TCS CEO K Krithivasan confirms no plans to hire more H-1B visa holders this year, focusing on local recruitment amid US visa fee hikes and tighter regulations.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) CEO K Krithivasan has given clarification that the company isn't looking to hire more H-1B visa holders in the current financial year and planning to recruit talent locally, according to Economic Times report. Krithivasan's comment came following H-1B visa turmoil, where Trump administration increased one-time fee to $100,000 over misuse of visa system, especially by IT companies to suppress wages and hire more foreign workers which are cheap.

Krithivasan said as quoted by ET that TCS's business hasn't been impacted by tighter visa enforcement and anti-outsourcing rhetoric yet. He added that the IT company has reduced the reliance on visa holders over the past few years and is scaling up local recruitment.

Krithivasan clarified that fresh application numbers are coming down and the last year's reported figure of 5,505 H-1B visas includes renewals and amendments.

Upon the reduction of headcount in Q2FY26, Krithivasan said that it was part of cost cutting, and there was no impact of AI. "We said our workforce has to be future-ready," he added.

The United States is poised to significantly tighten regulations around the H-1B visa programme, a move that could have far-reaching implications for Indian IT professionals and international students seeking employment in the country. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has unveiled a draft proposal titled 'Reforming the H-1B Visa Non-Immigrant Visa Programme', which seeks to overhaul key aspects of the programme, including eligibility criteria, oversight mechanisms, and fee structures.

At the heart of the proposed changes is the introduction of a $100,000 fee (approx Rs 88,00,000) for H-1B visa applications, alongside a shift from the current lottery-based selection process to a wage-based system, prioritising applicants with higher salaries.

TCS Not Planning To Hire New H-1B Visa Holders This Year, Focusing On Local Workforce: CEO Krithivasan