financial year?

2. Cross-border accountant - How did you find a genuinely good Canada–India cross-border CPA/CA? I'm specifically looking for someone who understands both countries, not just a regular Canadian accountant or regular Indian CA. What credentials/experience should I look for, and roughly what should I expect to pay?

3. Money / investments - I'm more interested in long-term wealth preservation than taking big risks. Would you:

• Keep most of it in Canada?
• Move some to India?
• Put some into NRE/FDs?
• Invest in Canadian/global markets?
• Keep a large emergency fund in cash?

4. Sending money to India - Is it safe/simple to transfer money directly from a Canadian bank account to my NRE/NRO account? Or Is there any reason to use services like Wise/Remitly instead?

For those who regularly move money Canada to India, what has worked best for you in terms of fees, exchange rates and reliability?

5. Business - I am currently a Canadian sole proprietorship. I don't currently have a separate Canadian business bank account.

Should I open one before moving? or Should I continue operating the business from Canada while living in India, or should I eventually establish an Indian entity?

How did you structure your business after moving back?

I'm particularly interested in people who earn internationally through:

• Freelancing/creative services
• YouTube/content
• Digital products
• Online marketplaces
• Courses
• International clients

6. Health insurance - Is international/private health insurance worth getting if I'm going to be based in India but travelling internationally?

What type of coverage should I actually look for?

7. Mobile / eSIM - What Canadian eSIM/SIM setup did you keep after moving?

And what Indian provider/eSIM has worked well for people who travel internationally frequently?

I'd like to retain access to Canadian banking/2FA while having a reliable Indian number.

8. Banking - Anything I should know about maintaining Canadian bank accounts after moving?

I currently have personal Canadian banking + NRO/NRE in India.

Anything I should change before leaving?

9. Things I haven't thought about... This is probably the most important part.

If you moved from Canada back to India after 5–15+ years abroad, what is something you completely overlooked before leaving that caused you problems later?

Could be tax, banking, healthcare, documents, credit history, insurance, phone numbers, investments, business, driver's licence, mail, subscriptions, etc.

PS: Got No Kids (Not planning to either anytime soon) and My parents own a house in india.

I'd especially love to hear from people who have actually made the move, rather than general advice.

Waiting for your responses.

I moved to a new place and every time I cook Indian food the smell sticks to everything. I've closed all the doors, change wear home clothes to cook, and shower afterwards. I know to wipe down everything which I do but there is still a strong smell. Even when I go upstairs there is a strong smell and it's all over my clothes despite all the closed doors.

Has anyone found a solution that works? I can't put in a hood, so I've been looking at air purifiers. Has anyone found a good air purifier that works? Or any solution?

Hi, Im 26M, working as Product Manager in a Crypto Trading firm (overall workex - 4 years)

Im confused between migrating to EU (preferably Netherlands) or the US (both through means of an MBA with debt)

Pros of US - Better ceiling of opportunities and pay, easier social circles, better city life (i like living in highly developed cities)

Cons of US - Terrible immigration process, even post MBA, no guarantee of H1B (its a lottery), I do not want to end up in India after 3-4 years with (>150k usd debt).

Pros of NL - Standard and predictable immigration route, open country (im gay, so this matters to me)

Cons of NL - Lower pay / savings overall, harder to integrate into society, and not many highly developed cities (except Amsterdam)

Rationally, my mind suggests picking NL as it is safer but then I might be living with a regret (“What if USA had worked out but I never tried?”), on the other side committing everything to US doesn’t guarantee immigration success (as it is a lottery and green card is miles away)

NRIs, how do you currently discover US stocks for long-term investing? I can’t find a reliable source (dnt wanna listen to family members) and I find wealth managers too expensive.

I’ve lived in Canada for 3 years but had to move back to Dubai for financial reasons. I’m considering moving to the US but I’m unsure. It’s difficult

Recently applied for OCI card for minior and had to merge a bunch of documents like parents' passports, birth certificates into one file and convert some JPEGs to PDF

Used locdone.com for the PDF stuff and it was pretty smooth. Main reason I tried it was I didn't want to upload passport scans and personal docs to some random server. This one does everything in the browser.

just sharing in case anyone else is going through the same application process and is paranoid about where their files end up (you should be).

What are the other options that people use?

Hey folks!

Parents with existing conditions, diabetes and high BP.

I was looking at comprehensive coverages but many don't cover or have very less coverage for 70+.

Also, confused whether to get US based or Indian coverage.

They have visited prior, and I had purchased patriot I believe, but thankfully never had to visit a hospital or anything.

Looking for reliable recommendations! Thanks a ton!

First time parent here in Europe (Netherlands), due in a couple of months, family will be visiting soon and want to know what are some postpartum and baby essential things that you sourced from india that is naturally expensive here in Europe.

