New Delhi is rapidly expanding cooperation with foreign governments on migration policy, yet the Indian diaspora – one of the world’s largest and most economically successful communities – continues to face mounting challenges abroad. Online hate speech is increasingly spilling over into real-world discrimination and violence not only in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, where Indian communities are already deeply established, but also in Ukraine, which since last year has opened its labour market to migrants from South Asia amid an acute workforce shortage.
India Expands Diplomacy as Risks Grow
Speaking at the Second International Migration Review Forum at the UN General Assembly, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh announced that India had concluded bilateral memoranda and agreements with 23 countries aimed at protecting the interests of more than 34 million Indians living overseas. “We believe such partnerships must continue to be strengthened and expanded for safeguarding the rights of our citizens abroad,” Singh stated. He noted that consular protection is increasingly supported by digital grievance platforms such as MADAD and Passport Seva, alongside Migrant Resource Centres that help citizens prepare for relocation by providing information about social, legal and cultural conditions in destination countries. Nevertheless, the minister acknowledged that problems remain unresolved.
His remarks coincided with another controversy unfolding in Ukraine, where a media scandal involving Indians and other South Asian nationals triggered a wave of xenophobic rhetoric. Since 2025, Kyiv has gradually opened its doors to workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal in an attempt to address the labour crisis caused by the devastating war with Russia. However, Ukrainian society has shown limited readiness to absorb large-scale migration under wartime conditions.
Diaspora Targeted in Ukraine
In May 2026, Ukrainian social media platforms were flooded with nationalist and openly hostile comments directed at foreigners. The immediate trigger was an announcement that Indian migrants would be employed in municipal street-cleaning services. Economic grievances quickly became central to the debate. Foreign workers were reportedly being offered salaries starting from around $800 per month with accommodation included, while an average Ukrainian street cleaner earns approximately $175. Even workers in the oil and gas sector receive only around $500 monthly – roughly comparable to the salary of a Ukrainian soldier deployed on the frontline. Broader social pressures, including economic decline, mobilisation and the influx of internally displaced people from combat zones, have intensified resentment further. At the same time, the terms “Indians” and “Hindus” are frequently used interchangeably in public discourse to describe any migrant from South Asia, reflecting both stereotypes and a poor understanding of the region’s diversity.
Nationalist rhetoric is not limited to social media. It has also been echoed by officials and military figures. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian President’s Office, warned publicly that Ukraine could face a migration crisis similar to that experienced in Europe. Ihor Terekhov, the mayor of Kharkiv, declared his opposition to the involvement of migrants. Meanwhile the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk said that, although local authorities could not interfere with national migration policies, his city’s municipal services would refuse to employ Indian migrants on principle. Some statements were considerably more radical. Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Army Corps described rising migration flows as “the replacement of the Ukrainian nation”. Speaking on the Times of Ukraine television channel, he asked: “If we want Ukraine to cease to exist, then we can bring in whoever we want. But what are we fighting for then? For a country for Hindus and Filipinos?” Zhorin argued that the only acceptable migrants were so-called “military migrants” referring to foreign mercenaries serving alongside Ukrainian forces. “Every foreigner in a trench means there is no Ukrainian sitting in that trench,” he concluded.
Online Hate Turns Real
The situation reflects a broader trend already visible across much of the West. In 2025, anti-Indian online campaigns escalated into cases of discrimination and physical violence in the United States, Canada, Britain and elsewhere. In many countries, hostility toward Indians has increasingly been framed through economic narratives, with migrants accused of taking jobs, housing and social benefits.
The strongest wave of rhetoric emerged in the United States, where debate over the visa programme became intensely politicised. Indian nationals account for approximately 71% of all H-1B visa holders. According to a report by the independent Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), anti-Indian posts on X tripled during 2025, reaching around 24,000 posts and generating more than 300 million views. Any change in immigration policy triggered immediate surges of racist commentary online. The organisation Stop AAPI Hate recorded a 115% increase in anti-Indian slogans and narratives on digital platforms. One particularly revealing incident occurred during a Frisco City Council meeting in Texas, where residents openly spoke about an alleged “Indian takeover.” Such rhetoric has reportedly made companies reluctant to sponsor Indian cultural celebrations, including Diwali events. In response, the Indian American Advisory Council (IACC) published a “Know Your Rights” guide aimed at helping community members respond to discrimination and harassment.
In Canada, where multiculturalism has long formed part of the country’s national identity, tensions have also become increasingly visible. A survey conducted by the Leger polling institute found that 60% of Canadians now believe the country no longer requires additional immigration. Ontario MPP Hardeep Grewal, who is himself of Indian origin, recounted incidents in which strangers shouted at him: “Hey, turbanhead, go home” and “You all should die.” In Mississauga, racist graffiti reading “Indian rats” appeared near a children’s playground.
The United Kingdom has seen similar incidents. On 24 April, a British court concluded the trial of a man convicted of raping a Sikh student in Walsall near Birmingham, with racial and religious hatred identified among the motives. Earlier this year in London, an eight-year-old Indian boy was reportedly forced to leave school because he wore a tilak-chandla. At least four other Indian pupils also faced discriminatory treatment. Insight UK an organisation representing British Hindu and Indian communities, described the incidents as direct manifestations of religious intolerance.
A Global Challenge for India’s Diaspora Policy
Taken together, these developments point not to isolated episodes but to a broader systemic trend affecting many Western societies. Economic instability, demographic anxieties and the rise of right-wing populism have encouraged politicians and public figures to seek simplistic answers to increasingly complex social problems amid fears of economic slowdown and recession.
This trend prompts New Delhi to enforce and further develop its migration policy to protect Indian citizens abroad. The latest operations, such as ‘Sindhu’, ‘Ajay’ and ‘Ganga’, which were conducted by the government to evacuate citizens from conflict zones, demonstrated the Ministry of External Affairs’ high level of preparedness and ability to protect the Indian diaspora around the world. Nevertheless, we should also adapt this experience to enhance the efficiency of our reactions to low-profile incidents. These incidents occur slowly and constantly, and sometimes they are even invisible. Bilateral engagement should extend beyond central governments to regional administrations and municipalities, particularly in areas such as the study of public opinion and shaping a positive image of Indian migrants. Diaspora organisations and their leaders should play a stronger role and cooperate more closely with local authorities in recipient countries to help counter xenophobia and ethnic prejudice. Otherwise, even initiatives that are economically beneficial, such as labour migration and expanding trade relations, risk being undermined by growing hostility based on destructive ethnic and religious stereotypes.
