For many Indian families, sending their son or daughter abroad is a dream built on years of hard work, loans and savings. They believe that a job in the Gulf, a degree in the UK, or a career in theUS or Australia promises a better future. However, when regional tensions occur, immigration policies change, hate crimes increase, and the dream turns into fear. The ongoing Iran-US conflict, tensions across the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war have also shown how people living far from home can suddenly find themselves in difficult situations.

Hidden Cost Of Working Abroad

For families back home, the hardest part is thinking about their children's safety. However, it doesn’t just stop there as they depend on their income to pay school fees, medical bills, home loans and others. Similarly, the situation is also troubling for Indians who live and work abroad. Changing immigration rules in countries or working in conflict hit countries can be challenging for them.

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Challenges For Indian Seafarers

An Indian merchant navy officer told us how the situation has changed at sea amid ongoing conflict that has disrupted maritime movement through several important sea routes. He said, “When we are at sea, our families can only wait. We may be doing our duty, but our parents and children are worried every day.”

Another Indian Seafarer sailing as Third Officer, further explained how the Hormuz situation has affected shipping routes and navigation. “See, I have not sailed on that route, but things have definitely changed. When shipping started, there were no GPS/GLONASS to help us get our position. But then technology changed, and we became heavily reliant on GPS to determine our location at sea. But since the attacks, events of GPS jamming and spoofing have increased exponentially," he said.

"It is similar to hacking a computer, and then GPS shows you the wrong location of your ship. This may lead to more accidents, huge deviations from the intended route, and loss of time. So now we are shifting back to ancient tools, like using the Sun, Moon, and stars to determine our latitude and longitude by doing several manual calculations," he added.

An Indian national, Adarsh, who studies and works in the United Kingdom stated that it took him some time to adapt to cultural differences. He even struggled to get a good paying job despite having a degree from the country’s university. He said, “I came here to build a better life. Now I think about job security, visa rules and whether I can afford to stay.” He particularly stressed on affordability stating that everything is priced here and he spends much more than he can save from his earnings. “My parents have invested their savings in my education. I want to succeed, but I also worry about what happens if my plans change,” he added.

How Racism Terrifies

“I came to Australia with dreams of building a better future, but incidents of racism and the fear of hate crimes sometimes make me feel unsafe and alone. The hardest part is knowing that my parents are thousands of miles away and cannot be there to protect me if something happens. I try to stay strong because my family has invested so much in my future, but sometimes I wonder whether the sacrifices we made are worth this fear," Salina, a student living in Australia said.

These instances reflect that working abroad is not just about earning more money. It can mean loneliness, debt, uncertainty and the fear of letting your family down.

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