Three major information technology services companies with extensive operations in India have sharply reduced their participation in the US H-1B visa lottery for fiscal 2027, amid tighter immigration rules introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Cognizant recorded a 100% decline in registrations, while Infosys reduced its entries by 91% and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) by 95%, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report published on October 14. The figures highlight a significant change in the participation of major Indian IT companies in the H-1B programme, which allows US employers to hire foreign professionals for jobs requiring specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.
According to the report, H-1B Executive Actions in 2026, Infosys submitted 759 registrations for fiscal 2027, compared with 8,886 in fiscal 2026. TCS registered 284 candidates, down from 5,955 a year earlier. Cognizant recorded no registrations in the fiscal 2027 figures, compared with 3,752 in the previous year. The declines come as the Trump administration raises the potential cost of hiring certain foreign workers, changes the visa selection process and increases scrutiny of employers that sponsor H-1B workers.
The CRS report documents the sharp reduction in registrations but does not establish that any single policy caused the companies’ decisions.
H-1B registrations plunge at major Indian IT companies
The three companies have historically been among the largest participants in the H-1B lottery, which allocates a limited number of visas to eligible workers whose employers seek to sponsor them. The fiscal 2027 registration figures show the scale of the shift.
Infosys’ registrations fell from 8,886 to 759, while TCS’ declined from 5,955 to 284. Cognizant’s count fell from 3,752 to zero in the reported figures. Combined registrations by major IT staffing and outsourcing companies also fell sharply. A September 2026 federal government proclamation cited a roughly 92% decline, from 24,946 registrations in fiscal 2026 to 2,055 in fiscal 2027.
However, registrations are not equivalent to approved visas, actual hires or the total number of employees holding H-1B status. A selected registration allows an employer to file a visa petition, but approval is not guaranteed. The figures therefore do not mean that the three companies have eliminated their existing H-1B workforces or that the same percentage of their employees have lost opportunities to work in the United States.
Trump administration raises H-1B hiring costs
One of the most consequential changes came in September 2025, when the Trump administration introduced a $100,000 payment requirement for certain new H-1B petitions involving workers entering the United States from abroad.
The requirement significantly increased the potential cost of bringing eligible overseas workers into the country. It is distinct from the regular fees associated with H-1B applications and does not apply identically to every visa situation. The payment requirement was temporarily blocked amid litigation, according to the CRS report published October 14, 2026.
In August 2026, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a separate fee of $103,265 for each H-1B petition subject to the annual visa cap. That amount is a proposed fee, not the same as the existing $100,000 payment requirement. The administration has also pursued changes to wage requirements. The Department of Labor proposed increasing the prevailing-wage benchmarks employers must meet when hiring foreign workers under employment-based visa programmes.
READ: DHS proposal ends deference to prior H-1B approvals (October 13, 2026)
The proposed changes would raise wage thresholds across four occupational skill levels. The department estimated that the changes could increase employer costs by approximately $1.46 billion in the first year. For IT services companies that deploy employees to US client projects, higher potential hiring costs may influence recruitment, staffing and decisions about where work is performed.
New lottery system favors higher-paid workers
The Trump administration has also changed how candidates are selected for H-1B visas.
In February 2026, the Department of Homeland Security introduced a wage-weighted selection system for the fiscal 2027 lottery, replacing the previous random selection process.
Under the new approach, registrations associated with higher-paid positions receive greater weight in the selection process. The system is intended to prioritize higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers while addressing concerns about the impact of the programme on US wages and employment opportunities.
The change could affect employers that traditionally rely on large numbers of overseas technology professionals, particularly for positions that do not command the highest wage levels.
The administration has also intensified enforcement efforts. In July 2026, the Department of Labor announced an investigation into suspected fraud, human trafficking and coercive wage kickbacks involving the H-1B programme. The effort builds on Project Firewall, launched in 2025 to investigate alleged violations of employment and immigration rules.
In September 2026, Trump issued an executive order directing agencies to consider whether employers sponsoring H-1B workers had carried out or planned layoffs during the preceding year when assessing relevant applications and petitions.
Implications for Indian technology professionals
The sharp decline in registrations could signal changes in how Indian IT companies staff their US operations, although the available figures do not establish how many jobs have been lost or how many workers will ultimately receive visas. Companies may place greater emphasis on hiring workers already in the United States, extending existing employees’ visas, transferring employees between locations where permitted, or recruiting locally. They may also reconsider which projects require employees to work onsite and which can be delivered from India.
READ: Microsoft faces PERM suspension over H-1B allegations (October 8, 2026)
For Indian professionals seeking to enter the US job market, the changes could make employer sponsorship more dependent on salary levels, job requirements and the employer’s willingness to bear additional costs. The developments also come amid broader scrutiny of employment-based immigration. In October 2026, the Department of Labor suspended the processing of certain permanent labor certification applications involving major technology companies, including Cognizant, Infosys and TCS. That action concerns the PERM process used for many employment-based green card applications and is separate from the H-1B lottery.
Existing H-1B visa holders do not automatically lose their status because their employer submits fewer new lottery registrations. Their individual circumstances depend on their immigration status, employment and applicable rules.
The CRS findings nevertheless point to a substantial reduction in fresh H-1B lottery participation by three of the largest IT services companies associated with Indian talent. As US immigration policies continue to evolve, employers and prospective workers will need to assess the costs, selection rules and other requirements governing employment-based visas.