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Piyush Goyal: Fewer H-1B visas are a win for India as talent stays home
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CNBC TV18•09-10-2026, 19:50
Piyush Goyal: Fewer H-1B visas are a win for India as talent stays home
- •Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated that a reduction in H-1B visas benefits the Indian economy by retaining skilled professionals locally.
- •The comments follow the US administration's suspension of new and pending PERM green card applications affecting major tech firms.
- •Goyal noted that the pandemic shifted workforce models, driving more technology work and global capability centres to Indian cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
- •He mentioned that Tata Consultancy Services does not expect the US PERM suspension to impact its operations or workforce strategy.
- •Goyal emphasized that India-US ties remain strong and consequential despite periodic policy friction regarding immigration.
Key Questions Answered
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated that lower H-1B visa approvals and recent US restrictions are a positive development for India's economy, as they encourage skilled professionals to stay local and prompt companies to expand global capability centres domestically.
Tata Consultancy Services does not expect the suspension to disrupt its workforce strategy or client engagements due to its minimal reliance on the PERM programme, having filed only single-digit applications over the preceding two years.
Piyush Goyal noted that he has not brought up H-1B visas or green cards in bilateral talks over his seven-and-a-half years in office, emphasizing that immigration is a sovereign regulatory matter rather than a direct Free Trade Agreement issue.
