- Arshiya Mahajan has returned to India after four years in the UK.
- She has started a new job in Bengaluru.
- Visa paperwork and immigration timelines added to her concerns.
- She said she was increasingly living from one pay cheque to the next.
- She stressed that returning to India was not a failure.
Moving abroad can bring career opportunities, independence and the chance to experience a different culture. But for some Indians living overseas, the practical realities can become difficult to manage over time.
Arshiya Mahajan, who spent four years in the UK, has shared her experience of returning to India and explained the reasons behind her decision. She has now started a new job in Bengaluru. Her post on X has drawn attention from others who have also lived abroad and eventually returned.
Mahajan said living abroad had never been a lifelong ambition, but she was grateful for what the experience gave her. She travelled extensively, met people from different parts of the world, became more independent and developed professionally.
However, she said the experience became increasingly difficult during her final months in the UK.
Visa and financial pressure
Mahajan said much of her final eight months was spent worrying about visa paperwork, rental issues, immigration timelines, money and what would happen as friends moved away.
She also described growing financial pressure. She said she was increasingly living from one pay cheque to the next and sometimes needed help from her family.
"I was living increasingly paycheck to paycheck, occasionally needing my family to help me out, while simultaneously trying to convince myself that I was “doing fine," she wrote.
The combination of financial, professional and personal concerns eventually made her question whether remaining in the UK was still the right choice.
She wrote, "But somewhere along the way, staying started becoming more about maintaining a life than actually living one."
Mahajan also described the mental strain of constantly managing these issues.
"I realised how much of my mental bandwidth was going towards simply keeping the machinery of my life running."
Returning to India was not a failure
Mahajan said she eventually began assessing her situation from different perspectives, including her finances, career, social life and mental well-being.
The question was no longer simply whether she could continue living in the UK. She began asking whether doing so still made sense for her.
"So I came home," she wrote.
Her decision does not mean she considers her years in the UK unsuccessful. Mahajan said the country gave her valuable experiences and helped her grow personally and professionally.
"The UK gave me a lot," she said, while reflecting on the travel, independence and professional growth she experienced.
She also acknowledged that returning home has not removed every doubt. She said being back in India has been good so far, but she is still processing the decision and expects there will be moments when she wonders whether she made the right choice.
Her post sparks a wider conversation
Mahajan's experience struck a chord with people who have also returned to India after spending years overseas.
One person commented, "Similar story here, came back from New York in 2021."
Another wrote, "Just moved back after living 14 years in the US. Loving it."
A third person said, "Hey! Really good decision. I think most people stay stuck rather than admitting they're not happy with the choice they made. I've seen plenty of people come back for a variety of reasons including me and previously my parents too,"
Mahajan's post also comes as immigration uncertainty remains an important consideration for Indians living abroad. Her account does not suggest that everyone should return to India, but instead highlights the very personal calculations involved in deciding whether an overseas life remains sustainable.
She wrote, "I think we need to talk a lot more honestly about the darker side of living away from home."
For Mahajan, returning to India appears to be less about giving up on an overseas dream and more about deciding what kind of life works for her now.
