When the H-1B Door Closes: Why I Keep Saying India Must Become the ‘Brain Factory’

The news that the United States is tightening access for foreign workers — and that other players, including China, are quietly moving to fill any gaps — reads to me like a confirmation of a pattern I’ve written about for years. The Times of India headline captured it plainly: “US says no to foreign workers with H-1B move; China says 'K' — Will Beijing score in visa game?” US says no to foreign workers with H-1B move; China says 'K'.

Inevitably, when borders tighten or visas become harder to secure, people talk about loss — of opportunity, of income, of migration dreams. I see the same thing as both a problem and a lever for transformation.

Why this feels familiar

I wrote about the structural shock facing Indian IT years ago: a world where headcount-led models would break under automation, geopolitics and changing visa regimes. In that post I asked, can Indian IT reinvent itself? and answered bluntly: the time is now Can Indian IT Re-invent itself ?. I warned that dependence on sending people abroad — H‑1B or otherwise — was a strategic fragility. When the H‑1B tap runs lower, it’s not just individuals who lose out: entire business models wobble.

Even earlier, I penned pieces imagining alternative pathways — from holographic delivery to platform-driven models — in case travel and physical deployment became constrained Will Holograms beat H1-B visa ban?. I also argued that India must treat talent as an exportable product beyond mere deployment — intellectual property, R&D and global capability centres rather than just hands-on labour India: the BRAIN FACTORY of the WORLD.

Reading today’s coverage, I felt a curious mix of validation and urgency. Validation — because patterns I flagged are playing out. Urgency — because the window to act is now.

What the H‑1B squeeze (and China’s response) actually means

• Short-term pain for many: families disrupted, plans changed, careers stalled. Plenty of H‑1B holders and applicants feel stranded; I covered the surge in job-portal activity and anxiety years ago when the industry first signalled structural change Job portals see surge in IT resumes.

• Redistribution of talent flows: If the U.S. becomes harder, other destinations will adapt policies to attract talent. China’s moves — the press calling it “’K’” in the visa game — are an example of geopolitical competition for skills US says no to foreign workers with H-1B move; China says 'K'.

• Acceleration of remote-first models: Companies that already mastered remote delivery and offshore capability centres will win. I’ve written about the opportunity this creates for India’s GCCs and R&D centres to scale — not merely to supply labour but to own IP and outcome-based pricing Brain Inc 2.0 / GCC hiring in India.

The argument I’ve been making — again and again

The core idea I’ve been trying to push since 2015 is simple: don’t treat migration as the only form of exporting talent. Build an India that exports ideas, platforms and intellectual property. Turn the arbitrage we have today into long-term capability and global centres of excellence. I made the same point in “The Chinese are Coming!” where I urged partnering with capital flows rather than panicking at them The Chinese are Coming!.

If this sounds repetitive, it’s because the underlying forces are persistent. My earlier blogs weren’t random forecasts; they were scenarios and possible responses. Looking back I see that I had flagged many of these dynamics — the fragility of visa-dependent models, the rise of automation, the strategic importance of IP — and even sketched solutions. That continuity matters to me: it’s a quiet validation that good pattern recognition, coupled with a practical bent, can be useful. It also makes me feel a renewed urgency to press these ideas harder.

What I’m watching now

• How many global firms accelerate hiring into Indian GCCs and push more high-value work here rather than abroad. That’s already happening in pockets; I chronicled GCC growth as a major opportunity MNC hiring in India / GCCs may hire half a million.

• Whether India’s policy environment rewards creation of IP, not just cheap delivery — taxation, grants, infrastructure for R&D.

• Which nations adjust visa windows to hunt for the displaced talent; geopolitics is now directly competing for our human capital A tale of two approaches — boycotts, policy responses.

A closing, personal note

I feel a strange comfort when events vindicate earlier warnings — not for vanity, but because it means those earlier proposals deserve renewed attention. I’ve repeatedly asked: if the world changes the rules of movement and work, why not change the rules of how we create value? The H‑1B shock and China’s moves are further proof that we must make that shift — from exporting bodies to exporting brains, platforms and IP.

The moment is uncomfortable for many. For me it’s a call to action: turn disruption into design.

