About 12,700 white-collar technology professionals returned from the United States to India between January and September 2026, according to estimates by staffing firm Xpheno reported by The Economic Times and carried by several outlets, including The American Bazaar and Hind Himalaya.

Source: The American Bazaar (ET/Xpheno data)

The figure is already about 84 per cent of the 15,100 returns recorded for the whole of 2025. Xpheno's annual counts have risen steadily — 7,200 in 2023 and 9,800 in 2024 — and Xpheno cofounder Kamal Karanth was quoted as expecting the 2026 total to exceed last year's, with recent H-1B changes potentially accelerating the shift.

Reports attribute the trend to uncertainty over US immigration and visa policy under the Trump administration, alongside sustained layoffs in the US technology industry over the past two to three years. The data covers white-collar tech talent moving along the India-US corridor and is not limited to H-1B visa holders, the reports noted.

Source: Hind Himalaya (ET/Xpheno data)

Coming home is not necessarily an easy landing, recruiters quoted in the reports said. Indian employers and Global Capability Centres are prioritising specialised skills — artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity and product leadership — over overseas experience alone, and some returnees may earn only about a quarter to a third of their US salaries. Returnees also face tax compliance in both countries and schooling adjustments for their children, the reports said.

Xpheno's figures are staffing-industry estimates drawn from its candidate database, recruitment systems and job boards — not an official government count — and movement in the other direction still exceeded returns in the same nine months, with nearly 14,500 professionals moving from India to the US.