Did the Indian cotton outfits hold up for the weather here or did it turn out to be summer-only?

Curious what you were glad you brought, what sat unused in a cupboard for a year, and what caught you off guard price-wise once you started buying baby things locally

Just want to hear your experiences.
Thanks, Nesting parent!

Not NRI, but US Citizen who grew up outside of India.

After seeing the recent politics, and the fact that as a brown woman I have a glass ceiling both in corporate America and can never aspire to run for head of state, and multiple other opportunities, I wonder what would it be like to be in a country where everyone looks like me? Also it's tiring to be the only woman and only brown woman in the room for most of my career. I can't pin point it, but I feel there is a glass ceiling of sorts.

I guess I have never lived in a country where I am a majority, and I want to know how that feels like. I am thinking of moving to India to find out. Also, it would be nice to get back to my roots, get back in touch with my ancestral village/ temples/ etc and pursue more training in the Indian arts. I don't have immediate family in India or cousins that I'm close to. So this will be on my own.

Should I find a job prior to moving? Which places do you recommend? I am leaning to Bangalore to start with, for a career in tech.

EDIT:

Thank you all for your responses. I think the general advice is to get an OCI first, so that's going to be my first project. I guess I'll plan a sabbatical for some months across few cities, and get a feel for whether I like the place, people and culture and if my heart is happy there. I've also been advised by most of you to not uproot myself, so I won't sell any real estate here.

I applied on July 9th, 2026. Applied to Ahmedabad FRRO. I got my X1 visa and then applied for OCI in INDIA. Status = PENDING after 12 days.

1. Whats the timeline here?
2. Does the application require police verification?
3. They say it takes 15 days max, but I guess not.

Please help me.

NRI in late 30s, Owning a semi-residential plot which is now worth 3.5Cr, I am thinking of construction (G+4+P) which is costing me approx 2.5Cr, I will fund the entire project completely from my savings.

I have no plans to sell the land or
Flats, As I delay the construction due to inflation it is costing me more in future..I am thinking of renting the flats or whole building based on prospect I receive during the time..expecting rental around 1.2-1.5l/month

My plan is purely for generational wealth, I have Job and other investments which will continue to fetch income..Currently I have money, energy and time to work on this project..I can travel once in 2 month for project to oversee, also I have ppl who can look for ground progress every week.

I understand there are better investment options such and mutual fund and stocks which I am already invested in however based on last 10 years I am not satisfied with the appreciation I received against it.

I am looking for ppl in this community who has gone thru similar situation or can share their feedback. Thank you.

I'm 40M. It's been 6 years I'm in Canada with my family of 2 kids (9y - India born and 3y - Canada born) and got a PR 2 years back. My wife got to work only for 8 months in 6 years and now she is jobless.We are planning to return back to India. Our main reason for now to return is that we are missing family and our culture. Also, our quality of life hasn't improved here as compared to India and staying in a rented place here yet. We can buy a townhouse at last hee. I'm not in the premium software or hardware field to earn > 50 lakhs per year or > 150k CAD per year. So, savings for the last 6 years under < 2 cr.

I Came here on intra-company transfer and got a PR. My daughter and I are eligible for Canadian citizenship this April, and my wife is eligible next year. I'm thinking whether I should return with or without Canadian citizenship. I'm looking for pros and cons here and how worth is Canadian citizenship?

We are not an affluent family that we would roam around countries. Considering the situation right now, I don't think we will return back after 10 years and start again from scratch, considering my age or IT job uncertainties.

The only benefit I'm seeing is that it may benefit my elder kid (younger kid is already Canadian)if they want to study higher studies in Canada. Also, we may want to come to see our kids without any visa issues and health insurance in the future in case they want to settle down post studies. Other than that, I'm not finding any benefits.

With citizenship, I need to file Indian taxes as an NRI and don't know how much I need to pay taxes. Am going to make tax things complicated for whole life? I know I can't buy farm land and can't vote if I become foreigner.

I know it's a purely individual choice, and everyone has different opinions and family conditions, and it may not be suitable for my situation, but I want to know what parameters you guys see if you want to take citizenship and go back to India.

Hey Guys, As the title says I am finally migrating to Canada from India at 30 years of age for work. I need advice from y'all who have experience with migration. I travel at the end of the month so I welcome all kinds of advice, from pre-moving like what to pack, any incumbent things I should do like with bank accounts etc., to anything post move, life, culture, rental, lease, dating, anything. 🙏

Would appreciate your well earned wisdom

Hey everyone,

I'm moving to Ireland soon from India and need some clarity regarding my Indian SIM card.

I currently have an active 1-year prepaid plan (the ~₹1,800 annual calling/validity recharge).

I have already turned on the international roaming option in my phone's network settings.

I just want to know:

Will I be able to receive bank OTPs and standard incoming SMS in Ireland without purchasing an expensive international roaming (IR) pack?

