H1B Visa Row: Ahead Of Donald Trump's Inauguration, Tech Giant HCL Says Company Is 'Not...' - Details

The Donald Trump administration in the US is unlikely to affect the business of IT company HCLTech as it is very less dependent on H1B visas, a senior official from the company said.

"About 80 per cent of our people in the US are all locals, so our dependence on the H1B is one of the least in the industry. And it is not just now if I look back over the last 4 odd years, we have been pretty locally self-sufficient," said Ramachandran Sundararajan, Chief People Officer, HCLTech.

He added that this reflects in the number of H1B visas that we go through every year. "It ranges between 500-1,000 in a year max...so it is minimal dependence," he added.

The tech giant on Monday reported a 5.54 per cent rise in consolidated net profit to Rs 4,591 crore for the December quarter.

Under the H1B Programme, US companies can temporarily employ foreign workers in speciality occupations. Indian companies have significantly benefitted through this programme, especially in the tech sector.

As President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office on January 20, 2025, it is expected to have significant implications for the H-1B visa programme, which is important for many Indian professionals.

In his previous term, Trump implemented stricter regulations on H-1B visas, while prioritising American workers.

It is also expected that he may continue this trend, and potentially increase competition, making it more challenging for Indian tech professionals to secure H-1B visas.

Tech companies, originating in India, cornered a fifth of all H-1B visas issued by the US. Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services are leading the pack, an analysis of data from the US immigration department showed.

According to data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, in April-September 2024, out of the total 1.3 lakh H-1B visas issued to different employers, about 24,766 visas were issued to Indian-origin companies.