Many Indian tech professionals are leaving the US because of visa uncertainty. However, returning home is not leading to more jobs in India. Instead, many are joining the same multinational companies through their India offices for much lower salaries, showed a new survey by Blind. The move benefits US big tech companies, which can keep experienced employees while cutting salary costs, it said.
The survey of 1,276 verified professionals in India found that 53% have seen people return from the US because of visa-related issues. Among them, 36% said colleagues or job candidates had already returned, while another 17% knew people who were planning to come back.
Even as Global Capability Centres (GCCs) continue to expand in India, many professionals do not see more jobs being created. Only 26% said job openings have increased over the past year, while 51% said opportunities have gone down.
Blind conducted the survey between June 16 and June 25, 2026, among 1,276 verified professionals in India working across software engineering, product management, AI and machine learning, data and analytics, business operations, design, research, finance, consulting and other technology roles.
Companies are keeping experienced workers at lower pay
Many professionals believe US technology companies are moving experienced employees from the US to their India offices instead of hiring more people locally. For companies, this means they can keep employees who already understand the business while paying them much lower salaries. For workers, returning to India brings relief from visa uncertainty, but also lower pay. As one Google professional said on Blind, “Average pay has gone down in the last 6 months. So you might be looking at a 1/5th pay [of the US].”
The return is already happening
The survey found that this is already common at companies that are expanding their India GCCs. About 57% of Amazon employees, 58% of Walmart employees and 55% of Uber employees said they had seen colleagues return from the US. These companies are also increasing hiring through their India centres.
More competition for jobs
Even though GCCs are growing, many professionals feel it has become harder to find jobs. More than half (51%) said there are fewer job opportunities than a year ago. Another 23% said the market has stayed the same, while only 26% said there are more openings. Many believe that experienced professionals returning from the US are filling these roles, leaving fewer opportunities for people already looking for jobs in India.
AI jobs are holding up better
The survey found that AI and machine learning professionals are facing less pressure than workers in other technology roles. Among AI and ML engineers, 42% said job opportunities had fallen over the past year. The numbers were higher for software engineers (52%), product managers (54%) and data and analytics professionals (56%). This shows that companies are still hiring for AI-related work, while hiring has slowed in many other technology roles.
Professionals have mixed views
Not everyone believes the return of workers from the US will have the same effect. About 40% said it would not make much difference to their own careers. However, 24% said returning professionals are taking jobs they could have applied for, while another 15% said experienced returnees are making hiring more competitive. Only 21% believed that more professionals returning from the US would help India’s technology sector and improve salary growth.