US immigration Archive

Obama Goes to India

What could be the implications for global services from President Obama going to India? It’s clear what the United States wants. We want to sell technology and nuclear equipment to India. And the U.S. wants to move India out of the China camp geopolitically into the U.S. camp. The U.S. wants trade and joint

Impact of Canada’s Foreign Workers Program on Global Services

“Putting Canadians First” — the title on the document explaining changes to the nation’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program —makes the Canadian government’s intent clear. Canada is forging ahead with adjustment to its immigration policy. The result will increase costs for global service providers in two important dimensions. At this point, it’s now very unlikely

That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It!

It’s going to happen. I’ve been blogging since last May that the current U.S. immigration status is unsustainable and change will happen. And when it does, here’s what’s at risk: the heavy use of offshore talent in the landed model, as practiced by the big Indian service provider firms. Although at times on this

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back in the Immigration Water

The spooky orchestral background and thriller tagline — “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” — from the 1978 hit movie “Jaws 2” brings out our primal fears that something can attack us even though all appears to be safe and when we least expect it. That’s what

The End of Globalization?

“Have we reached the end of globalization?” Fareed Zakaria, the host of CNN’s weekly international affairs show, asked last week. He points to two factors — 3D printing and the rise in protectionist policies — as forces that combine to challenge the globalization movement of the last 30 years. From a services perspective, we

Cognizant Prepares for Inevitable Shift in Immigration Law

Cognizant recently made two key announcements. One was that they are hiring 10,000 people in the United States. The other is that they are relocating their operations center from New Jersey to College Station, Texas. Taken together, it’s evident that Cognizant is doubling down on its U.S. presence. It’s moving to low-cost locations and

Reflections on Impacts on the Global Services Industry in 2013

It’s the time of year when we turn our attention to reflecting on what happened over the the past 12 months and weigh the significance of the year’s events. I think we can showcase 2013 in five primary aspects. 1. Market growth First let’s think about the market itself. We began the year expecting

Infosys Moves On, But There Are Chilling Immigration Reform Implications for Others in the Industry

The U.S. federal government this week announced a settlement agreement with Infosys with a record fine of $34 million — a penalty Infosys agreed to pay in settlement of the investigation related to its I-9 paperwork errors and H1-B and B-1 visa matters. There is both good news and bad news in this settlement.

Immigration and H-1B Visa Reform — Dead on Arrival, or Alive and Kicking?

I’ve blogged before about the impending immigration reform, with its accompanying H-1B visa reform and onerous provisions that will reshape the global services industry. Congress is now halfway down the path to deciding on immigration reform. The scuttlebutt in the global services industry is that immigration reform is dead and there’s no need to

Analyzing Risk-Mitigation Strategies for Indian Service Providers’ Impact from U.S. Immigration Reform

The U.S. Congress took steps last week that bring proposed immigration reform — and associated H-1B visa reform — even closer to passing into law. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the full bill on a bipartisan vote of 13-5. They also agreed to key compromises that, if passed, raise the annual cap on H-1B