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Is there a reason for Goans in Goa to be alarmed that a large number of their fellow Goenkars are migrating to lands that are presumably, but may not necessarily be, greener pastures?
The question arises from the fact that in the past decade, the number of people who surrendered their Indian passports in Goa numbers over 25,000.
According to a reply tabled in the State Legislative Assembly, 25,939 individuals surrendered their Indian passport in the State of Goa from January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2024.
Surrender of passport amounts to renouncing one’s citizenship, and this is done when one has obtained the citizenship of another country.
According to a reply tabled in the State Legislative Assembly, 25,939 individuals surrendered their Indian passport in the State of Goa from January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2024.
This figure is of passports surrendered in Goa and could include others, besides Goans, who have done so, but we assume that most, if not all are Goans.
There is no figure as to how many of those who have surrendered their passports may be living in Goa as overseas citizens of India, so we again assume that most have migrated.
For a small State like Goa, with a population of approximately 1.6 million, the number of those surrendering their passport is quite high. In percentage terms, it amounts to 1.6 percent of the total population of the State who have given up their Indian citizenship.
What is not factored here is the number of Goans who may have surrendered their passports in the countries of their residence, and there is a substantial number of those who have done so. The number, therefore, could be still higher.
It is clear from the statistics provided that the Brexit vote in Britain led to Goans rushing to obtain Portuguese citizenship and migrating to Britain.
It is clear from the statistics provided that the Brexit vote in Britain led to Goans rushing to obtain Portuguese citizenship and migrating to Britain.
The largest number of those who surrendered the passport was in the year 2016, when 4,121 individuals renounced their Indian citizenship.
That was the year of the Brexit poll, a period during which a large number of Goans were believed to have migrated to Britain, to avail of the EU facilities before England exited from the European Union.
The pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 saw the least number of surrenders, but the numbers have increased again after that. Possibly, had it not been for the pandemic, the number would have been much higher.
In fact, the number of those surrendering Indian passports was highest from 2015 to 2019, with 2023 again coming close to the number of these years.
It was always clear that the number of Goans abroad has been increasing. Take the United Kingdom for instance, where almost every village feast is celebrated, where tiatr shows are held before a full house, where Konkani can be heard spoken on certain streets.
Now there are numbers, albeit of those who have renounced their citizenship in the last decade, to attempt to get a clearer picture of the emigration from Goa.
It was always clear that the number of Goans abroad has been increasing. Take the United Kingdom for instance, where almost every village feast is celebrated, where tiatr shows are held before a full house, where Konkani can be heard spoken on certain streets.
The discomforting aspect of this departure of Goans is the fallout on the demographics in the State and how the continued migrations will further alter them. The migration hasn’t ended and won’t, either. The numbers endorse this.
In the first three months of 2024, there were 435 passports surrendered in Goa, which works to close to five persons renouncing their Indian citizenship per day in the State. So, to answer the question posed at the beginning of this piece, yes there is cause for alarm.
There was a time when Goans worked on ships and in the Gulf but returned to Goa, which was always their home. They went abroad to work, to earn a living, not to make it their home.
The surrender of passports indicates that many have now made their home elsewhere and may not consider returning to their home in Goa.
While it may be admitted that renouncing one’s passport is the personal choice of a person, there would be need to determine why such a large number of people have decided to leave their homeland and opt for a life elsewhere.
What was it that they were lacking in Goa and believed they could find elsewhere? Perhaps, they did find it, hence the surrender of passports.
Goa has been constantly debating the demographic changes and blame it on the rise in the number of migrants in the State, but the emigration of Goans is also adding to the diluted Goenkarponn that those who have stayed back hold close to their chests.
Finally, there is some data to work with, numbers that though they do not provide the complete picture, are still a piece in a larger jigsaw waiting to be completed.
