Expat News

Delegates of Indian Diaspora Arrive In India To Celebrate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Over 3,000 delegates from across 70 countries have arrived in Odisha, India. Christine Carla Kangaloo, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the Chief Guest of the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD). Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (Consular Passport, Visa, and Overseas Indian Affairs) said: "We have ministerial level delegations from Mauritius, Malaysia and South Africa. There will be a big delegation of diaspora from several other countries, including from Malaysia, Mauritius, Oman, Qatar, the UAE, the UK and the US”The Indian diaspora has an important role to play in the vision of Viksit Bharat. It acts as a living bridge between their motherland and their adopted homeland. 

Countries Where Most Indian Expats Live

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) has estimated that there were 281 million Indian international migrants, which accounted for about 3.5% of the global population, which is an increase from 2.8% in 2000. Notably, India is the origin of the largest number of international migrants in the world,  touching nearly 18 million, according to the UN World Migration Report 2024. As of May 2024, the total number of overseas Indians worldwide is around 35.42 million, which includes about 15.85 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and nearly 19.57 million Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). The US is home to the largest Indian population in the world, totalling 5.4 million people. Moreover, Southeast and Southwest Asian countries, such as Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Singapore boast some of the largest Indian populations globally. Countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait attract a substantial number of Indian migrants, due to their favourable investment and government policies for hiring skilled workers. Asia-Pacific countries, including Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Australia and Singapore are also home to large Indian populations, driven by economic and educational opportunities.

Dubai-Based Expat To Be Honoured By Indian President

A Dubai-based Indian businessman is to be honoured by the Indian President Droupadi Murmu with the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. Ramakrishnan Sivaswamy Iyer, chairman of the Transworld Group of Companies, a shipping firm, is the winner of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) 2025. Fondly known as "Ramesh," Iyer is among the 27 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), or an institution established and run by the NRIs or PIOs who are being recognised for outstanding achievements both in India and abroad as part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention. Iyer is considered for the 2025 PBSA for his contributions in the business sector.

Expats Require Biometrics To Exit Kuwait

Expatriates who have not carried out the compulsory biometric registration will not be able to leave the country, an interior ministry officer of Kuwait said. Speaking to Kuwait Radio, First Lieutenant Talal Al-Khaledi of the Criminal Evidence Department said that a "block" has been placed against the names of expats who have not submitted their biometric data, which means they cannot leave the country. The ministry has also suspended bank accounts and all transactions of some 280,000 Kuwaitis, expats and bedouins, or stateless people, who have not registered their biometrics. He said that as many as 3.5 million people have submitted their biometric data.