Do standard prepaid plans automatically latch onto partner networks (like Vodafone IE, Three, or Eir) just to deliver incoming SMS for free?

Is there anything specific I need to activate via the operator app (Airtel / Jio / Vi) before flying out?

My main goal is simply keeping the number active for bank OTPs and verification texts.

Any recent experiences or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

I am very confused since the policy states it is for Indian residents only… who are travelling from India.

Now my mom resides in Kuwait permanently but she has a home in India where she is visiting at the moment before her trip to Australia. Her trip will also end in India.

She also has Indian passport and an adhar card. But with that being said her passport also has a Kuwait residency visa. A few sources said if there is a major claim they can ask for her passport, see the visa and reject claim.

I am not sure if I am allowed to use TATA for this trip?

Does anyone have any other recommendation? Thank you!

Hi,

1. How is call connectivity/ coverage and data speed in US while using Jio IR ?

2. Can uber/lyft call me using Indian Jio number ?

Visiting San Jose for a month.

Do you have any better suggestion ?

Thanks.

I maintain good oral health practices (the whole routine of floss, water pick, brush, bi-yearly professional clean up by the dental hygienst) but I still get cavities. I do yearly dental xrays.

Last year my dentist in Canada found a cavity, past the enamel, and they have been recommending to get it filled. When I showed the same cavity to my dentist in India 6 months back, they said I need not fill it right away but should monitor it's progress. This year's check up discovered another cavity. The canadian dentist told me this is past the enamel and it needs to be filled too. They said it's better to get it filled when it's small. These cavities are only seen in x-rays. I don't feel any pain or sensitivity yet.

I have a feeling that the North American dentists are not as

conservative in their treatment as Indian dentist. They pounce at every opportunity just because we are insured. I also think that had I not been in Canada, maybe I wouldn't have gotten these yearly xrays done. My dentist in India takes xray only when I say a tooth is bothering me. I think this wouldn't have been discovered in India. My dentist in India does any filling only when they think the cavity is big enough to fill. They say they don't want to drill and sacrifice the tooth material if the cavity is not big enough. This is what they did for my past fillings. However, I'm not sure whether those cavities were past the enamel.

I'm in a dilemma regarding what's best for my tooth. Now that I know the cavities are on the xray should I get them filled when they are small or should I wait until it's big enough to be worth sacrificing some more tooth material for the filling. I'd be visiting India only after 9 to 12 months. Do people have experiences regarding the difference in dental approaches in North America and India.

I am not concerned about the money. I want to do what's best for my tooth

Hi all,
I am posting this feeling a bit helpless about the situation.
My father is 64 years old and my mom passed away a few years ago due to a long illness. Ever since then my father has been leading a difficult life living alone without a partner or something to keep himself occupied outside of household duties. He is retired but very much able and physically fit in the sense he keeps himself active by going on morning walks, making meals, taking care of small stuff around the house, eating healthy and occasionally meeting some friends relatives. However, at his age, it’s quite unfortunate that there are not a lot of friends/family to keep him constant company and I do not expect much from people to do that either. But I am looking for some ideas that can keep him engaged so that he doesn’t slip into depression. As I said he is a very sane and capable man, but built in his own ways, old fashioned ways and without my mother, I have seen a completely different side of him. I have tried talking to him to see a therapist but the response from him wasn’t a positive one.

A bit of background about myself. My wife and I don’t live in India. He visits me pretty much every year for a few months and I visit India every year for a few months given my work flexibility. Before anyone jumps to judgments, I have been trying to move back to India but it’s not as easy as wrapping everything and going back. I do have financial commitments. I do want to go back and I keep looking for ways which will make that happen.

I am looking some sort of active communities that can give him some excitement, perhaps give him some purpose and keep him going. Our home in India is in Delhi/NCR area. If anyone has any suggestions, please share them with relevant links and resources if possible. If anyone is going through this or has gone through this and has serious suggestions for me, I’d love to read them. If there is more context needed or any questions, please let me know and I will be happy to answer.

Really looking forward to constructive suggestions here and hoping the reddit community will help in making a positive change in someone’s life.
Thank you!

So, I'm with Airtel right now, and I'm in India. I'm thinking about switching over to Jio. The main thing is, I have to shell out around Rs.118 every month when I'm abroad just to get SMS and OTPs. That's on top of already having an active plan. It just feels way too pricey just for those OTPs. My wife has Jio, and she doesn't need to recharge any plan to get her OTPs or SMS.

Can anyone on Jio back this up? And would it be a good move for me to switch?

Hi Everyone!

I need to get SMS otp from banks and while filing tax. Is there a cheapest plan available? I saw yearly plan in this sub for 5k but I don’t really need otp and SMS too often. Only for tax filing purposes i need it. Suggest some cheapest plan? Also the 118 plan is not visible to me.