H-1B path over, all doors have been shut: Indian techies look beyond US dream

Last week, the Trump administration suspended eight tech companies, including TCS, Infosys, and Microsoft, from its Permanent Labour Certification (PERM) programme. PERM is seen as a major step in the employer-sponsored Green Card process. While this freeze does not directly impact new H-1B visa applications — although they too are under pressure from the Trump administration — for those wanting to work in the US, especially Indians, it is seen as a major blow for long-term career prospects.Usually, Indian software engineers working on an H-1B visa rely on the PERM programme to obtain a Green Card later. An H-1B visa holder can stay in the US for a period of six years. Beyond this, the person can stay if their PERM application was started in due time. With the freeze over the eight companies, namely TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech, Capgemini, Cognizant, Microsoft, and Adobe, these companies will not be able to have its employees enrolled in the programme. Pending applications will also not be processed.In the short-term, the biggest impact of the freeze will be Indians working at these companies on an H-1B visa, particularly those nearing the six-year term. However, there is more to the story, that is its impact on the dream of working in the US.It is no secret that many Indian techies plan on working in, and eventually moving to, the US. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 69.9 per cent of H-1B applicants in 2025 were from India at 283,772. This suspension may have happened in the US, but its ripple effects can be felt across India. Dreams left shakenAn Indian software engineer working at one of the eight impacted companies explains that the suspension is going to have a direct impact on his career plans. “As a fresher, I really aspired to join the onsite team in America, but this news makes it feel like all doors have been shut before I could even try,” he tells India Today Tech. “It is incredibly demotivating to know that the shift I was aiming for is basically off the table now.”The engineer, who works with one of the biggest SaaS in India, notes that the decision has made his plan of getting work experience in the US uncertain, at least for now. “Getting that US onsite experience was definitely on my bucket list. I really wanted to experience working directly with clients and add that global exposure to my career,” he says. “Now, that dream feels incredibly shaky.” He is now planning to “figure out other ways to get international experience.”The sentiment seems to be the same among his colleagues. The techie claims that his team members working in the US are facing uncertainty. “While the colleagues already in the US will face a massive hit once their visas expire, I don't think the company will even consider sending new people (to the US) now,” he adds. “This is going to heavily impact morale, especially for team members who were eyeing promotions and onsite stints.”The story is similar for Karan, a software developer at TCS. He tells India Today Tech that the decision makes him realise how immigration policies can dictate careers. “This event has made the whole thing more uncertain and has shown me how immigration policy can affect my career choices regardless of whether I am an experienced professional or just beginning my career,” Karan says.Another fresher adds they are also doubting their plans to settle in the US. “For budding ambitious techies like us, if we wanna go ahead and settle in the US for better opportunities, this causes some serious issues,” they tell India Today Tech.India Today Tech also spoke to a software developer who has worked in the industry for over a decade, and knows many software engineers who are currently in the US on H-1B visa. He explains that his friends are worried following the suspension. “The people who are working over there on H-1B, they're a little scared of this kind of thing, because they don't come to India so often,” he adds. “Why? Because their companies are telling them that it's your own risk. Later on, if they don't let you enter, it's your own risk.”But US is not the only goalWhile the PERM suspension for the eight companies seems to be a major roadblock in the career plans for many, not all is lost. One developer says that she never made the US a priority. “I never had the big American Dream,” she tells India Today Tech. “I am open to exploring other markets and I believe my career goals might align better with the tech ecosystems and project lifecycles found in other global regions.”Though the developer adds that the recent uncertainty over H1Bs and Green Cards in the US has played a major factor in her plans. “The complex visa processes and long permanent residency backlogs in the US make alternative international tech hubs a more practical choice for my long-term professional growth,” she notes.And this does not apply only to freshers or those who entered the industry a few years ago. A veteran software engineer claimed he gave up on the US dream a decade ago. “I understood that whatever I may earn in the US can be earned somewhere else,” he says. “If you work in Singapore or the Middle East, or somewhere in Europe, where they really require people, the earnings would be somewhat similar. (The US) does not matter.”He suggests that younger techies should look beyond the US. “There are smaller markets also, which give equal pay or equal opportunity,” he says.- Ends