H-1B visa registrations plunge 92% as top six Indian IT firms cut down filing: Report
Industry body Nasscom and immigration experts said the sharp fall among Indian IT firms is partly due to increased hiring of local talent in the US, which reduces the need to transfer employees from India.
- Sep 29, 2026,
- Updated Sep 29, 2026 9:55 AM IST
Registrations for the US H-1B skilled-worker visa by India’s six largest IT services firms fell sharply by 92% for fiscal 2027. TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro, LTM and Tech Mahindra filed only 1,763 registrations compared with 21,919 in the previous year.
According to a report in The Economic Times that analysed US government data, this is the largest drop in registrations by these firms, except during the Covid years. The decline follows a tightening of the US immigration system, which includes a $100,000 fee for certain new visas and changes to the H-1B lottery system that prioritise highly paid and skilled workers.
The reduction was less severe among major US companies. Microsoft filed 2,481 registrations for FY27, more than the combined total of the six Indian IT firms. Apple and JPMorgan filed 2,265 and 935 registrations respectively. Registrations at Microsoft, Apple, JPMorgan and Walmart declined between 16% and 40%.
Industry body Nasscom and immigration experts said the sharp fall among Indian IT firms is partly due to increased hiring of local talent in the US, which reduces the need to transfer employees from India. Nasscom president Rajesh Nambiar said most Indian organisations today are not very dependent on H-1B visas and have found ways to hire locally and manage talent mobility without relying on these visas, as mentioned in the report.
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The US caps new H-1B visas at 85,000 annually, including 20,000 reserved for applicants with a US university master’s degree or higher. The lottery is held in March-April. While USCIS has released registration numbers, the number of approvals from the lower pool is yet to be disclosed. Indians account for 71% of all H-1B visas issued.
Visa processing has been suspended for companies including Cognizant and Cloudera, while Infosys and TCS face scrutiny including LCA audits and examination of third-party client placements. D’Esposito said the foreign-labour visa system could look very different a year from now as enforcement efforts expand.
Registrations for the US H-1B skilled-worker visa by India’s six largest IT services firms fell sharply by 92% for fiscal 2027. TCS, Infosys, HCLTech, Wipro, LTM and Tech Mahindra filed only 1,763 registrations compared with 21,919 in the previous year.
According to a report in The Economic Times that analysed US government data, this is the largest drop in registrations by these firms, except during the Covid years. The decline follows a tightening of the US immigration system, which includes a $100,000 fee for certain new visas and changes to the H-1B lottery system that prioritise highly paid and skilled workers.
The reduction was less severe among major US companies. Microsoft filed 2,481 registrations for FY27, more than the combined total of the six Indian IT firms. Apple and JPMorgan filed 2,265 and 935 registrations respectively. Registrations at Microsoft, Apple, JPMorgan and Walmart declined between 16% and 40%.
Industry body Nasscom and immigration experts said the sharp fall among Indian IT firms is partly due to increased hiring of local talent in the US, which reduces the need to transfer employees from India. Nasscom president Rajesh Nambiar said most Indian organisations today are not very dependent on H-1B visas and have found ways to hire locally and manage talent mobility without relying on these visas, as mentioned in the report.
DON'T MISS | Trump moves to scrap H-1B visa 60-day grace period: Why Indian workers face a new risk
The US caps new H-1B visas at 85,000 annually, including 20,000 reserved for applicants with a US university master’s degree or higher. The lottery is held in March-April. While USCIS has released registration numbers, the number of approvals from the lower pool is yet to be disclosed. Indians account for 71% of all H-1B visas issued.
Visa processing has been suspended for companies including Cognizant and Cloudera, while Infosys and TCS face scrutiny including LCA audits and examination of third-party client placements. D’Esposito said the foreign-labour visa system could look very different a year from now as enforcement efforts expand.