How kaamwork helps indian professionals continue working for U.S. companies amid rising h-1b visa costs

You probably saw the headlines. On September 19, 2025, U.S President Trump announced a revised $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications. Now it's not just a big blow for companies hiring globally, but also for Indian professionals considering work there.

Let's be honest, the H-1B process was already a nightmare. The endless processing, delays, renewals, and now potentially crushing fees on top of everything else.

But it's not the end of the road for U.S. firms hiring Indian talent. One option that's gaining traction is relocating talent back to India while keeping them on the same U.S. team through an Employer of Record model like Kaamwork.

Same job, same company, same paycheck. Just a different approach that sidesteps the visa circus entirely.

So, let's get into the details of how this works. But first, let's look at the current situation of U.S. work visas for Indian talent.

The new reality of u.s. work visas for Indian talent

Let's get into the basics. The H-1B program has been the golden ticket for skilled Indian professionals wanting to work in America. It is a classification of non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations - basically, jobs that require specialized knowledge and a bachelor's degree or higher. Think software engineers, data scientists, financial analysts, that kind of thing.

The system works like this: employers petition for workers, petitions are cap-subject most years, and if selected, the visa is usually granted for three years with possible extensions.

Now, India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas. Last year, the highly skilled migrant Indian workforce accounted for 71 percent of approved applicants (yup, the largest user of the visa category). That's roughly 92,000 out of 130,000 visas going to Indian professionals.

The truth of the fact is that the USA can't find enough talent locally. But now, the new visa fee policy takes effect from September 21 for anyone entering the US. The hefty fee tied to H-1B petitions is an effort to curb what the administration says is overuse of the program. The stated goal is to protect American workers and reduce dependency on foreign labor.

Think about it yourself, if companies have to pay $100,000 upfront just to enter the lottery, they'll only do it for truly critical hires and might look harder for American talent first.

But here's where it gets insane.

During the 2024 fiscal year, there were 758,994 eligible registrations, and only 110,791 people selected for an H-1B visa. That's roughly a 15% chance of getting selected. For perspective, your odds of getting into Harvard are about 3%, but Harvard doesn't charge you a non-refundable fee just to apply.

That's why US companies are now exploring alternatives to keep talent engaged.

Why relocation to India is a viable option

India isn't short on talent. The country produces 50,000 fresh engineering graduates every year and has 5 million software developers. That's more tech talent than most entire countries have. And that's not the only reason we (and the world) advocates for India:

Time zones actually work in your favor

Indian teams that have been doing remote collaboration with U.S. headquarters can adjust seamlessly. Your India-based employee starts their day when your U.S. team is wrapping up. Handoffs become natural, progress continues around the clock, and urgent fixes don't wait until Monday morning.

The employee wins too

Think about it from their perspective. Same role, same company, same career trajectory - just without the visa stress. No more renewal anxiety, no more being tied to one employer for legal status, no more $100,000 gambles on lottery systems.

They get to work for a top U.S. company while being close to family, buying property they can actually afford, and building a life without immigration uncertainty hanging over their head.

Companies save serious money while keeping their best people

The math is straightforward. Here's what it looks like for a senior engineer:

That's 64% savings while keeping the same person doing the same job. No recruitment costs, no training period, no cultural adjustment - just immediate cost relief. You're not losing talent to visa politics. You're not gambling $100,000 on a 15% lottery chance. You're keeping your best people productive while cutting costs by more than half.

The best part? This isn't some experimental workaround. It's how smart companies have been operating in India for years, just without the visa pressure forcing the decision.

How Kaamwork supports seamless relocation

So, what exactly is Kaamwork's Employer of Record (EOR) model?

Think of it as your plug-and-play HR backbone in India. Instead of setting up a local entity or burning money on visa costs, Kaamwork legally employs your people in India on your behalf. You still manage their work, reporting lines, and career path. We take care of compliance, HR & payroll benefits, onboarding, and other stuff.

With the Kaamwork EOR platform, you're not losing talent to visa politics. You're not gambling $100,000 on a 15% lottery chance. You're keeping your best people productive while cutting costs by more than half.

