Over 12,000 Indian tech professionals have left the U.S. amid rising visa uncertainty and layoffs, with the trend expected to continue as immigration policies tighten.
A significant number of Indian tech workers are returning to India as uncertainty surrounding U.S. visa policies and increasing layoffs continue to mount. According to a report by The Economic Times, approximately 12,700 professionals had relocated back to India by September 2026, indicating that this year is on track to exceed last year’s record of 15,100 departures.
The trend of Indian tech professionals leaving the U.S. has been escalating in recent years, with numbers rising from 7,200 in 2023 to 9,800 in 2024. If this trajectory persists, India may soon witness a greater influx of tech professionals returning from the U.S. than those migrating there.
This shift is occurring against a backdrop of heightened uncertainty regarding immigration and visa policies, particularly under the Trump administration. The combination of rising layoffs and a lack of stability in global hiring practices has further exacerbated the situation.
Abhinarayan Mishra, a LinkedIn member, emphasized that returning to India does not necessarily ensure a smooth transition. He pointed out that Indian employers are increasingly prioritizing expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and product leadership, rather than general international experience. Additionally, Mishra highlighted the complexities of tax compliance in both the U.S. and India, along with potential educational and adjustment challenges faced by the Gen Z children of returning professionals.
The trend of returning professionals follows the suspension of Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) processing for some of the largest recruiters of global talent, including Microsoft, Adobe, Infosys, Cognizant, Capgemini, Wipro, HCL Technologies, and Tata. PERM is a crucial step in the employer-sponsored green card process, requiring employers to demonstrate that there are not enough qualified U.S. workers for a position and that hiring a foreign worker will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed American workers.
For Indian professionals who rely on employer sponsorship, this suspension could delay their plans to obtain permanent residency. The impact of this suspension will vary depending on individual immigration statuses and the stages of their green card applications.
According to immigration expert Swatilina Barik, the suspension does not cancel existing H-1B visas or affect green cards that have already been approved. Instead, it prevents the affected companies from filing new PERM applications and pauses pending applications while the suspension remains in effect. Barik noted that this development should be viewed as a restriction on the employment-based permanent residency pathway rather than a cancellation of temporary work authorization.
Additionally, rules governing H-1B visas are facing potential changes that could further complicate the situation. A bill introduced in Congress aims to impose significant penalties on U.S. companies that violate H-1B rules. Under the proposed H-1B Visa Fraud Crackdown Act, introduced on October 1 by Republican Representative Beth Van Duyne of Texas, employers could face fines of up to $250,000 and could be banned from federal immigration programs for as long as ten years.
As the landscape for Indian tech professionals in the U.S. continues to shift, many are reassessing their options and considering a return to India amid the growing challenges associated with visa uncertainty and employment stability.
This trend highlights the evolving dynamics of the global tech workforce and the implications of U.S. immigration policies on skilled professionals from India.
According to The Economic Times, the ongoing changes in immigration policy and the job market are likely to influence the decisions of many tech workers in the coming months.