GLOBAL — Leading IT outsourcing companies Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, and Cognizant are among the firms that may incur additional costs due to Trump’s $100K H-1B worker fee.
Introduced last September, the H-1B fee was upheld by a federal court in December and applies to new petitions filed after September 21, 2025. This measure aimed to tighten immigration rules for foreign workers, representing the most stringent restriction on H-1B hiring.
A recent Bloomberg News analysis found a possible disproportionate effect of this fee on multinational staffing firms that act as intermediaries for U.S. companies. It highlighted Indian IT giants TCS and Infosys as the ones most likely to be affected by the proposed $100K fee.
Bloomberg’s review of U.S. immigration data shows that nearly 90% of TCS and Infosys’s new H-1B hires between 2020 and 2024 were processed at U.S. consulates, making them subject to the $100K fees.
- For TCS, roughly 82% of its new hires, or approximately 6,500 workers, would be subjected to the additional fees.
- For Infosys, more than 93% of its new hires, or 10,400 workers, would be hit with these additional fees.
What This Means for the Companies
In its analysis, Bloomberg notes that this fee is intended to discourage what could be viewed as abuse of the H-1B program. It’s designed to urge companies to hire more domestic workers, but it has instead prompted them to adjust their hiring practices.
While TCS and Infosys were highlighted in the review, the H-1B shift is expected to ripple beyond both companies. Other firms may also face higher vendor pricing, which will ultimately lead to a rebalancing of work away from the U.S. and toward India and Europe.
If strictly implemented, this policy will mark a turning point for the global workforce. It will increase demand for remote delivery and localized talent development, accelerating global talent redistribution.
We’re already seeing that happen. The fear is that if you have truly exceptional talent overseas, those people are definitely going to be missing out.
— Jonathan Wasden, Immigration Attorney
