Stricter United States immigration rules around the H-1B visa are pushing wealthy Indians to seek second residency abroad, with Europe emerging as their preferred "Plan B", according to a News18 report.

The H-1B programme, the main US work visa route for skilled foreign professionals, has long been the backbone of Indian professionals' presence in the American technology sector. Indians receive the large majority of H-1B visas issued each year, and any change to the programme's rules directly affects hundreds of thousands of Indian workers and their families.

The News18 report identifies two forces driving the shift. First, tighter and less predictable US immigration rules have increased uncertainty for Indian professionals already in the United States and for those planning to move there. Long waits for green cards, which for Indian nationals can stretch for decades due to per-country caps, compound that uncertainty. Second, high-net-worth Indians increasingly view a second residency not as a relocation plan but as an insurance policy — a way to secure travel freedom, business flexibility and educational options for their children regardless of what happens to their US status.

Europe has become the leading destination for this backup planning. Several European countries offer residency programmes that suit wealthy applicants: investment-linked "golden visa" schemes, self-funded residency routes and fast-track options for entrepreneurs. These programmes typically grant residency in exchange for qualifying investment, real estate purchase or demonstrated passive income, and several allow a path to permanent residence and citizenship after a set number of years.

For rich Indians, the appeal of a European residency is practical. It provides visa-free access across the Schengen Area, a stable base for international business, and access to European schools and universities. Unlike the H-1B route, which ties a worker to a specific employer and leaves them dependent on annual visa lotteries and processing approvals, a residency-by-investment status does not depend on an American employer's sponsorship or on Washington's political climate.

The trend also reflects a broader change in how affluent Indian families plan their mobility. A second residency once signalled emigration; today it functions more like a hedging instrument. Families keep their primary life and business in India, maintain US career ties where possible, and hold a European residency card as protection against adverse policy changes in either country.

The report does not suggest that Indian professionals are abandoning the H-1B route en masse. The United States remains a top destination for Indian talent, and demand for H-1B visas continues to exceed the annual cap. What has changed is behaviour at the top of the wealth distribution: those who can afford alternative residency options are buying them, while continuing to pursue or hold US work authorisation.

Immigration policy analysts note that this pattern tends to intensify whenever US rules tighten, and ease when the system becomes more predictable. Applicants considering any residency or citizenship-by-investment programme should verify current requirements, investment thresholds and processing times with the official government portal of the destination country, because European golden visa programmes have themselves faced scrutiny and, in some cases, restriction or closure in recent years.