Speaking at the NDTV Profit Conclave on the evening of 7 February, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal declared that India’s IT sector no longer relies on the US H-1B visa programme to drive growth. Pointing to the acceleration of remote-delivery models and expansion of near-shore centres, Goyal said Indian firms have reduced employee deployments to the United States and diversified into Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
The minister’s comments come amid a plateau in H-1B quota numbers and heightened scrutiny of employer-employee relationships by US immigration authorities. Industry observers note that while top firms still hold thousands of H-1B petitions, the share of onsite staff has fallen sharply since the pandemic forced companies to perfect secure remote-access protocols.
![“H-1B dependence is over,” says Commerce Minister, signalling shift in India’s mobility narrative]()
For global mobility professionals, the shift means recalibrating assignment budgets: fewer long-term US postings but more short-cycle visits under B-1 or ESTA regimes, as well as increased intra-company transfers to jurisdictions with friendlier talent visas such as Portugal’s new Tech Visa or Canada’s Global Skills Strategy.
Goyal added that India’s trade negotiations now focus on mutual recognition of professional qualifications and digital-nomad frameworks rather than traditional labour-mobility concessions. However, industry bodies cautioned that Washington’s forthcoming H-1B modernisation rule could still impact niche skill shortages.
Companies should track the evolving visa mix carefully: as dependence on H-1B wanes, compliance teams must master a wider array of short-term entry categories across multiple countries.
The minister’s comments come amid a plateau in H-1B quota numbers and heightened scrutiny of employer-employee relationships by US immigration authorities. Industry observers note that while top firms still hold thousands of H-1B petitions, the share of onsite staff has fallen sharply since the pandemic forced companies to perfect secure remote-access protocols.
For global mobility professionals, the shift means recalibrating assignment budgets: fewer long-term US postings but more short-cycle visits under B-1 or ESTA regimes, as well as increased intra-company transfers to jurisdictions with friendlier talent visas such as Portugal’s new Tech Visa or Canada’s Global Skills Strategy.
Goyal added that India’s trade negotiations now focus on mutual recognition of professional qualifications and digital-nomad frameworks rather than traditional labour-mobility concessions. However, industry bodies cautioned that Washington’s forthcoming H-1B modernisation rule could still impact niche skill shortages.
Companies should track the evolving visa mix carefully: as dependence on H-1B wanes, compliance teams must master a wider array of short-term entry categories across multiple countries.
Source: NDTV
