About 12,700 white-collar technology professionals moved from the US to India between January and September 2026, according to data from Bengaluru-based staffing firm Xpheno. The nine-month count is already about 84% of 2025’s full-year total of 15,100, the highest on Xpheno’s record.
The number of tech professionals returning from the US to India has risen steadily over the past few years. In 2023, about 7,200 tech professionals made the move back, and that figure climbed to 9,800 in 2024. The number then jumped to 15,100 in 2025, more than double the 2023 count. The trend has continued into 2026, with 12,700 professionals returning between January and September, already about 84% of the full-year 2025 total with three months still to go.
Outbound movement is still higher. Nearly 14,500 tech professionals moved from India to the US up to September 2026. Earlier Xpheno data, reported in June, put outbound movement at 21,200 in 2025 and 17,600 in 2024.
Kamal Karanth, co-founder of Xpheno, said the 2026 returnee count is on track to exceed the 2025 total. He added that recent H-1B changes could push returnees above the number of professionals leaving India for the US.
Xpheno says its estimates draw on its internal candidate database, its recruitment management system, and job boards used for hiring in India and overseas.
What’s behind the movement
Experts cited in the reports link the trend to uncertainty over US immigration rules and economic policy, and to layoffs at large US technology companies over the past two to three years.
Two H-1B changes have taken effect in the past year. A $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions applies from September 2025. And from February 27, 2026, USCIS moved to a selection process that gives higher-paid applicants better odds in the H-1B lottery.
In a July 2026 Business Today report, Karanth tied senior-level returns to the visa situation:
“The majority of this mid & senior talent churn traces back to developments in the US, particularly the H-1B visa situation since late 2025. Some movers are being forced out while others are voluntary.”
Kamal Karanth, Co-founder, Xpheno
Hiring and pay in India
Karanth described the domestic job market for returnees in the October report:
“Considering the dynamics and trends of active demand in the Indian job market, it has not been the best of times for US returnees.”
“After the hiring buoyancy of 2021, the Indian tech sector’s talent action has not had a period of stability extending beyond a quarter,” he said.
