K. Kritivisan, Head and Managing Director of TCS, stated that the company is deeply integrated into the US technology ecosystem and provides vital services. According to TCS, the largest Indian IT company, it is unlikely that the United States will target technology firms solely because of their place of registration.
Kritivisan told PTI in an interview at the company's headquarters that governments are likely considering the situation from the perspective of employment rather than registration location. He suggested that sensitivity to creating local jobs might prompt governments to take measures, such as the decision made last week regarding eight companies, including TCS.
Kritivisan emphasized that this recent decision does not significantly affect the largest Indian IT company. He added that TCS sends personnel to the US at client request, but last year the company applied for only about 10 green cards, and the total number of H1-B visa applications was less than 300.
He clarified that many of these H1-B applications concerned individuals already in the US, which excludes sending new employees from India. When asked about the upcoming mid-term elections in November, Kritivisan noted that TCS has a long-term strategy in the US, which is its largest revenue market, and the election outcome will not change this strategy.
As part of efforts to have a presence in all regions where it operates, TCS is focusing on hiring local talent. He reported that more than half of the company's over 30,000 employees in the US are local residents. Chief Operating Officer Arati Subramanyam responded to the question about plans to hire another 15,000 people in the US over five years, stating that the company hires diverse talent that meets skill requirements, and a person's nationality does not matter.
Subramanyam noted that the company has extensive experience integrating into various regions and benefits from diversity, while acknowledging the possibility of having people of Indian origin, including those born in the US or who migrated earlier.
Following the suspension of a key green card program for eight technology firms, including well-known Indian ones, the industry organization Nasscom stated that immigration and skilled labor mobility are 'two separate issues' that should not be viewed in the same context. These recent actions come amid growing difficulties for Indian IT companies in the US, including stricter control over work visas and increased costs for H-1B applicants. This latest development in the US, the largest market for the $300 billion Indian IT industry, increases uncertainty for outsourcing firms dependent on cross-border movement of skilled professionals.