New Delhi : US companies are increasingly turning to India for offshore operations following President Donald Trump’s sharp increase in H-1B visa fees, tapping the global capability centres (GCCs) in the country, industry experts and economists say. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month and imposed a $100,000 (around Rs 88.6 lakh) fee on new H-1B applications for skilled foreign workers.
Indian GCCs, offering a blend of global expertise and strong local leadership, are emerging as vital hubs for critical business functions. Rohan Lobo, partner and GCC industry leader at Deloitte India, said India’s GCCs poised to drive US firms’ strategic shift. GCCs are uniquely positioned for this moment. They serve as a ready in-house engine, Reuters quoted Rohan Lob as saying.
Plans are already underway” for such a shift, he added, pointing to greater activity in areas such as financial services and tech, and particularly among firms with exposure to US federal contracts, Reuters reported. US employees, according to the report, have lodged multiple complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Tata Consultancy Services, India’s largest technology services organisation, claiming they were dismissed and their positions were filled by H-1B visa holders.
Last year, TCS received 5,500 H-1B visas, placing it second to Amazon’s allocation of over 14,000. The yearly limit stands at 85,000 visas, with educational institutions being exempt from this restriction. According to research by Colgate University economists Rishi R. Sharma and Chad Sparber quoted in the report, the change to lottery system led Indian outsourcing companies—which provide tech services to American businesses through combined US-based and India-based teams—to submit many applications to enhance their chances of securing H-1B visas.
