Now Reading: Indian IT giants slash H-1B lottery registrations amid US crackdown
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Indian IT giants slash H-1B lottery registrations amid US crackdown
Indian IT giants slash H-1B lottery registrations amid US crackdown
The Story in Brief
Indian IT majors Infosys, TCS and Cognizant have dramatically reduced their H-1B visa lottery registrations for fiscal year 2027, according to a Congressional Research Service report published on 14 October. Cognizant submitted no registrations, down from 3,752 the previous year, while Infosys’s registrations fell by 91% to 759, and TCS’s by 95% to 284. The declines come as the Trump administration tightens immigration policies including a wage-weighted selection system introduced in February 2026 and a $100,000 fee for certain new H-1B workers from abroad, which is now temporarily blocked amid litigation.
The overall decline in legal immigration was starker: US immigrant visa issuances fell by half in February 2026 to 26,000, down from a monthly average of 52,000 before Trump returned to office. The New York Times analysis found restrictions affected applicants from 91 countries, with declines of 99% in Central Asia and 89% in Africa. India and China were not covered by travel bans but saw sharp drops in student and H-1B work visas. Courts ordered the government to resume visa issuance in late August 2026, but many applicants remain waiting.
Indian Opinion Analysis
All three outlets cover the same CRS report on H-1B lottery declines with near-identical data, attributing the drop to Trump-era policy changes. Hindustan Times leads with a broader New York Times analysis showing a 50% fall in overall legal immigration, while Livemint and Economic Times focus on the IT services angle and the $100,000 fee. The coverage is uniform straight reporting: none of the outlets criticise or defend the administration’s policies. The consistent framing across sources suggests the story is being treated as a business-data story rather than a political one. What remains open is whether the litigation blocking the $100,000 fee will be resolved, and whether Indian IT firms will shift to local hiring or visa extensions as the new wage-weighted selection system is applied to future lotteries.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): hindustantimes.com (neutral report), livemint.com (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
