• Source:JND

US has been tightening its rules and its making it much more expensive and harder for companies there to hire workers from outside the US trying to apply for the H-1B visa. Although, it seems like Google is making a move quietly in order to decide where its future workforce would stem from. Alternatively the tech giant, rather than waiting for Visa approvals, the company is placing a bigger bet on India, and has plans to expand in Bengaluru. This new expansion plan could generate jobs for around 20,000 employees, according to a report from Bloomberg.

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At the heart of this plan sits Alembic City in Whitefield, the city's busiest tech hub. Reports suggest that Alphabet, Google's parent company has finalised one office tower in the area, and is looking out for two more. In total the three towers span almost 2.4 million square feet.

Google's Footprint Could Double

According to the report, the first tower, which spans around 6.5 lakh square feet, is expected to open for employees in the next few months. Work on the other two towers is likely to be completed sometime next year. While Alphabet has officially confirmed leasing only the first building, sources familiar with the plans say the entire campus could eventually house up to 20,000 employees if all options are taken up.

That’s a massive number. Google currently employs about 14,000 people in India, and a fully functional Whitefield campus would more than double that figure. If that happens, India would move much closer to becoming a central hub for Google’s global operations.

When asked about the expansion, Alphabet told Bloomberg that it already has a strong presence across several Indian cities, including Bengaluru. However, the company chose not to comment on the remaining towers or its overall headcount in India.

A key reason behind this push lies in a growing challenge for US tech companies: immigration hurdles. Changes introduced during the Trump administration have made it harder and more expensive to bring skilled workers into the US. Reports suggest proposed H-1B visa fee hikes could go as high as $100,000 per application, forcing companies to rethink how and where they hire.

For Google and others, the solution is becoming clearer. Instead of relocating Indian engineers to the US, companies are choosing to build large teams within India. This strategy helps avoid visa delays, lowers costs, and ensures access to top talent. The report suggests this shift isn’t temporary anymore but a long-term rethink of how global tech firms plan their workforce.

Why India Is An Important Hub During This AI Race

As the market of AI progresses further with new technological innovations, India is increasingly becoming a destination for advanced engineering work, and not just ancillary roles. With that said, most players in the market are making the same move. Only recently AI company Anthropic extended its operations in India, with Irina Ghose, a former Microsoft executive, as its head.

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According to recent data from the firm Xpheno, there has been an increase of 16 percent over the past year in the number of people employed at US tech firms like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Netflix, etc. This is the biggest increase recorded in the past three years.


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