Overview

• President Trump raised the cost of new H-1B petitions to $100,000 this month, and U.S. senators reintroduced a bill to further tighten H-1B and L-1 programs.
• Industry leaders report companies are reassessing workforce plans with early moves to place AI, product development, cybersecurity and analytics roles into India-based global capability centres.
• India hosts roughly 1,700 GCCs, more than half the global total, with projections topping 2,200 by 2030 and a market approaching $100 billion.
• Executives warn some firms could pursue “extreme offshoring” or nearshoring to Mexico or Colombia, and Canada may also benefit, while major H-1B sponsors declined comment on strategy shifts.
• A proposed HIRE Act that would levy a 25% tax on outsourced work is a key uncertainty, as Nomura says stronger GCC exports could partly offset losses tied to H-1B-dependent business.