Now Reading: 12,700 Indian tech workers return from US as Trump visa curbs bite
-
01
12,700 Indian tech workers return from US as Trump visa curbs bite
The Story in Brief
The US government has suspended eight technology firms, including Microsoft, Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL Technologies, from hiring skilled international workers on a permanent basis through the Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) pathway. New and pending PERM applications are frozen, blocking a key route to green cards for Indian professionals who dominate H-1B visas.
Separately, data compiled by staffing firm Xpheno and reported by The Economic Times shows 12,700 Indian tech specialists had returned from the US by September 2026, up from 9,800 in 2024 and 7,200 in 2023. If the pace holds, returns could exceed last year’s peak of 15,100. Industry body Nasscom said Indian companies have reduced H-1B dependence and that the number of employees transitioning to permanent residency through PERM is relatively limited. Wipro, TCS and Microsoft each said their reliance on PERM was minimal.
Immigration expert Swatilina Barik noted the measure does not revoke existing H-1B visas or approved green cards but blocks new applications. HDFC Securities said the revenue impact on affected firms would be small. The eight companies did not respond to a BBC email query asking how they are supporting affected staff.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Hindustan Times-led summary foregrounds the human-scale return of 12,700 Indian tech workers by September 2026, a figure drawn from Xpheno, and the social cost of re-adjustment. The BBC leads on the PERM suspension of eight technology firms, including Indian majors, and devotes more space to the broader impact on the American dream, JD Vance's language and anti-Indian sentiment online. Hindustan Times treats the PERM freeze as one among several developments, while the BBC makes it the central event. Both outlets agree the business impact is minimal, but only the BBC reports that the symbolic and personal consequences, such as children's ties to the US, are the deeper toll. Nasscom’s point that companies have already reduced H-1B dependence appears only in the BBC.
Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral
Sources (2): hindustantimes.com (neutral report), bbc.com (government critical)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
