Okay, let's talk about a statistic that's been bouncing around Indian tech circles for a couple weeks now. It seems to get scarier every time it gets reshared: several of the biggest H-1B sponsors, including Cognizant, Infosys, and TCS to name a few, cut their H-1B registrations for the FY2027 lottery by 90% or more. If you work at one of these companies, or you're hoping to, I get why that number feels a little overwhelming. So let's actually look at what it means.
Where the number comes from
This isn't a new headline exactly, but we have seen new details come out. The broader "Indian IT firms are filing way fewer H-1B registrations" story has been news since August. What IS new is that the Congressional Research Service published a report on October 14 ("H-1B Executive Actions in 2026") that broke the decline out by company, and outlets started picking up those specific numbers starting around October 19–21: Cognizant's registrations reportedly fell about 100% (effectively down to zero new registrations for the FY2027 cycle), Infosys's fell around 91%, and TCS's fell around 95%, compared to the prior cap season.
What this actually means
It’s important to remember that a registration is not necessarily a new hire. Registrations are the lottery entries companies submit in March for brand-new cap-subject H-1B slots for the following fiscal year. A company filing fewer registrations tells you it's being more conservative about new cap-subject filing. It doesn’t tell you if a company intends to pull green card sponsorships (even if they are currently paused by the Department of Labor investigations), that it's terminating anyone, or if it's exiting the H-1B program altogether.
Why would these companies pull back on new registrations? The CRS report doesn’t say, and the companies haven’t explained it, but two big changes were in place when registration opened in March 2026. One was the $100,000 payment for new H-1B petitions for workers outside the U.S. (it has since been blocked by two federal courts, with appeals pending). The other was the brand-new wage-weighted lottery, which gives registrations at higher wage levels more chances of being selected. That’s a big deal for companies that hire for a lot of entry level roles . The registration fee itself had also jumped from $10 to $215 the year before. Put together, it makes sense that a company might rather transfer someone who already has an H-1B, or hire locally, than pay for a long-shot lottery entry. A proposed $103,265 fee and a proposal to end “deference” on extensions both came out after this year’s registration closed, so they didn’t cause these numbers, but they could shape next year’s.
Another thing to note is that there is more scrutiny on employers right now. On September 18, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Departments of Labor, Homeland Security, and State to take into account whether an H-1B employer has laid off similarly situated U.S. workers in the past year, or plans to. And on October 8, the Department of Labor paused new and pending PERM applications (the first step of most employer-sponsored green cards) for eight companies, including Cognizant, Infosys, and TCS, pointing to allegations of abuse and ongoing investigations.
Who this affects
If you’re already working on an H-1B at one of these companies, this registration number doesn’t change your status, your visa, or your ability to extend or transfer. Your green card is a separate story, though. If your employer is one of the companies under the PERM pause, that pause (not the registration drop) is what affects new and pending PERM applications, so it’s worth asking your employer’s immigration team where your case stands.
If you're an F-1 student hoping one of these companies will sponsor your H-1B through the lottery, this is more relevant; fewer registrations from your target employer does mean fewer shots at the lottery through that specific company this cycle. But that's a company-by-company, cycle-by-cycle decision, not evidence the H-1B program itself is shutting down or that these companies have stopped sponsoring entirely.
TLDR
A 90%+ drop in a company's H-1B registrations may sound scary, but that is only new cap-subject lottery entries, not current employees' status and not green card sponsorships. If you already hold an H-1B at one of these firms, this doesn't change anything about your case. If you're hoping to be sponsored through the FY2028 lottery, it's worth asking your target employer directly about their registration plans rather than assuming, and keep an eye on whether the $100K fee litigation, the $103,265 proposed fee, or the deference-elimination proposal actually finalize, since those are the real drivers behind why companies are pulling back.
This post is for general information only and is not legal advice. For guidance on your specific situation, please consult a licensed immigration attorney.
