H-1b Visa Row

PERM suspension won't affect workforce strategy, customer engagements: TCS

The IT services major said its PERM applications were in single digits over the past two years and reiterated plans to hire 15,000 people in the US over five years

Trump honours Microsoft's CEO after Vance drops H-1B visa hammer on company

President Donald Trump celebrated tech billionaires such as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Thursday, only to get upstaged hours earlier when Vice President JD Vance announced that Microsoft was being suspended from a programme that allows companies to apply for green cards for skilled foreign workers with H-1B visas. The crackdown on Microsoft came under Vance's purview as the head of a fraud task force, but the targeting revealed the tension between the companies powering US economic growth and the administration's efforts to reduce immigration that it says has come at the expense of American workers. "Our message to Microsoft is: You're a great American company, but you've got to hire great American workers," Vance told a news conference. He said the company had abused the visa system. "You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants." Vance said Microsoft last year fired 6,000 US workers but also obtained 6,300 H-1B visas and almost 3,00

80% of H-1B filings were for existing employees, not new hires: Microsoft

Microsoft has said 80 per cent of the 6000 H1-B visa applications it had submitted last fiscal year were to extend or change the status of existing employees and not to hire new people. The statement came on Thursday hours after Vice President J D Vance suspended Microsoft from a programme to apply for green cards for foreign workers, accusing it of abusing the system. "We believe in the strength and talent of the American workforce. That is why the vast majority of Microsoft employees in the US are Americans. We look forward to providing the administration with additional information," Microsoft said. "For example, of the approximately 6,000 H-1B visa applications we submitted in the last fiscal year, 80 per cent were to extend or change the status of existing Microsoft employees. These were not to hire new people," it said. The remaining filings for new employees were for individuals already legally in the United States who decided to come work for us, and they equal only one per

FIIDS backs tighter H-1B scrutiny, cautions against hurting US innovation

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) has welcomed tighter scrutiny of H-1B visa applications, but cautioned that it should not come at the cost of American innovation, as jobs requiring highly specialised skills cannot always be filled immediately from the available domestic labour pool. The statement from FIIDS, an advocacy group, came hours after US President Donald Trump tightened oversight of the H-1B visa programme, contending that it had been widely misused by certain employers, including IT outsourcing firms. FIIDS appreciates and understands the Administration's intent to protect America's national and economic interests, safeguard American workers, and address abuse of the H-1B programme. Those are legitimate objectives, Khanderao Kand, Chief of Policy and Strategy at FIIDS, said in a statement on Friday. He said the ability of the US to attract exceptional talent has made it the world's leading innovation economy. Ajay Bhutoria, former advisor to .

Trump administration mulls ending 60-day grace period for H-1B holders

The 60-day grace period, allows foreign workers time to find another U.S. ‌job or get their affairs in order - whether ​selling a home or pulling children out of ‌school - before leaving the country.

US federal judge strikes down Trump's proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee

A federal judge on Monday ruled that the USD 100,000 fee imposed by US President Donald Trump for H-1B applications was unlawful as it did not have the approval of Congress. "...the Court finds that the Policy imposes a tax on H-1B petitions without the requisite delegation by Congress," US District Court judge Leo Sorokin in Boston, Massachusetts, said in a ruling. The H-1B programme is one of the most sought-after US work visas that allows American companies to hire skilled global talent. Trump's order proposing a USD 100,000 annual fee per H-1B worker left many uncertain about visa reforms and new requirements. In September last year, Trump signed a proclamation adding the USD 100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications. The fees are generally paid for by a sponsoring employer, and administration officials have cast it as an initiative to encourage companies to hire Americans instead. "Here, the substance and application of the USD 100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regard

Texas AG Ken Paxton launches probe in 'ghost offices' in alleged H-1B fraud

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday launched investigations into 30 businesses in the state on suspected fraud and abuse of the H-1B visa programme by operating "ghost offices". The companies under investigation include Tekpro IT LLC, Fame PBX LLC, 1st Ranking Technologies LLC, Qubitz Tech Systems LLC, Blooming Clouds LLC, Virat Solutions, Inc., Oak Technologies Inc, Techpath Inc, and Techquency LLC, a statement from the Texas Attorney General's office said. "Attorney General Ken Paxton has issued Civil Investigative Demands ("CIDs") to nearly 30 North Texas businesses as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected fraud and abuse of the H-1B visa programme," it said. The statement said these companies are suspected of engaging in fraudulent practices designed to exploit the H-1B visa programme. "Reports indicate that several of these entities have operated so-called "ghost offices" as a scheme in which businesses falsely represent active operations in order to sponso

