Infosys records increase in approval rates for H-1B visa applications for US

Infosys has seen approval rates for its H-1B visa applications in the US increase significantly starting from the first quarter of FY21. The IT major which has ramped up its localization efforts across various markets, including the US over the past few years, also plans to continue recruiting at scale on the back of strong demand for IT and digital services.

Pravin Rao, Infosys Chief Operating Officer, at the company’s 40^th annual general meeting said they have significantly localized their US operations with over 65% of employees being locals. “In addition, the new US administration is reviewing prior administration agency rules that are not in effect or not yet finalized. H-1B approval rates for Infosys have also significantly increased starting quarter one of FY21 for the last four quarters.” Rao said the company also has a large number of employees with approved H-1B visas and ready to travel to support its clients’ requirements.

IT companies have been ramping up their presence in international markets like the US, the UK, and Australia by hiring locals over the past few years to overcome visa-related challenges. Infosys, which is India’s second largest IT firm, had announced plans in 2020 to hire 12,000 American workers over the next two years, taking its hiring commitment in the country to 25,000 over five years. The company plans to double its Canadian workforce to 4,000 employees by 2023, and has announced plans to create 1,000 digital jobs in the UK to fuel post-pandemic growth.

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Nandan Nilekani, Infosys Chairman, in his address said the company has recruited 19,230 graduates in India and 1,941, both graduates and associate degree holders, outside India to serve its clients’ burgeoning demand for digital acceleration. Nilekani said over the last 18 months, there has been an acceleration in digital transformation, especially in cloud-related solutions. “We have increased our differentiation in digital by offering a lot of services and developed many capabilities in digital – be it cloud, cyber, open source, AI and automation, big data analytics and many other services, which are usually relevant to our digital world,” he said.