H-1B approvals plunge 40% for Indian IT firms
What's the story
India's top six IT companies—Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, Wipro, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra and Cognizant—have seen a massive drop in their H-1B visa approvals. The total number of approvals plummeted from 18,469 to just 11,041 between FY25 and FY26. This is a nearly 40% decline and the steepest single-year fall in recent times for Indian IT firms' US visa footprint.
TCS impact
TCS sees sharpest fall in visa approvals
TCS, India's largest IT exporter, witnessed the sharpest fall in H-1B approvals. The number dropped from 6,136 in FY25 to 2,885 in FY26—a 53% decrease. This drastic change is largely due to US policy changes and a wage-weighted lottery system that have made it more difficult for Indian IT firms to secure these visas.
Approval drops
Other IT firms also report significant declines
Along with TCS, other top Indian IT firms have also seen a major drop in their H-1B approvals. Wipro's approvals fell by 62% year-on-year while Tech Mahindra recorded a 59% decline. HCL Technologies also reported a year-on-year decline but the specific FY26 figures were not separately disclosed.
Infosys exception
Infosys bucks trend with increase in H-1B approvals
Unlike its peers, Infosys was the only Indian IT giant to see an increase in its H-1B approvals for FY26. The Bengaluru-based firm ended the year with 3,195 approvals—an improvement over FY25 and the highest among the six companies. However, no official company-level explanation has been provided for this divergence from industry trends.
Policy impact
Policy changes impact on new hires
The decline in H-1B approvals can be attributed to major policy changes within a year. In September 2025, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 annual fee on new H-1B petitions. Then in February 2026, the Department of Homeland Security changed the selection process from a random lottery to a wage-weighted system for FY27 cap season.
Worker protection
Extension approval rates remain high for now
The impact of these policy changes has mostly been seen in new hiring, not existing deployments. Extension approval rates for TCS, Infosys and Wipro remained above 93%, indicating that the current H-1B workforce in the US is not facing immediate disruption. However, TCS's extension rejection rate did rise from 4% to 7% in FY25 compared to a US-wide average of 1.9%.