As of early October 2026, the public record does not show that Indian technology companies shrugged off the changes to the U.S. skilled-visa program. It shows a series of policy changes to the H-1B program, a sharp fall in registrations by the largest IT staffing and outsourcing firms in U.S. government figures, and an Indian government that defends skilled talent mobility. It contains no named statement, earnings-call remark or staffing decision from TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCLTech or any other Indian company that would support “shrug off.” Treat that phrase as an unverified framing rather than a finding.
The more useful question is which firms were exposed, and how. The government numbers describe a specific group of companies, not the Indian tech sector as a whole, and the sections below explain how to tell the difference.
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What changed: the two proclamations side by side
Two presidential proclamations, a year apart, define the entry restriction. A separate USCIS rule changed how H-1B cap selection works. The table compares the two proclamations; the sections that follow cover the cap rule and the 2026 action.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match| Feature | September 2025 proclamation | September 2026 continuation |
|---|---|---|
| Start of restriction | Petitions filed after the proclamation’s effective time (State Department guidance, updated September 21, 2025) | 12:01 a.m. EDT, September 21, 2026 (White House proclamation) |
| Duration | Not stated in the material cited here | 12 months |
| What it restricts | Visa issuance and entry for people seeking to enter on H-1B petitions filed after the effective time | Entry; directs agencies to restrict decisions on certain H-1B petitions for workers outside the United States |
| Payment condition | Restriction applies unless the petition is accompanied or supplemented by a $100,000 payment | $100,000 payment condition continues, subject to exceptions |
| Exceptions | Determined by the Department of Homeland Security (not itemized in the material cited here) | Subject to exceptions (not itemized in the material cited here) |
| Visas revoked | State Department guidance said none had been revoked under the proclamation | Not stated in the material cited here |
Does the $100,000 payment apply to existing H-1B visa holders?
The material cited here does not settle this for workers already in the United States. The 2025 guidance is tied to H-1B petitions filed after the effective time, and it says no visas had been revoked under the proclamation. It does not say whether a current H-1B holder who changes employers, extends status or travels and seeks re-entry is covered. Those cases turn on the exceptions DHS determines and on USCIS implementation guidance. Before making a staffing or travel decision for a specific worker, check current USCIS guidance and speak with immigration counsel.
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How weighted cap selection works
DHS and USCIS announced the weighted selection rule in a December 23, 2025 release. It changes the odds of selection, not the statutory cap: higher-skilled and higher-paid beneficiaries get a greater probability of selection, while employers keep the ability to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels. The rule took effect February 27, 2026, for the FY 2027 cap registration season. The statutory cap remains 65,000 visas, plus 20,000 for eligible U.S. advanced-degree holders.
USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser described the purpose this way: “The new weighted selection will better serve Congress’ intent for the H-1B program and strengthen America’s competitiveness by incentivizing American employers to petition for higher-paid, higher-skilled foreign workers.” That is the agency’s account of its own rule, not an independent assessment of its effects.
What the September 2026 continuation covers
The 2026 proclamation continues the same entry restriction. Its reach is the part that needs care. The White House describes the measure as concerning entry, and it directs agencies to restrict decisions on certain petitions for H-1B workers outside the United States. Which petitions agencies treat as covered, and which exceptions apply, will determine who is affected in practice. This article does not track court challenges or later implementation changes, so confirm current status on the official pages listed at the end before relying on any scope described here.
The administration’s stated rationale
A separate September 2026 White House action directs interagency coordination and presents the policy as a response to alleged fraud, wage suppression and the displacement of U.S. workers. These are the administration’s allegations and its case for the policy. They are presented here as claims made by the government, not as independently established findings.
What the government data shows
The Federal Register notice of September 23, 2026 (Volume 91, Issue 183) is the only quantitative picture of how the changes played out in the material cited here. Its figures are government-published administrative data and reflect the notice’s own account of the changes:
- Combined H-1B registrations for the largest IT staffing and outsourcing firms: 24,946 to 2,055, a 92% decrease — Federal Register, 2026.
- Consular-processing requests: a nearly 97% decline between the FY 2025 and FY 2027 cap seasons — Federal Register, 2026. The reporting cited here does not break this figure out by employer type.
- Registrants with at least a U.S. master’s degree: 45.1% for FY 2026 rising to 66.1% for FY 2027 — Federal Register, 2026.
- Selections by wage level: job offers at the two highest wage levels made up about 46.3% of selections, and the lowest wage level made up 17.8% — Federal Register, 2026.
Read these with care. The registration and consular figures describe the largest IT staffing and outsourcing firms collectively, not every Indian company and not the Indian tech sector as a whole. Registration counts show what firms filed in the cap process, not whether they hired, kept workers or lost client work. The wage and degree shares describe the overall pool of registrants and selections, not any individual firm’s hiring.
What India has said
India’s official position
In a spokesperson statement dated September 20, 2025, published by the Embassy of India, the Government of India said: “Skilled talent mobility and exchanges have contributed enormously to technology development, innovation, economic growth, competitiveness and wealth creation in both our countries.” That is the government’s position on the value of skilled mobility. It is not a statement about how any company responded to the U.S. changes.
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The largest H-1B users include U.S. firms
Associated Press reporting from December 2025 named Amazon as the top recipient of H-1B approvals in the year it referenced, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Apple and Google. The ranking is useful context: the program’s largest users include American firms as well as Indian ones, so “Indian tech giants” is a narrower lens than the program itself. An approval ranking does not show how any firm reacted to the policy changes.
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How to test the “shrug off” claim
Aggregate numbers cannot tell a reader whether a particular company was affected. Five comparisons can, and each needs company-level data to answer.
Quick Recap
| Test | Question to ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| New cap-subject hires vs. extensions or status changes | Does the firm depend on new H-1B registrations, or on continuing existing workers? | The 2025 guidance applies to petitions filed after its effective time, so the mix of new and continuing workers shapes exposure. |
| Workers already in the U.S. vs. workers requiring entry from abroad | How many of the firm’s H-1B workers would need visa issuance or entry from outside the United States? | Exposure can differ between these groups; the reach for workers already in the country is not settled in the material cited here. |
| Wage and skill level under weighted selection | What share of the firm’s registrations fall in the higher wage levels? | Weighting favors higher-paid and higher-skilled beneficiaries, so a firm’s wage mix affects its odds under the new process. |
| Direct employment vs. IT staffing and outsourcing model | Does the firm place H-1B workers on its own payroll for its own products, or supply them to clients? | The largest registration decline in the notice is for staffing and outsourcing firms, so business model determines whether the group figure applies to a given company. |
| Documented company response vs. aggregate government data | Has the company addressed the changes in filings, annual reports or earnings calls? | A sector-wide or group-wide total does not establish company exposure; only company-level disclosure does. |
Where to confirm current status
- State Department visa pages, for the restriction guidance updated September 21, 2025.
- USCIS H-1B pages, for the weighted selection rule and any implementation guidance on the $100,000 payment.
- The Federal Register, Volume 91, Issue 183 (September 23, 2026), for the government figures cited above.
- Court dockets, for any challenge to either proclamation.
- Investor-relations pages of listed companies, for filings, annual reports and earnings-call transcripts.
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