Indian tech professionals returning from the United States due to visa uncertainty are finding that the job market back home is not as promising as they expected.
Instead of creating large numbers of new jobs, many returnees are reportedly joining the India offices of the same multinational companies they worked for in the US — often at much lower salaries.
A new survey by professional networking platform Blind suggests that this model benefits US technology companies by allowing them to retain experienced employees while cutting labour costs.
Blind conducted the survey between June 16 and June 25, 2026, among 1,276 verified professionals in India working across software engineering, product management, AI and machine learning, data and analytics, business operations, design, research, finance, consulting and other technology roles.
The survey found that 53% of respondents had seen colleagues or job candidates return from the US because of visa-related problems.
Of them, 36% said people had already returned, while another 17% knew professionals planning to move back.
The findings also point to a broader shift in how US tech companies manage their global workforce.
Instead of replacing employees who leave America, some companies are reportedly moving them to India offices. This helps employers retain workers who already understand the business while sharply reducing salary costs.
For returnees, the move may bring relief from visa stress, but the financial impact can be severe.
One Google professional quoted on Blind said average pay had fallen in recent months and that some returnees could be looking at salaries as low as one-fifth of their US compensation.
The trend appears particularly visible at companies expanding their Global Capability Centres in India.
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According to the survey, 57% of Amazon employees, 58% of Walmart employees and 55% of Uber employees said they had seen colleagues return from the US because of visa issues.
Despite continued GCC expansion, many respondents said the wider technology job market had become tougher.
More than half, 51%, said job opportunities had declined over the past year. Another 23% said the market had remained unchanged, while only 26% reported an increase in openings.
Many professionals believe the growing number of experienced US returnees is making competition even harder, as they increasingly fill roles that might otherwise have gone to candidates already based in India.
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For Indian tech workers coming home, the trade-off appears clear: less visa uncertainty, but lower salaries and a much more competitive job market.
