India: Generational Planning Led by Global Mobility, Education, and Climate

Indian citizens have suffered a dip in their global mobility this year, with India dropping from 80^th to 82^nd place on the Henley Passport Index between January and July. The reality of having visa-free access to just 58 destinations is just one of the reasons driving the significant increase in awareness of and demand for global investment migration opportunities among Indian high-net-worth families. While most of the enquiries Henley & Partners receives from Indian domiciled families are geared towards residence by investment, there has been an uptick in enquiries from Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) interested in citizenship by investment opportunities. And across the spectrum there has been a surge in enquiries specifically about immediate relocation or plan B options.

In addition to having a contingency plan in place and enhancing their visa-free travel, among the key reasons Indian families consider alternative residence and/or citizenship is ease of access to excellent higher education institutions for their children. India’s affluent are not just looking to protect their wealth — they are strategically investing in countries that offer a robust educational infrastructure. For this reason, the programs attracting the most attention in terms of enquiries are those offered by Australia, Austria, Canada, Portugal, and the USA.

Your passport to a world-class degree and more

Indian students constitute the biggest share of those studying internationally in the world after China — with an estimated 1.5 million studying elsewhere. The global education arena offers diverse and enriching opportunities that can significantly enhance a student’s academic and personal growth. Countries with renowned educational institutions, such as Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA are particularly attractive, and these education hotspots also offer investment migration programs. 

The Henley Opportunity Index is a proprietary benchmarking tool that quantifies the impact and probability of success that a premium education coupled with additional residence rights and/or alternative citizenships acquired through investment migration can have on preserving and growing multi-generational wealth. Investors can identify locations that offer the best ecosystems for future generations to maximize their career prospects and prosperity.

Furthermore, through Henley & Partners Education services, high-net-worth Indian investors have a unique opportunity to ensure their children receive the best education that not only enhances their global mobility but also provides access to international networks and worldwide career opportunities. The flexible residence rights acquired via investment migration programs facilitate ease of access to leading universities in different countries. 

Yet education is only the beginning: second passports and multiple residence rights can be a gateway to varied business cultures, funding ecosystems, and innovation hubs necessary for young entrepreneurs to truly thrive internationally. Multiple credentials together with the expanded personal access rights they secure enable them to unlock a world of opportunities.

USA the top choice

As per recent market statistics, the USA is the country that attracts the highest number of Indian students globally. Likewise, the US EB-5 Immigration Investor Program is a popular choice among Indian investors, who rank 3^rd globally (after China and Vietnam) in terms of the number of visas issued to date in 2024. A significant underlying motivator for wealthy Indian parents whose children aspire to attend prestigious universities is to secure a future without visa complexities after they graduate. 

Consider an Indian high-net-worth investor securing their child access to an Ivy League US college. The four-year degree could cost USD 250,000. But graduating with permanent residence rights in the USA multiplies career upside, given that America’s median salaries are 32 times higher than India’s, and tech sector equity compensation potential is exponentially greater in Silicon Valley. 

Gaining US work rights via the US EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program requires an investment of USD 800,000. Compared to the lifetime earning potential for the family and future generations, that is an insignificant investment in residence and, potentially, citizenship privileges for capitalizing on the American Dream. The power of education and expanded access is clear.

For the same reason, we are seeing an increase in enquiries regarding investment migration programs in Australia, Canada, the UK, and Europe — destinations where many Indian students pursue higher education. 

Climate crisis a growing driver

Climate change and global warming are among the most significant challenges the world faces today. North India has seen unprecedented heatwaves this year, with temperatures in many places exceeding 50⁰ C during the day and not cooling sufficiently at night, to the detriment of the population. This raises the question of whether major cities in India such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore will be livable in next 10 years. 

Since mid-2024 we have seen a spike in enquiries from high-net-worth Indian families who cite climate risk as one of the key factors for evaluating investment migration options as a back-up plan, and while it remains to be seen if this trend continues, it is most likely given that these extreme heatwaves are occurring more frequently, lasting longer, and becoming hotter each year.

Henley & Partners’ Investment Migration Climate Resilience Index, released two years ago, was the first-of-its-kind metric for those in the market for an alternative residence or supplementary citizenship. The interactive tool enables you to assess your country’s climate resilience and explore the residence and citizenship by investment program options available in order to make strategic, data-driven choices about where best to live, study, conduct business, invest, and retire, providing a trusted mechanism for accessing more climate resilient locations — one that should become a part of every investor’s long-term asset location strategy.

The surge in investment migration among Indian high-net-worth individuals is a clear indicator of the country’s evolving economic landscape and the changing aspirations of its wealthy citizens. According to the Henley Private Wealth Migration Dashboard, India experienced wealth growth of 85% between 2013 and 2023. As the economy continues to grow and create more high-net-worth individuals, the demand for strategic residence and citizenship planning is set to rise, reflecting the global aspirations and forward-thinking mindset of modern Indian investors.