NRI Guide: Want Citizenship in the US, UK, Canada or Australia? Compare PR, Fees, Eligibility & Passport Rules

Over 1 million Indians renounced their passports between 2019 and 2024. Here is what the journey actually costs- in money, years and paperwork- across the four most popular destinations.

United States

The base N-400 form costs $710 online (biometrics are now bundled in), making it the most straightforward fee structure of the four. But for Indians the real cost escalates fast. A medical exam adds $200-$500, certified translations of Indian documents run $50-$300 each, and immigration attorneys typically charge $1,000-$3,000. The road to the form itself is long: applicants who are permanent residents between 150% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines may pay a reduced fee of $380, but standard applicants pay the full amount with no appeal if refused.

United Kingdom

From 9 April 2025 the core figures are: adult naturalisation £1,605 plus ceremony £130, totalling £1,735 through to completion. This makes the UK the most expensive of the four in raw application-fee terms. The application fee is the same for all nationalities, but Indian applicants often face additional costs such as certified document translations (£50-£200 per document) and overseas police clearance certificates. Critically, the government announced plans on 12 May 2025 to change immigration rules, and the new rules might require applicants to show they have been living in the UK for 10 years - potentially extending the timeline significantly.

Australia

The Australian citizenship application fee for adults is $490 AUD, and for children under 18 it is $245 AUD, as of the 2025-26 financial year. Australia's relatively modest fee sits alongside a 4-year residency requirement, of which at least 12 months must be as a permanent resident. The citizenship test - 20 multiple-choice questions on Australian history, values, and government - requires a 75% pass mark. It takes around 12 months to process most applications; after approval, applicants may wait another 6 months for the citizenship ceremony.

Canada

At midnight on March 31, 2025, the right of citizenship fee for adults was increased, making the total $649.75 - a processing charge of $530 plus a right of citizenship fee of $119.75. Minors pay only a $100 processing fee. Canada has the shortest residency bar of the four (just 3 years out of 5 as a PR) and explicitly permits dual citizenship, though India's own laws mean Indian-origin Canadians must surrender their Indian passport.

Challenges Indians face in getting citizenship

Beyond fees and timelines, Indian applicants navigate a set of structural obstacles that do not apply equally to all nationalities.

No dual citizenship. India's Citizenship Act of 1955 automatically terminates Indian citizenship the moment a foreign passport is issued. The Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card offers lifelong visa-free travel back but carries no political rights. Every prospective citizen must weigh this as an irreversible personal decision, not merely a bureaucratic step.

The green card backlog in the US. Indians face a per-country annual cap of roughly 9,800 green cards across employment categories, against a demand exceeding 700,000 pending applications. The wait in EB-2 and EB-3 categories can stretch to 50-100 years at current rates. Without a green card, the N-400 citizenship application cannot even begin.

Document burdens

birth certificates, police clearances, marriage records - frequently require apostilles, certified translations and overseas notarisation, adding several hundred dollars and weeks of delay to every application.

Language and knowledge tests

The UK's Life in the UK test and B1 English requirement, and Canada's CLB Level 4 test, are hurdles that are manageable for educated professionals but can be challenging for older applicants or those from non-English-speaking parts of India.

Timeline from landing to citizenship

Canada is the fastest route in theory: permanent residency can be obtained within 1-2 years via Express Entry, and citizenship follows 3 years later, meaning some applicants achieve it in 4-5 years from arrival. Australia runs close behind at 5-6 years. The US, despite its large Indian community, is the slowest for employment-based migrants - the green card backlog means many wait decades. The UK sits in the middle but proposed rule changes could push the residence requirement to 10 years, adding further delay.

Quick takeaway

Canada offers the fastest path and lowest government fee. The UK charges the highest application fee but processes decisions in 6-12 months once eligible. Australia's AUD 490 fee is the lowest. The US has the cheapest form fee but the longest effective wait due to the green card queue for Indians.

How Trump's second term has changed the US picture

Since January 2025, the Trump administration has introduced a series of immigration changes that directly affect the roughly 6.7 million Indians in the United States.

End of in-country adjustment. USCIS announced that non-immigrants who want a green card must now return to their home country to apply, except in extraordinary circumstances. This fundamentally disrupts H-1B holders who had been adjusting status from within the US.

New fees under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The Act introduces several new fees starting in fiscal year 2025, including a $250 "visa integrity fee" for most non-immigrant visa applicants, adding costs that cannot be waived.

Rising F-1 rejection rates. The rejection rate for Indian F-1 student visa applicants rose from 53% in 2024 to 61% in 2025, reflecting a broader tightening of consular scrutiny. Fewer students means fewer future green card and naturalisation applicants.

The aggregate effect is that the US, already the most complex destination for Indians due to the green card backlog, has grown meaningfully harder to navigate since 2025 - pushing some applicants to reconsider Canada or Australia as primary destinations.

The bigger picture

According to India's Ministry of External Affairs, over 1 million Indian citizens voluntarily renounced their passports between 2019 and 2024 - with more than 200,000 doing so each year since 2022. In 2022 alone, the US received the largest share (71,991), followed by Canada (60,139), Australia (40,377) and the UK (21,457).

For most Indians, citizenship abroad is a long-haul financial and personal commitment. The government fees are only the visible tip - document preparation, legal support, opportunity cost and the irreversible surrender of an Indian passport together make it one of the most consequential decisions an individual can make. The destination that offers the best value depends heavily on profession, family situation and how quickly one needs to establish permanent roots.