Rising Trend: More Gujaratis Renounce Indian Citizenship In 2024 (Photo @desichad1)
Following the previous years’ trend, individuals from Gujarat are increasingly renouncing their Indian citizenship in 2024. Reflecting the emerging tendency of Gujaratis, data from the Regional Passport Office, which handles Gujarat excluding the south Gujarat Surat, Navsari, Valsad and Narmada, showed that by early May 2024, a total of 244 persons surrendered Indian citizenship, which is notably above the cumulative total of 2022.
In 2023, a total of 485 people had renounced their country’s passport, showing the rising trend of people leaving the state to settle on foreign shores. According to the officials, most of those renouncing Indian citizenship are aged between 30 and 45, and most of them are settling in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, Times of India reports.
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Official government data in 2023 showed that around 22,000 individuals from Gujarat surrendered their Indian citizenship between 2014-22. The data was revealed when the External Affairs Department, responding to an inquiry from an MP in Rajya Sabha, provided the statistics regarding the issue.
The data had showed that Delhi topped the list of passport surrenders, with 60,414 individuals relinquishing their passports during the 2014-22 period. Gujarat was recorded third in the country, following Delhi and Punjab with 28,117 people renouncers of Indian passports.
The Suring cases of students who go to foreign countries for studies and then settle there are the major contributors to the trend, according to a senior official.
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The officer says many businessmen are moving abroad for better infrastructure and quality of life, adding that even those with high living standards in India want to move due to issues such as the lack of green spaces, poor driving conditions. “Cities in Gujarat including Ahmadabad are not pedestrian-friendly,” the media house quoted the senior officer.
A passport consultant from the state expects the number to significantly increases by 2028, noting that more people who moved abroad are now obtaining foreign citizenship.
