But Indian information technology workers might do better without the companies that held them back, says Mihir S Sharma.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has received about 22,000 petitions for the much sought after H-1B work visas in the first four days after it started accepting applications on April 2, officials said.
The industry's operating margins will narrow by 0.30- 0.80 per cent largely on an increase in local hires which the industry has been forced into due to the policy framework in its markets.
The US is 'putting every ounce of its energy' to eliminate the long visa wait time in India, including sending a cadre of consular officers to the country and opening up its other overseas embassies as far away as Germany and Thailand for Indian visa applicants, according to a senior US visa officer. India was one of the very few countries where applications for US visas saw a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted. There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories.
As Indian-origin entrepreneur and Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy pulled out of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), just 69 days after he was announced the co-head of the team along with tech billionaire Elon Musk, a report has revealed that it was the Tesla CEO who wanted Ramaswamy 'out' of the team.
India's software industry mounts two-pronged campaign to tackle Trump administration. Ayan Pramanik & Karan Choudhury report.
The US president's stance on immigration could lead to a change in H1B visa rules.
If elected, Trump said he would take action against companies that replace American workers.
'The cooperation in technology is one of the most important aspects of the visit.' 'It will have a long-lasting impact because it will shift the entire paradigm in the context of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.'
Infosys may have put the visa misuse investigations behind it through a civil settlement with the US authorities, but experts believe that the episode might drag its other peers under the scanner.
Indians have topped the number of illegal immigrants from Asian countries caught at land, sea, and air checkpoints of the US since 2022.
India has a comparative edge over key competitors in a majority of products it exports to the US and stands to gain market share as the US raises tariffs on its major trade partners, NITI Aayog said on Monday. In its quarterly trade report, it recommended that the government fast-track the India-US free trade agreement with time-bound goals to resolve non-tariff barriers and finalise digital trade rules on data flows and e-signatures to support services exports.
Bharatiya Janata party leader Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday met visiting United States Vice President Joe Biden and raised the issue of visa to skilled workers but refrained from discussing the lifting of ban on American visa to Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
And the First Lady Melania was in tears -- not of joy -- after hearing about the surprise win.
Donald Trump's Presidency of the United States will open new opportunities for India though certain sectors, especially pharma and IT, may face the heat if the incoming president decides to impose restrictions on imports and H1B visa regulations, experts said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's friendly relationship with Trump will have a positive bearing on Indo-US relations but India may have to adapt its strategies to maintain cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
All companies that have 50% or more employees from outside the US to pay a higher visa fee of $10,000 for each such staffer, against $4,500 at present.
From the roll-out of GST to H1B visa problems, the government needs to quickly deal with various disruptions.
The immigration bill, from the US point of view, is going to bring in much more talent to the US, which is desirable aid, said economist Arvind Subramanian.
India has expressed concern over the hike in visa fee by the US, saying it is "discriminatory" and largely affects Indian IT professionals.
The foreign degree no longer sells itself, families are doing the math, and for many, the numbers just don't add up.
Earlier in the year, Modi government had moved WTO against the US imposing higher fee for applicants seeking two categories of non-immigrant temporary working visas
'Trump has no more elections to fight and his soaring ambition, which is no secret, will be to carve out a presidential legacy that outshines by far all his mediocre predecessors.' 'Trump's turnaround on the H-1B visa debate shows that he can take tough decisions and there are no holy cows in his domain,' asserts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The lawsuit seeks to overturn these sweeping and unlawful immigration restrictions that are an unequivocal not welcome sign to the engineers, executives, IT experts, doctors, nurses, and other critical workers who help drive the American economy.
'Democrats don't care about those on H-1B visas. They don't care about the Green Card backlog.' 'President Trump wants to stop the massive flow of illegal immigrants and focus on a robust and legal immigration system.' 'Indian Americans would thrive in such an immigration system.'
While companies having fewer visa holders in the US seem to be less exposed to rising protectionism, most front-line IT stocks are trading at attractive levels and, to a large extent, factor in near-term headwinds.
A copy of the letter dated February 29 was released to the media.
With Democrats having an upper hand in US Congress, the Donald Trump administration will find it difficult to come up with any future legislative changes with regard to visa regulations.
'Things may get much worse before they get better,' predicts Ajay Chhibber.
In July-Sept 2016-2017, TCS had missed street expectations with 7.8% growth in revenue.
If the visa issue ultimately requires certain other considerations at govt level, we will consider that, says Ravi Shankar Prasad
Announcing the visit from June 25, the external affairs ministry on Monday said the Modi-Trump discussions will provide a new direction for deeper bilateral engagement.
Unless something changes, Mr Trump is a huge threat right now, which is perhaps not being recognised fully, cautions Debashis Basu.
The US Congress has imposed a special fee of up to $4,500 on the H-1B and L-1 visas.
From the perspective of an American worker who is being displaced it does not make a difference whether he is displaced by a visa-dependent company or a non-visa-dependent company or a 50-50 company or whatever: Nasscom president.
'As the global economy undergoes significant transformations in 2025, India's ability to navigate the complexities of trade wars, financial realignments, and emerging blocs will be pivotal,' explain Harsh V Pant and Soumya Bhowmik.
In this scenario, the Indian information technology industry and government have two distinct items on the agenda before them.
This is a culmination of the joint investigation carried out by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump said he is very close to a deal on DACA.