References

• "US says no to foreign workers with H-1B move; China says 'K' — Will Beijing score in visa game?" Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/us-says-no-to-foreign-workers-with-h-1b-move-china-says-k-will-beijing-score-in-visa-game/articleshow/124039263.cms

• "Can Indian IT Re-invent itself ?" Hemen Parekh (2017). http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2017/02/donald-trumps-next-executive-order-may.html

• "Will Holograms beat H1-B visa ban?" Hemen Parekh (2017). http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/01/will-holograms-beat-h1b-visa-ban.html

• "India: the BRAIN FACTORY of the WORLD" Hemen Parekh (2023). http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2023/09/india-brain-factory-of-world.html

• "Job portals see surge in IT resumes" Hemen Parekh (2017). http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2017/05/seeing-opportunity.html

• "The Chinese are Coming!" Hemen Parekh (2015). http://emailothers.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-chinese-are-coming.html

• "A tale of two approaches" Hemen Parekh (2020). http://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2020/06/a-tale-of-two-approaches.html

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Regards,
Hemen Parekh

When PoK Says 'Main Bhi Bharat Hoon' — A Moment for Caution, Strategy and Responsibility

Hearing Defence Minister Rajnath Singh repeat that one-line — “PoK will be ours on its own… PoK itself will say, ‘Main bhi Bharat hoon’” — stirred something in me that is at once proud and uneasy. He made those remarks during an interaction with the Indian community in Morocco, a comment reported widely by the press Big News Network and picked up in other outlets as well Times of India.

Words like this matter. They are meant to reassure a domestic audience, to project resolve, and to keep alive a national narrative. But they also carry consequences — for diplomacy, for people living across a disputed line, and for the moral account a nation keeps with itself.

What the remark signals — and why it matters

On one level the statement is straightforward political rhetoric: a confident assertion that territorial justice will come without the need for violent conquest. That message echoes earlier debates about Operation Sindoor and questions about whether opportunities to press military advantage were missed — points that surfaced after the action in May and have been widely discussed in public fora Big News Network.

But language that speaks of inevitable “return” also amplifies expectations among citizens and veterans, and raises the stakes for policymakers. It moves public sentiment from aspiration to perceived imminence, which constrains the space for patient diplomacy and careful statecraft.

A personal reflection: pride tempered by prudence

I feel pride when India’s leaders speak with conviction about our territorial integrity. Yet I also remember that confident words demand responsible follow-through. If PoK is to “say” it belongs with India, that outcome must be rooted in the lived consent of people there or in a sustainable legal-diplomatic resolution — not only in slogans.

Too often, powerful rhetoric has led democracies into costly paths because the follow-up planning was tactical rather than strategic. We must avoid conflating moral certainty with political or military feasibility.

What reclaiming PoK would truly require — beyond headlines

If the objective is not a quick, headline-grabbing military operation but a durable reunification of sentiment and governance, the following elements matter:

• Diplomacy before drama: Quiet, sustained engagement with multilateral partners, and careful management of international law narratives.
• Listening to lives, not just slogans: Creating channels to hear and address the aspirations and grievances of people living in PoK — their education, economy, mobility and civil rights.
• Soft power and human ties: Cultural exchange, broadcasting, credible information flows and humanitarian linkages can be more persuasive over time than coercion.
• Preparedness for responsibilities: Reintegrating land and people involves governance, development, and legal clarity. We must plan for immediate and long-term humanitarian needs.
• Clear civilian oversight of any operations: Parliamentary and judicial scrutiny to ensure actions reflect national interest, not temporary political advantage.

Practical steps I believe India should prioritise

• Strengthen international legal and diplomatic postures while avoiding escalatory public declarations that box policymakers into narrow choices.
• Expand cross-border people-to-people initiatives where possible — medical camps, educational scholarships, and information access — to build goodwill among ordinary citizens.
• Invest in Jammu & Kashmir’s civilian infrastructure and governance models that can serve as visible demonstrations of the benefits of stable administration.
• Create a transparent, non-partisan oversight mechanism that reviews defence operations and their political objectives, so any tactical success is measured against strategic outcomes.
• Prepare a public narrative that explains the cost, complexity and ethical responsibilities of territorial reclamation — honest conversations build resilient consensus.

A final thought

National pride and strategic patience must travel together. When a senior leader says, “Main bhi Bharat hoon,” the phrase should prompt not only applause but also an audit of how we will responsibly realize that aspiration — ensuring that outcomes respect rights, law, and the human realities on the ground.

Victory that arrives without a plan for justice, governance and reconciliation is an uncertain victory. If we truly want PoK to become part of India in any meaningful, lasting way, we must pair our confidence with humility: humility to engage, to listen, and to plan for the hard, humane work that follows any change in borders.

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Regards,
Hemen Parekh