LTIMindtree, one of India’s leading IT and digital services firms, will stop filing new H-1B visa applications going forward, according to a report by Moneycontrol.
The company’s CEO, Venugopal Lambu (Venu), said the organisation will now focus on hiring more local talent in overseas markets.
Lambu’s announcement comes at a time when the United States is witnessing intense debate over the H-1B “specialty occupation” visa category.
The Trump administration also introduced a blanket fee of $100,000 for new H-1B filings through a proclamation issued in September.
For years, MAGA-aligned politicians and their supporters have argued that major tech companies rely too heavily on foreign workers instead of hiring Americans. Many critics have even labelled the current visa system a “fraud” or “scam.”
Lambu clarified that LTIMindtree’s new policy applies only to fresh petitions under the upcoming H-1B lottery cycle.
Renewals for existing employees will continue unchanged; mirroring the way Trump’s new $100,000 fee applies only to new applications. This strongly indicates that the steep fee played a major role in the company’s decision.
He added that LTIMindtree may reconsider its stance if U.S. regulations change in the future.
How Many H-1B Employees Does LTIMindtree Have?
Lambu told Moneycontrol that the company currently employs around 4,000 H-1B workers in the U.S., out of a global workforce of more than 86,000.
He noted that LTIMindtree has already reduced its dependency on the visa category and built systems to support onsite hiring.
Looking ahead, Lambu stressed the importance of hiring locally to control costs and improve profitability.
He pointed out that the company generated $64 million in additional revenue in the first half of FY26, even as its net headcount decreased.
Outlining LTIMindtree’s long-term vision, Lambu said the company aims to grow revenue without proportionally increasing staff numbers.
“If we are growing 2X over the next five years, the headcount should grow only about 1.2X to 1.3X,” he told Moneycontrol.
