Happiest Minds sees Negligible Biz Impact from H-1B Visa Fee Hike

Mid-tier IT firm Happiest Minds Technologies on Tuesday said the majority of its employees are based in India, and it expects negligible impact on operations and business outlook from the recent increase in H-1B visa fees.

Last week, the Trump administration announced a one-time USD 1,00,000 fee on H-1B visas.

All new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery, will require payment of the USD 100,000 fee. USCIS has clarified that the fee does not apply to any petitions filed before the 12:01 am deadline on September 21, previously issued H-1B visas, renewal petitions, and H-1B holders re-entering the US.

Happiest Minds Managing Director Venkatraman Narayanan said that given the company's offshore-centricity, the visa fee increase will have a negligible impact on the business.

"Over the past 14 years, we have built a robust offshore-centric delivery model, with 94% of our people based in India and nearly 95 per cent of our revenues generated outside of US onsite operations. This strategic focus not only drives cost efficiencies but also enables us to consistently deliver high-quality digital solutions to our clients worldwide. Our offshore centricity is a key differentiator," he said.

As of June 2025, Happiest Minds has over 6,500 employees across 43 global offices and serves 280+ customers.

“In CY 2024, and CY 2025 to date, we have had just 4 and 2 Happiest Minds (employees), respectively, travel to the US on H-1B visas. This is in line with our strategy to have a larger offshore footprint while reducing our visa dependencies.

"I would like to call this our ‘H-1B Outlier Advantage’, which sets us apart in the industry. We also expect other Indian IT service providers with higher H-1B dependence to adapt," Happiest Minds CEO Joseph Anantharaju said.