New H-1B Visa Fee to Strengthen India’s GCC Positioning, Says ANSR Co-Founder

Vikram Ahuja, co-founder of ANSR, says the proposed $100,000 H-1B visa fee will further “enhance the strategic positioning of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India.” Ahuja, who leads one of the country’s top GCC establishment and management firms, believes GCCs are a “strong alternative for talent” lost due to expensive H-1B visa.

In an exclusive interview with Outlook Business, he said, “We have always believed that GCCs were never about cost arbitrage. It is about the talent they bring to global companies.”

According to him, the new rule introduced by US President Donald Trump through an executive order will only increase demand for the GCC model. While the IT services industry is expected to feel some impact, Ahuja says multinational companies will increasingly need to build centres that deliver greater value.

“Companies will need to establish higher-quality GCCs, such as AI centres, rather than just outsourcing back-office services,” he added.

On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order making skilled work visas under the H-1B programme over 9,000% more expensive. Starting September 21, companies hiring specialised workers under the H-1B visa will need to pay $100,000 in addition to existing charges. These include a $215 cap registration fee (new rule), a $780 I-129 base fee, a $500 fraud fee, a $750–$1,500 ACWIA training fee (depending on company size), and a $600 asylum programme fee (with some reductions for small employers and nonprofits), plus optional premium processing.

Experts told Outlook Business that the move will push more firms to establish or expand capability centres in India.

India currently hosts around 1,760 multinational companies’ GCCs, spread across the country with over 3,050 units. In FY24, these centres employed 1.9 million professionals. In July, ANSR published a report with UnearthInsight examining operating models across 174 Fortune 500 companies that have established more than 390 centres in India.

The report noted that 32% are companies with annual revenues below $50 billion, including ABB, 3M, Visa, Heineken, Uber, GSK, Qualcomm, and Eli Lilly. 44% fall in the $50–99 billion range, featuring Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, FedEx, Boeing, Sony, AXA, AB InBev, and Société Générale. 13% belong to the $100–200 billion bracket, including JPMorgan Chase, BP, Mercedes-Benz, Wells Fargo, Chevron, Cigna, Target, and TotalEnergies. 11% are global giants with revenues above $200 billion, such as Walmart, Amazon, Apple, ExxonMobil, Alphabet, Shell, Toyota, and UnitedHealth Group.

ANSR estimates that by 2030, India’s GCC market could grow to $99–105 billion, with 2,100–2,200 companies establishing GCCs and total headcount rising to 2.5–2.8 million.