Fight over Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee heads to US appeals court

The H-1B visa program is a cornerstone of employment-based immigration, allowing companies in the US to hire college-educated foreign workers for specialized occupations

US visa curbs, AI surge shape cautious outlook for Indian IT in 2026

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 ...

California, 18 more US states to sue Trump over $100K H-1B visa fee hike

States argue that the $100,000 H-1B fee exceeds presidential authority, could disrupt tech, healthcare, and education, and adds a costly barrier for employers hiring skilled foreign workers

US lawmaker to introduce bill to completely eliminate H-1B visa programme

An American lawmaker will be introducing a bill to completely eliminate the H-1B visa programme and take away the pathway to citizenship that it offers, forcing individuals to "return home when their visa expires. My dear fellow Americans, I'm introducing a bill to completely eliminate the H-1B visa programme, which has been riddled with fraud and abuse and has been displacing American workers for decades, Congresswoman from Gerogia, Marjorie Taylor Greene said in a video posted on X on Thursday. She said that there will only be one exemption in her bill, which will allow for a 10,000 per year cap on visas issued to medical professionals like doctors and nurses who provide life-saving care to Americans. Greene however noted that even this 10,000 per year cap will be phased out over 10 years to allow us time to build our own pipeline of American doctors and physicians. Greene added that her bill will also take away the pathway to citizenship, forcing visa holders to return home when

Tata Group loses $75 bn in market value, slides to 2 yr low as risks grow

The group lost about $20 billion, over a fifth of this year's total decline, since Sept 19 after President Donald Trump tightened US work-visa rules, weighing on Tata Consultancy Services Ltd

Engaged with US over H-1B visa issue, hopeful they will relent: MEA

MEA said the H1B visa issue remains an evolving situation and India hopes the White House reconsiders its fee hike and restrictions, stressing skilled mobility helps both nations

Trump's H-1B visa fee hike will backfire, says Silicon Valley investor

Michael Moritz said Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what drives America's tech success and risks pushing innovation abroad

'Americans first': US official justifies Trump's new $100,000 H-1B fee

Margaret MacLeod's remarks follow Trump's executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on fresh H-1B visa applications and reflect growing tensions over India's oil trade with Russia

Trump could discuss H-1B visa fee after trade talks with India: Ex US envoy

Former US Ambassador to New Delhi Tim Roemer's remarks came days after Trump's overhaul of the H-1B visa programme to widen his administration's crackdown on immigrants

'Why move to US when work can happen remotely': Sanjeev Sanyal on H-1B visa

Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Sanjeev Sanyal today questioned why IT firms in India send people to the US, noting their work does not require physical relocation

Nasscom says $100K H-1B visa fee to have marginal impact on Indian IT firms

Nasscom further said that with the fee being applicable from 2026 onward, companies have time to further expand skilling programs in the US and enhance local hiring

TCS, Infosys: Time to sell IT stocks on Trump's H-1B visa salvo? Tech view

IT stocks such as Infosys, TCS and 3 others could see limited downside from current levels, as they are trading above key support levels, backed by positive cues from momentum oscillators, show charts

US lawmaker condemns policy for 'ageing out' children of H-1B visa holders

A powerful US lawmaker has criticised the policy affecting children of H-1B visa holders who "age out" their immigration status upon turning 21. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. Children of H-1B visa holders who turn 21 before their parent secures a Green Card can lose their dependent status and age out of the ability to obtain a permanent resident card. A Green Card allows a non-US citizen to live and work permanently in America. The extensive Green Card backlogs for high-skilled workers mean that H-1B visa holders must wait decades and even centuries before a Green Card is available to them, Congressman Jerrold Nadler, senior Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, said during a Congressional hearing on restoring ..