• Source:JND

As the US President tightened visa policy last year, mounting pressure on tech giants, which are dependent on the H1-B visa policy to hire Indian employees, Google has come up with a new idea to circumvent the new laws.

Citing a report by Bloomberg, news agency Reuters reported that Google-parent Alphabet is planning to dramatically expand its presence in India, with the possibility of taking millions of square feet in new office space in Bengaluru, India's tech hub.

The company has leased one office tower and purchased options on two others in Alembic City, a development in the city's Whitefield tech corridor, totaling 2.4 million square feet, the report said, citing people familiar with the deal.

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However, Alphabet is yet to react to the report.

How is Alphabet planning major expansion in India 

According to the report, the first tower is expected to open to employees in the coming months, while construction on the remaining two is set to conclude next year, the report said.

If Alphabet does occupy all of the space, the complex could accommodate as many as 20,000 additional staff, which could more than double the company's footprint in India.

Alphabet currently employs around 14,000 people in the country, out of a global workforce of roughly 1,90,000, according to the report.

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Trump's new immigration laws

US President Donald Trump's tougher stance on immigration, including tighter H-1B visa scrutiny and potential taxes on outsourced work, could hasten US firms' shift of critical work to India.

Alphabet is among the top sponsors of H-1B visas, according to US government data.

Trump has raised the cost of new H-1B visa applications to USD 1,00,000, from an older range of USD 2,000 to USD 5,000, adding pressure on US companies that relied on skilled foreign workers to bridge critical talent gaps.

India could host more than 2,400 global capability centers by 2030, TeamLease Services said in November.

(With inputs from agency)


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