The $100,000 Visa Opportunity?

Sector6 ------------------ Sep 14. 2025 Your backstage pass to the biggest shifts shaping IT, AI, and GCCs. Welcome back to Sector 6! US President Donald Trump's executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on each new H-1B visa petition has rattled India's IT services, startups and GCCs. But the tale is playing out differently for each sector. by Mohit Pandey Hello, Hello, That old lottery registration fee of $215 and petition fee of $780? Practically pocket change now. The Indian foreign ministry raised an alarm, flagging it as "humanitarian consequences". Telangana IT and industries minister Sridhar Babu Duddilla believes the state could be among the worst hit as it is expected to affect Indian professionals and remittance flows. For Indian IT, the news might not be as troublesome as expected. Industry bodies Nasscom and UnearthInsight both highlighted that the long-term impact on large Indian IT firms will likely be marginal due to their increasingly declining dependency on visas over the past few years. The total number of petitions from eight leading firms, including TCS, Infosys and Wipro, dropped sharply from 25,475 in 2022 to 14,319 in 2025. However, the fee hike is expected to sting smaller and mid-sized IT service companies much more, since they still rely more heavily on H-1B visas. Financial services firm Motilal Oswal Financial Services expects the Indian IT industry to sidestep new filings by intensifying offshore delivery or ramping up local hiring. Ironically, the bigger blow could land on big tech. GCCs and Startups: Unexpected Winners? While IT majors wrestle shrinking margins, GCCs and startups are gearing up. Some even believe it opens a historic opportunity for the sectors. Alouk Kumar, CEO of Inductus Group, believes this policy shift will encourage US corporations to bring work to India rather than moving talent abroad. "For India, this could actually mean more jobs, more investment, and more GCCs." Unlike AWS or Azure, which spread growth across millions of customers, Oracle's filings show its future cloud revenue is overwhelmingly tied to one buyer. But not everyone is optimistic.  Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, added that the ripple effects of the broader policy environment, such as potential moves like the proposed Halting International Relocation of Employment (HIRE) Act, could eventually extend to GCC operations as well. Read: Trump's  H-1B Fee Alarms Industry, But India Sees GCC Opportunity Startups, however, are likely to remain unfazed. Abhishek Prasad, managing partner at Cornerstone Ventures, pointed out, "Startups usually don't target H-1B quotas for their US efforts and end up either seeking short-term visas for founders or key team members to visit customers or investors." In fact, the H-1B shock could end up reversing India's brain drain. And startups are smiling about it.  Shantanu Gangal and Sangram Raje, co-founders of Prodigal, predict that Indian talent will eventually move back home as US immigration policies tighten and are optimistic about what this could mean for the AI sector.  Madhav Krishna, CEO and founder of Vahan.ai, who is of the same mind, believes changes in visa structures could encourage more people to stay back and build in India.  Read: What $100,000 Visa Fee Means for Indian AI Startups So, what looks like a threat could turn into an opportunity for GCCs and startups in India. While Indian IT struggles with margin pressures and delivery adjustments, the next spurt of growth may well be led from the home turf. Regardless, Quess Corp CEO Kapil Joshi's cautionary message hits a nerve. "The H-1B visa fee hike is more than a policy change in Washington—it is a wake-up call for New Delhi."    AIM NETWORK >>> Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched GST Bachat Utsav, collapsing 12% slabs into 5% and 18%, cutting household costs by ₹2.5 lakh crore. Announced on Navratri's opening day, Modi's reforms mark a Swadeshi surge, urging Indians to "Make in India, Buy in India." Best Firm for Data Scientists – Showcase your leadership in data science and build a thriving workplace. Apply Now Join AIM Leaders Council – Connect with top data leaders and shape the future of AI. Check Eligibility Our Events – Be part of an exclusive event uniting North America's top data leaders. More Details AIM PeMa Quadrant – Discover the best in AI and data services with AIM's PeMa Quadrant. Explore Now GCC Explorer Unlock Exclusive Insights into 1744 Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India with AIM Research's Comprehensive Database.  Access GCC Explorer   Stay ahead with these insights, and join us in driving the future of data science and technology. Your active engagement and participation are what make our community thrive.   For Brand Collaborations, Contact us at info@aim.media To unsubscribe from future emails, simply click the "unsubscribe" link AIM. Unsubscribe © Copyright, 2025, AIM • 1st Floor, Sakti Statesman, Marathahalli – Sarjapur Outer Ring Rd, Green Glen Layout, Bellandur, Bengaluru – 560103