Narayan AmmachchiA growing number of Indian technology professionals working in the United States are returning home, following sweeping changes to the H-1B visa regime under the Donald Trump administration.
The introduction of a steep annual fee of $100,000 for H-1B visa sponsorship has sharply altered the economics of employing foreign tech talent in the U.S.
According to Bloomberg, citing LinkedIn data, the number of Indian professionals relocating back to India rose by 40% as of 2025. The H-1B program, long considered a golden ticket for Indian engineers seeking careers in Silicon Valley, has lost much of its appeal amid rising costs and regulatory uncertainty, the report said.
However, visa restrictions are only part of the story. Several Silicon Valley giants have simultaneously expanded their engineering footprint in India, increasingly hiring talent locally rather than relocating workers to the U.S.
Companies including Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google and Netflix added tens of thousands of jobs in India in 2025, particularly across global capability centers.
India’s government has also stepped up efforts to attract skilled returnees. Initiatives such as Bharat-Talent and Bharat-Return offer fast-track visas and tax incentives to non-resident tech professionals.
Industry recruiters say Indian graduates and experienced professionals are now favoring domestic opportunities, citing strong job growth at home and the unpredictability of costly U.S. visa processes.
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