For decades, migration stories from India followed a familiar arc, people leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad. But a reverse trend can be seen these days. Foreigners are choosing to move to India, not out of compulsion, but by choice. A recent video by The CanIndians captures this shift through the life of a Canadian tech founder who has settled in Thrissur.
Choosing India regardless of the warnings
Before making the move, the Canadian founder heard the usual cautions from friends and family in North America. India, he was told, was polluted, chaotic, and difficult to live in.
Instead of accepting these assumptions, he decided to experience the country firsthand. Two months into his stay, his video documents what daily life in India actually looks like for him and his family.
Life inside a gated community in Kerala
The family lives in a premium gated community known as Shoba City in Kerala. Designed as a self-contained township, the development includes high-rise apartments, independent houses, landscaped walkways, a large man-made lake, and a shopping mall within walking distance. Well-lit paths around the lake are used daily by residents for walks, cycling, and children’s play, creating an environment that feels more like a resort than a conventional housing complex.
The vlogger says that security is a major highlight of life in the community. Multiple checkpoints, round-the-clock guards, and restricted access ensure safety, while residents enjoy silent surroundings and he thanks ules such as a complete ban on honking within the premises. A dedicated maintenance team handles everything from electrical repairs to appliance fixes, adding to the sense of ease and predictability that many residents value.
Amenities that redefine urban living
The township’s clubhouse includes a gym, badminton courts, indoor games, and social spaces, alongside outdoor facilities such as swimming pools, basketball courts, tennis courts, and children’s play areas. Regular community events foster interaction among residents, making the space feel socially inclusive despite the wide economic differences among those who live there.
According to the founder, property prices in Shoba City are significantly higher than surrounding areas, but residents see this as a trade-off for convenience, infrastructure, and quality of life. New projects within the township are often sold out before construction is completed, with some units priced at over half a million US dollars. Buyers are not just purchasing homes, but access to a carefully managed environment.
Netizens react
Commenting about this video, a netizen say that “foreigners—many of them white Canadians and Americans—are marrying Indians, relocating to India, and settling into high-quality gated communities. A significant number work remotely, earning in US dollars while spending in Indian rupees, which allows for a comfortable lifestyle that would be far more expensive in their home countries.”
Another added, “Unlike earlier generations of migrants or NRIs whose memories of India are shaped by the past, these newcomers experience the country as it exists now. They compare modern metro systems, malls, restaurants, and private healthcare facilities with those in global cities and often find India competitive, and in some cases superior. They speak openly about both the flaws and the advantages—acknowledging pollution and bureaucracy while praising healthcare access, domestic help, safety within gated communities, and affordability.”
“NRIs always post 0.1 per cent of India and talk as if the whole country is this way. I have lived and worked in Bangalore for 6 years and faced ground realities. Flooding every monsoon, no footpaths to walk on, corrupt police/government always trying to get bribes, daily muggings (my boss was mugged twice in central Bangalore), etc. You can stay in your Prestige Shantiniketans all you want but someday you will have to get out of the gated community and face reality,” claimed another user.