U
S President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to end automatic birthright citizenship for children of non-permanent residents. This move may encourage Indians to return home and invest in real estate, particularly in tech hubs like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, and Chennai. Sandeep Reddy, co-founder at Propstack and Zapkey, believes this policy shift will be positive for Indian real estate, as it may lead to a surge in investments from NRIs who have been earning money abroad.
Ravi Shankar Singh, managing director of Residential Transaction Services, Colliers India, notes that the change has created apprehension among resident Indians. However, experts say there's no need for worry, as buying and selling real estate in the US doesn't require citizenship. Recent trends show NRIs have been investing in residential properties back home due to various reasons, including wanting to be closer to their roots.
Manjesh S Rao, Chief Real Estate Officer at BrokerInBlue, says 8-9 out of 10 clients anticipate buying an apartment in cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad after returning from the US. Kiran Kumar, vice president of Hanu Reddy Realty, adds that some Indians want to return to their cultural roots while others want to use their dollars to buy luxury properties.
However, legal experts believe this may not lead to a significant increase in property investments back home. Avnish Sharma, Partner at Khaitan & Co, thinks it may push more H1-B visa holders to consider investing in India as a safety net. As per statista.com, Indian buyers accounted for almost 10% of foreign residential property buyers in the US in 2024, making them the fourth largest foreign buyer group that year.
The executive order states that children born in the US will no longer be recognized as citizens if their father is not a US citizen or lawful permanent resident and their mother is either in the country illegally or present on a temporary visa. This change targets automatic citizenship for children of parents unlawfully or temporarily residing in the country, set to take effect in 30 days.
