Brain Drain Score: Should You Move Abroad from India in 2026?
“Should I move abroad?” is one of the biggest decisions an ambitious Indian makes — and it is usually made on emotion and Instagram highlights rather than numbers. The reality is more sober: the US H1B is a 14% lottery, and even a big salary abroad can take years to pay off once you count what you leave behind. The Brain Drain Score forces the honest maths.
This guide breaks down visa odds, PPP salary gains and the real cost of leaving. Run your own numbers with the Brain Drain Score Calculator.
Two Questions That Decide It
Moving abroad hinges on two questions: can you get in, and does it pay off? The first is about visa odds, which vary enormously by country and depend on your age, English and skills. The second is financial — the abroad salary premium, minus relocation, minus ongoing costs like supporting parents back home. Both need honest numbers, not best-case fantasies.
The common mistake is fixating on the headline foreign salary while ignoring the visa probability and the real, ongoing costs of distance. A 3× salary means little if the visa never comes through, or if half the gain flows back home.
The Calculation
Visa Odds & Break-Even
Abroad CTC (PPP) = India CTC × country salary premium
Net annual gain = (Abroad − India) − parent support cost
Break-even years = relocation cost ÷ net annual gain
US H1B lottery success ≈ 14% · UAE work visa ≈ 78%
How to read it: the visa score tells you the realistic chance of getting in; the break-even tells you how many years abroad it takes to recover the move financially. A high salary premium and a shorter break-even make the case strong — but only if the visa probability is reasonable for your profile.
Visa Approval Rates — The Landscape
| Country | Route | Approx. Approval |
|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇪 UAE | Work Visa | ~78% |
| 🇬🇧 UK | Skilled Worker | ~58% |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | Employment Pass | ~55% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Express Entry (PR) | ~23% |
| 🇺🇸 USA | H1B lottery | ~14% |
The salary premiums flip the order: the US offers around 3.5× PPP for engineers versus 1.8× for the UAE. High reward often comes with the hardest visa — which is exactly the trade-off the score makes explicit.
Real Examples
Example 1 — Aditya, 28, engineer, targets Canada
Young, fluent, with 5 years’ experience, his visa score is strong. With a ~2.1× PPP premium and modest parent support, his break-even lands around 3-4 years — a reasonable case if PR comes through.
Example 2 — The parent-support factor
Supporting parents in India at ₹15,000/month is ₹1.8 lakh a year off the net gain. For lower-premium destinations, this alone can push break-even from 3 years to 6 — the cost people most often forget.
Common Mistakes
- Mistake: Fixating on the foreign salary → Better: Multiply it by the realistic visa probability first.
- Mistake: Ignoring parent support and remittances → Better: Subtract ongoing home costs from the gain.
- Mistake: Assuming the US is the goal → Better: A 14% lottery may make points-based routes more sensible.
- Mistake: Treating it as purely financial → Better: Family, healthcare and belonging carry real weight too.
Tips
- Weigh visa odds and break-even with the Brain Drain Score Calculator.
- See how your income already ranks globally with the Global Income Rank.
- Compare career benchmarks first with the Career Progress Score.
- Explore all decision tools at the Where Do I Stand hub.
Get Your Brain Drain Score — Free
Enter your profile and target country to see visa odds, PPP salary gain and financial break-even. Honest numbers, instant and free.
Open Brain Drain Score →Frequently Asked Questions
This article is for educational purposes only and is not immigration or financial advice. Visa odds and salary premiums are rough averages from IRCC, USCIS, IMF and other public sources; your real outcome depends on scores, employer and policy changes. Read the full disclaimer →