TCS makes no H1B visa application this fiscal

Tata Consultancy Services has not filed for a single H1B visa this year mainly due to its focus on shifting more work to low-cost destinations such as India and China.

Moreover, the company already has around 18,000 employees with valid H1B visas, both in India and overseas, said Mr Ajoy Mukherjee, Vice-President and Head Global Human Resources.

TCS relocated over 1,000 of its overseas staff during the quarter ended June 30 to increase offshoring revenues. The move had a positive impact of about 95 basis points on the company’s margins.

According to him, bringing back staff to India is beneficial for TCS, its clients and its employees. “If you shift work offshore, the customer’s overall costs reduce. It is advantageous for TCS because margins are obviously higher when you deliver from an offshore location. For employees too, it is good as they get to work in their home base,” said Mr Mukherjee.

The people who were called back were stationed at its centres in the US, the UK, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

“These are not the sales people but those involved in actual projects and delivery. Instead of doing it from the customer’s location, they would now carry forward from our India location,” he said. TCS feels that there is ‘more scope left’ to move work and people onshore.