Here's how the relocation process works:

1. Setup without heavy lifting
   Setting up your own India entity can take 6–9 months. That's months of lost momentum in today's fast-moving market.
   With Kaamwork's EOR model, you can:
   1. Start hiring from Day Zero without waiting for entity registration.
   2. See candidate profiles within 24 hours of kickoff.
   3. Ramp from 1 hire to ~10 roles in just 6 months.
2. Talent onboarding in India
   Employees receive offer letters and welcome kits under your brand, enjoy local benefits aligned with your global policies, and experience a clear sense of belonging from Day 0. Onboarding takes less than 30 seconds.
   This way, you cut total employment costs by 50-80% and also access India's talent pool of 5 million already working for companies like Amazon and Microsoft.
3. Full HR coverage, zero friction
   Feel foreign to Indian remote work and taxes? Don't worry, we handle everything. Provident Fund contributions, Employee State Insurance, gratuity calculations, tax withholding - all the statutory requirements that would typically require local HR expertise.
   Instead of losing key people or overspending on visas, global companies are keeping their best talent engaged in India under Kaamwork's EOR model. Our client results speak for themselves:
   1. TripAdvisor: Built a 10-person India team in under six months, saving ~80% in overhead.
   2. SimpliSafe: Expanded fast, hiring from day zero while keeping 100% control of performance.
   3. Thrasio: Stood up an engineering/data team without entity setup, scaling quickly while retaining top talent.
4. Maintain existing reporting lines
   We offer an environment of belongingness where employees don't feel alienated at your company. They continue to report directly to your US-based managers, just as they always have. Kaamwork only handles the local employment side, so your team structure, workflows, and culture stay intact.

Benefits for employers and employees

Relocating talent under the EOR model benefits both employees and recruiters. Here's how:

For Employers:

• You can retain your high-performing talent instead of losing them to visa restrictions or relocation hurdles.
• Avoid expensive visa fees and legal risks of setting up 500k worth of separate entities.
• Get access to India's deep talent pool for future hiring and expand with local full-time hires as your needs grow.

For Employees:

• Continue in the same role with career growth: Stay aligned with the same managers, projects, and promotion tracks you had abroad.
• Avoid H-1B-related uncertainties: No need to live under constant threat of rule changes or denial risks.
• Work in a familiar company culture with full benefits: Enjoy parity with U.S. peers, including brand-aligned benefits and recognition.

Addressing common concerns

Look, we get it. Relocating your best employee from the U.S. to India could create more problems than it solves. Let's tackle the common challenges head-on.

1. Time zone differences and remote collaborationThis concern is actually solved before it starts. These employees have already built trust with your teams while working in the U.S. They know your communication style, your meeting rhythms, your project workflows. Moving locations doesn't erase that relationship foundation. Plus, time zones work in your favor. US-India gets 2-4 hours of proper overlap, which is great for brainstorming, syncs, and decision-making. And while your team in the USA works in the day, your India team works at night, giving you round-the–clock work.
2. Maintaining company culture and engagement remotelyAll these H1B employees have spent time at HQ, so they understand your values, working pattern and culture first-hand. As you scale in India, they become culture carriers who help embed your values in new team members.
3. Ensuring compliance with local Indian employment lawsLabour laws in India can be complex if you're not an Indian employment law expert. Taxes, PFs, gratuity, allowances, and dozens of statutory obligations can make things tough.To address your issues, Kaamwork is here. Our white-glove HR services handle all the legal complexity so you don't have to. We maintain less than 5% voluntary attrition over two years, compared to the industry benchmark of 30%+ post-COVID.Your best people stay because they're still working for you, just with better economics and zero visa stress.

Strategic takeaways

The $100,000 H-1B fee isn't just a policy change - it's a wake-up call for companies that have been playing visa lottery games with their best talent.

Kaamwork represents a forward-looking solution for global workforce challenges that go way beyond immigration policy.

Plan for talent continuity, not visa dependency

Smart companies are already planning for a world where access to talent isn't affected by political decisions that change every few years. With EOR, you get operational flexibility and cost advantages that compound over time.

Amidst such rising visa costs, building remote teams is a viable option for long-term sustainability. Your relocated employee gets career stability. Your company gets significant savings. Your product development continues without disruption. And nobody has to gamble on lottery systems that keep getting more expensive and unpredictable.

Turn visa uncertainty into a competitive advantage: Relocate to India with EOR

Don't let visa politics decide your team's future. See, the H-1B fee hike isn't going away. If anything, immigration policies will continue to become more restrictive and expensive. But neither can every company afford months of setup, costly visas, or legal headaches. Nor do the employees want to deal with the anxiety of visa renewals or policy changes that could upend their lives overnight.

To change this, consider hiring through the Kaamwork EOR model.

We present candidate profiles within 24 hours, but for employee relocations, we move even faster. Your existing team member can be onboarded and productive in their new location within weeks, not months.

From there, we handle all the legal and administrative complexity while you focus on keeping your business moving forward.

Ready to explore how this works for your specific situation? Fill out the form on our website to book a consultation with a Kaamwork team member about your business needs and get your questions answered.

Because your best talent deserves better than being held hostage by immigration lottery systems that keep getting more expensive and unpredictable.