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India's USD 280-billion IT industry heads into 2026, balancing visa-related headwinds and global trade uncertainty against its biggest-ever push into artificial intelligence and the rapid expansion of global capability centres (GCCs). Heightened scrutiny of the US H-1B visa programme - including a proposed USD 100,000 fee for new visas and concerns over a potential 25 per cent outsourcing tax - has complicated cross-border delivery for Indian firms, even as companies accelerate efforts to reduce reliance on onsite staffing. The US remains the sector's largest export market. The visa proposals triggered market volatility in late 2025, disrupting travel plans and denting IT stocks, before partial clarifications offered limited relief. Fresh concerns have since emerged around social media screening and unpredictable processing delays. Analysts warn that sharply higher visa costs could add hundreds of millions of dollars to expenses for large IT firms, reinforcing the shift toward ...
Facing social media backlash over the Rs 2.52 lakh annual salary offer for freshers, IT giant Cognizant on Sunday said it offers Rs 4-12 lakh salary to fresh engineering graduates, and the salary being quoted on social media is for non-engineering undergraduate degree holders. The firm also faced social media ridicule for doling out annual salary hikes of as low as 1 per cent, but what is being quoted is the lower band of the 1-5 per cent annual increments that the firm has dished out based on individual performance. Cognizant annually hires fresh engineers and non-engineering/IT graduates for varied roles. With the two recruitments running almost parallel, hiring for three-year non-engineering/information technology undergraduate degree holders picked up and was widely shared as Cognizant's salary package for freshers. "Our recent job posting for talent from non-engineering backgrounds, with a 3-year undergraduate degree has been grossly misrepresented. This job posting, with ...