India is emerging as the most polished tech workforce, with most workers being skilled in technology. Approximately 23 per cent of qualified tech workers in Silicon Valley are from India, amid a foreign-born workforce comprising two-thirds of the region’s tech talent.
But India is emerging as the preferred destination and workplace for skilled professionals, as problems around the H-1B visa program force many to consider their future. What w s once a one-way journey from India to Silicon Valley is now showing signs of reversal, with experienced engineers, founders, and executives choosing to return home, according to a Bloomberg report.
Stricter immigration rules
Stricter immigration rules, rising visa costs, and increased costs under US President Donald Trump’s administration have made it difficult for Indian workers to travel across the US. To cut costs, India is increasingly becoming a workplace for many engineers, benefiting the flow of global tech companies and providing stable opportunities.
Indian workers have always dominated the tech race, but the H-1B visa has accounted for nearly half of annual approvals.
Many of today’s global tech leaders, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, once relied on the programme early in their careers.
Data shows 40% tech workers shifting to India.
Bloomberg reports that LinkedIn data showed a 40 per cent rise in tech professionals relocating to India in late 2025, pointing to a clear shift in global talent movement.
Kunal Bahl, co-founder of Snapdeal, told Bloomberg that his own US career ended suddenly in 2007 after his H-1B visa was denied. At the age of 23, he returned to India and later worked on his idea, making his company the largest e-commerce platform.
Bahl emphasised that the recent hardships Indian tech workers are facing are hampering their growth and triggering renewed interest among them. According to him, visa uncertainty is already pushing skilled workers towards India, a trend he believes will accelerate.
As the US tightens its immigration policies, India appears to be gaining a strategic advantage. As AI adoption grows and global investment increases, the country is positioning itself as a long-term hub for technology talent that once looked almost exclusively to Silicon Valley.
