India an easy country to settle in for expats: Survey

India is seen as an easy country to settle in for expatriates, according to a HSBC survey. The survey shows that more than 62 per cent of expats in the country feel at home within the first year as compared to the global average of just 48 per cent.

 One of the major reasons for this, the survey points out, is the support expats receive from their employers.

 “Nearly a third (30 per cent) of expats receive education or day care allowances for their children from their employer. Just under a third (32%) receive family support allowances for cultural or language coaching. In both cases, this level of support for expats is higher in India than any other country surveyed,” it pointed out.

 As per the survey, India features among the top 10 destinations for expats in terms of ‘family aspects of living’ in the adopted country and 58 per cent of them believe the country is getting better as a place to live and work.  One of the biggest challenges for expats in India is integrating into the Indian culture, with almost a quarter (24 per cent) finding it difficult to do so, compared with the global average of 18 per cent.

 In the HSBC ‘Expat Explorer 2015’ survey, India ranked 10th on the family league table, which ranks each country using a score that summarises the expats’ views concerning the family aspects of living in the adopted country.

 “The close-knit family culture in India is very dominant and expats find that countries with such strong family values bring them closer to their own families,” HSBC India Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management S. Ramakrishnan said.

 Mr. Ramakrishnan further said that “in addition to providing a good environment for children to grow up in, a fulfilling work life and rich culture are some of the other reasons why 58 per cent of expats believe that India is getting better as a place to live and work.”

 Meanwhile, Singapore emerged as the best place overall for expats to enjoy an excellent quality of life, financial wellbeing and improved career prospects. New Zealand was ranked as second best, followed by Sweden and Bahrain in the third and fourth place respectively.

Others in the top 10 include Germany (5th), Canada (6th), Australia (7th), Taiwan (8th), UAE (9th) and Switzerland (10th). India ranked 17th on the country league table considering all parameters like economics, experiences and family.