‘More global careers will now start from India’: How US green card curbs could boost GCCs

India could become a bigger base for global engineering teams as US green card restrictions prompt companies to rethink how and where they hire technology professionals. Divesh Agarwal, founder and CEO of Aumni, believes the uncertainty could accelerate the shift towards Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India and create more opportunities for Indian professionals to work on global products.

“More global careers will now start from India,” Agarwal said, pointing to an opportunity for the country to retain skilled talent, strengthen its engineering capabilities and take greater ownership of products developed for global markets.

His comments come after the US government announced the suspension of eight technology companies from the Permanent Labour Certification Programme, which is part of the employment-based green card process. The action has raised questions about the future of hiring models that depend on foreign workers and overseas assignments.

For India, Agarwal sees the potential for a shift beyond traditional IT outsourcing, with global companies building stronger engineering teams on Indian soil.

Why US green card curbs could benefit India

Immigration uncertainty can make it harder for companies to plan long-term careers and staffing arrangements in the US. According to Agarwal, businesses facing such uncertainty tend to reconsider where they can build engineering teams that will remain in place over time.

“I’ve spent 25 years working between the US and India, and every time there’s immigration uncertainty, the same thing happens: companies start asking where they can build engineering teams that last,” he said.

Agarwal expects Indian IT services companies that rely heavily on sending employees to client locations in the US to face pressure. At the same time, he sees an opportunity for companies to expand offshore operations and establish or strengthen their GCCs in India.

GCCs enable multinational companies to build and manage teams in India that contribute directly to their global operations. Rather than relying entirely on external service providers, companies can develop in-house engineering capabilities and bring teams closer to their core product organisations.

‘Offshore fails when it’s treated like a vendor’

For Agarwal, the opportunity is not simply about moving more jobs to India. How companies organise and integrate their teams will also matter.

“Offshore fails when it’s treated like a vendor. When the offshore team feels like part of your product organisation, it works,” he said.

The distinction is important to his argument. Instead of treating Indian teams as external support units, global companies can make them part of the teams responsible for building and developing their products.

Such an approach could give engineers in India a more direct role in global product development, while helping companies build long-term capabilities outside the US.

India could retain skilled talent and build global products

Agarwal believes the changing immigration environment presents India with an opportunity to retain more skilled professionals and strengthen its position in global engineering.

If multinational companies increasingly choose to build teams in India, professionals may have more opportunities to work on international products without needing to relocate to the US to pursue global careers.

“For India, it’s a great chance to retain skilled people, strengthen our engineering capabilities, and take greater ownership of global products,” he said.

The extent of this shift remains to be seen. However, Agarwal’s comments highlight how US immigration uncertainty could influence not only where technology companies hire, but also how they structure their global operations.

What is the US green card programme suspension?

The US government announced on Thursday, October 8, that eight technology companies — Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, Tata, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini — were being suspended from the Permanent Labour Certification Programme.

US officials said the action was aimed at addressing alleged misuse of employment-based immigration programmes and concerns about their impact on American workers.

Labour Secretary Keith Sonderling said the Department of Labour would stop accepting new applications and processing pending permanent labour certification applications involving the companies. Vice President JD Vance also criticised what he described as the misuse of visa programmes by companies hiring foreign workers.

The move could put additional pressure on technology companies that depend on overseas talent and US-based assignments. For India, the longer-term question is whether more global employers will respond by expanding their own engineering capabilities in the country.