When 25-year-old Kishore (name changed) from Thrissur left for the UK in 2021 to pursue international business management at Teesside University, the path seemed clear as many of his peers had taken it after Covid. He financed his studies with a loan from a local cooperative bank and worked part-time in Middlesbrough to start repaying it. But changing immigration rules, including a higher salary threshold for work visas, meant the desired career never materialised. He returned to Kerala a year ago, barely a month before his visa expired.
Although Malayali students continue to migrate for education and post-study work, a growing number is now returning with stories that sharply contrast with the dream they left home chasing. A report prepared by LinkedIn for the state govt says that Kerala’s professional talent pool has grown by 172% over the last five years. Govt officials attribute it to reverse migration of skilled professionals from abroad.
TOI, while talking to some of the returnees, has found that a mix of changing immigration policies, geopolitical conflicts, unrealistic promises by education agencies, mounting education loans and loneliness among other reasons forced them to come back. Some have set their sights on Gulf countries while several others plan to rebuild their careers in Kerala, saying they would rather stay in the state if the pay is decent.
Two years of prior experience as a medical representative helped Kishore secure a job at a US-based pharmaceutical company on his return recently. Even so, he continues to repay Rs 25,000 as EMI towards his education loan. “I realised it was not worth waiting there any longer,” Kishore said. He believes he was fortunate to have gained work experience before going abroad, unlike many who return with foreign degrees but struggle to find jobs because employers often do not place much value on their qualifications alone.
Karun Santhosh, who moved to the UK for a one-year master’s course, said he had hoped to build a career there after graduating. While studying, he worked part-time at a bakery and a warehouse to support himself. But during his stay, a change in immigration rules upset his plans. “I was hoping to complete my studies and get a work visa, but by the time I finished my course, it was no longer possible,” he said. Santhosh said many of his friends had already come back to Kerala while others were searching for jobs in Gulf countries. He believes many returnees prefer to stay in Kerala if they get a reasonable salary.“To build a life here, youngsters need decent pay though not on a par with the Western standards,” said Santhosh.
The post-Covid period, between 2021 and 2025, saw a surge in young Keralites moving abroad, often with less preparation but driven more by a belief that better opportunities awaited them. Peer pressure prompted Karan, 24, from Kozhikode to take such a decision and migrate to Singapore. He enrolled for a three-year diploma course in mechatronics, but the experience did not match his expectations. He eventually returned to Kerala, completed his BA in economics from a state university and is now preparing for competitive examinations for govt jobs.“When everyone of my age tried to move abroad, I too felt like going. I didn’t know what to expect,” Karan said. Having never stayed away from home before, he found it difficult to adapt to Singapore life. “Everything was new to me. I experienced a culture shock and realised it wasn’t a country where I wanted to live,” he said.Several returnees also allege that agencies facilitating overseas education do not often realistically paint the picture of life abroad and instead promise easy access to jobs and long-term settlement.
Many students who returned to Kerala and struggle to rebuild their careers say they are now left dealing with the burden of education loans, after being lured by big promises. Binoy Peter of Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID) said that the growing xenophobia around the globe is likely to make visa rules stringent in various nations, triggering large-scale reverse migration of youth in the near future, especially those who migrated abroad for education.“The unexpected return takes a severe mental toll on students. They also face societal pressure and could lose self-confidence. Only those students with strong support from family are staying back in Kerala,” said Peter. He said overseas life helps a youngster learn the positive aspects of a foreign society which could be brought to Kerala. “When a youth goes abroad, they are exposed to several positive aspects of society. We call it social remittances. We need to leverage them by channelising the students and make them enterprising for the state’s development. Currently, Kerala doesn’t have such an enabling environment,” said Peter.
Geopolitical conflicts also forced some students to abandon their plans abroad. Rahul (name changed), who went to Ukraine in 2018 to study medicine, had to leave that country in 2022 owing to the Russia-Ukraine war. After applying to more than 100 universities, he finally secured admission at a Serbian university which agreed to recognise the credits he had earned in Ukraine.“I was forced to move to Serbia because of the war. It was difficult to find a university willing to accept my previous grades,” Rahul said. He hoped to build a career there, but language barriers and limited opportunities in the country’s healthcare sector changed his plans. “I realised Serbia wasn’t an ideal place for me to work, so I decided to return to Kerala,” he said.
Not all returnees came back because they struggled abroad. Savina Poojary, 36, from Thrissur, who did her master’s in intercultural communication at Royal Roads University, lived in Canada for nine years after marriage. She worked at a private firm, bought a house there and kind of settled, but found it increasingly difficult after becoming a mother of two in the absence of parents.“Finding a job was never the difficult part. The biggest challenge was being away from our parents,” she said. She recalled that when her father-in-law died, the family’s inability to make the 25-hour journey in time for the funeral became a turning point. “It was an eye-opener for us,” she said. After returning to Kerala, she says life has become easier with family support and affordable healthcare. “Here, I don’t have to think twice before taking my children to a hospital. The healthcare system is strong, and it doesn’t break the bank,” she said.
Higher education minister Roji M John said the state govt had not yet done a comprehensive assessment of students who have returned to Kerala from abroad but acknowledged that such an exercise was necessary.“The challenge is that govt does not have reliable data on how many students have gone abroad or returned to Kerala. We need to maintain such records,” he said.The minister also said govt was aware of fraudulent student recruitment agencies operating in the state.“Many students are losing money after falling for unrealistic promises by fraudulent agencies. Govt will take whatever legal action is possible against such agencies. We will examine whether new legislation is needed to regulate them,” he said.
