TCS, Infosys, and Cognizant H-1B Sponsorship 2026: What International Candidates Should Know Before Joining

Before signing that offer letter from TCS, Infosys, or Cognizant, understand the H-1B lottery math, staffing scrutiny, and decade-long green card queue you are stepping into.

You have an offer from TCS, Infosys, or Cognizant. The salary is reasonable, they sponsor H-1B, and after months of rejections from companies that do not touch visa cases, the offer feels like solid ground. Before you sign, though, there are things about the Indian IT sponsorship model that most recruiters will not proactively explain — things that will affect your immigration situation for years.

This is not a guide arguing you should refuse these offers. Plenty of international candidates have built strong careers at large Indian IT firms. But the H-1B process, the staffing-model scrutiny, the wage-weighted lottery math, and the green card timeline at these companies work differently than at a direct-hire product company, and you deserve to walk in knowing the full picture.

How TCS, Infosys, and Cognizant approach H-1B sponsorship

TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), Infosys, and Cognizant are among the largest H-1B filers in the country based on public Labor Condition Application (LCA) data submitted to the Department of Labor. They collectively account for thousands of petitions annually. That volume is real and meaningful — it means these firms have established immigration teams, know the process, and do get workers approved.

What the volume does not tell you is how their petitions are structured, what USCIS scrutinizes in those petitions, or what your personal path forward looks like after H-1B approval.

The core issue is the staffing or consulting model. When a large IT firm places you at a client site — rather than your working on internal projects at the sponsor's own office — USCIS applies heightened review to the employer-employee relationship. The H-1B specialty-occupation rules (codified at 8 USC §1184(i)) require that the petitioner have the right to control the details of the worker's work. In a third-party placement scenario, that control question is harder to answer cleanly, which is why these petitions have historically seen elevated Request for Evidence (RFE) rates compared to direct-hire roles at product companies.

The H-1B Modernization Rule (effective January 17, 2025) codified deference to prior approvals on extensions and transfers, which helps on renewals. But the initial petition scrutiny remains elevated for staffing arrangements.

See the deeper breakdown of this issue in our companion piece on Indian IT H-1B sponsorship reality.

The wage-weighted lottery and what it means for staffing roles

Starting with FY 2027 H-1B registration, USCIS implemented a wage-weighted lottery (rule published February 27, 2026). Instead of a single randomized draw, the lottery now assigns selection chances based on the DOL prevailing wage level of the offered role.

Here is what the wage level tiers look like in practice:

The figures above (15.3% and 30.6%) are from the verified 2026 projected rates for those tiers. Level III and Level IV selection rates are materially higher.

The practical implication for candidates at TCS, Infosys, and Cognizant is straightforward: consulting and staffing roles placed at client sites often carry Level I or Level II prevailing wages on the LCA. If your petition is filed at Level I, your selection odds are the lowest in the system. A product company offering you a Level III software engineer role gives you significantly better lottery math for the same amount of work experience.

Before you accept, ask the recruiter specifically what wage level the LCA will be filed at. This is public information once the LCA is certified — you can verify it on the DOL's FLAG system after filing — but you want to know it before you commit.

What happens if you are not selected in the lottery

If you are on OPT or STEM OPT when the lottery runs and your number is not drawn, your authorized work period continues under OPT rules. STEM OPT gives you up to 24 months of extension beyond the initial 12-month OPT (assuming your degree is on the STEM Designated Degree Program List). The OPT unemployment clock — cumulative 90 days for initial OPT, 150 days for STEM OPT — keeps running regardless of whether you have an H-1B pending.

The important strategic point is this: if you burn two or three lottery cycles at a firm with Level I or Level II petitions, you may reach the end of your OPT authorization without an approved H-1B. That forces a harder decision than if you had targeted higher-wage-level roles from the start. See our guide on cap-exempt employer strategy during the weighted lottery for backup paths if you miss the draw.

The green card timeline: the number nobody talks about upfront

H-1B is a temporary status. Most international candidates eventually want permanent residence, and the pathway from H-1B at a large Indian IT firm to a green card is one of the longest in the US immigration system.

Here is the EB (Employment-Based) green card landscape for Indian nationals as of 2026:

EB-2 India being unavailable through the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2026) is a verified current-year fact, not a projection. The roughly 12-year estimate for forward movement is a directional figure based on the per-country annual visa allocation and pending demand — individual timelines vary.

What this means at a practical level: if you join TCS, Infosys, or Cognizant as an Indian national, your employer begins PERM labor certification for EB-2 or EB-3. PERM itself takes many months. Then the I-140 petition must be approved. Then you wait in the India queue behind thousands of people who filed before you. The priority date moves slowly because the per-country cap limits how many green cards can go to any single country each year, regardless of total demand. Joining a firm that files large numbers of PERM applications every year adds more people to that same queue.

For a comparison of how this plays out versus joining a product company, read our post on consulting vs. product company sponsorship and the green card timeline.

STEM OPT compliance in a staffing arrangement

If you are on STEM OPT when you start at TCS, Infosys, or Cognizant, or if you plan to bridge to STEM OPT while the H-1B lottery processes, there is a compliance issue worth understanding clearly.

STEM OPT requires:

1. A bona fide employer-employee relationship with the sponsoring employer (the school-authorized employer on your EAD)
2. A signed Form I-983 Training Plan specifying learning objectives and reporting requirements
3. Quarterly reports and 10-day reporting if the employment relationship ends

The staffing model creates ambiguity on requirement one. When you are placed at a client site, USCIS and ICE have historically asked whether the I-983 employer is actually the entity supervising your work, or whether the client site is. Your DSO has the authority and responsibility to evaluate this — do not skip this conversation. Confirm in writing, before your start date, that your specific arrangement has been reviewed and approved by your university's international students office.

A step-by-step timeline of what to expect

Here is a realistic planning timeline if you receive an offer from one of these firms and plan to pursue H-1B sponsorship:

1. Month 0 — Offer received: Confirm the wage level on the LCA and whether you are classified as a staffing placement or direct hire.
2. Month 0-1 — OPT/STEM OPT start: Begin work under your current authorization. Confirm I-983 compliance if on STEM OPT.
3. Month 6-9 — H-1B registration window (next cycle opens around February/March): Employer registers your H-1B in the online lottery. Your selection odds depend on the wage level.
4. April — Lottery results: Learn whether you were selected. If selected, the petition is filed by June 30.
5. October 1 — H-1B start date (if cap-subject): Status transitions from OPT to H-1B. If in the H-1B cap-gap period (post-April 1 OPT expiry through September 30 approval), your authorization is extended automatically under cap-gap rules.
6. First extension cycle (year 3) — PERM process typically begins: Employer starts the labor certification process if they commit to sponsoring your green card.
7. Year 4-5 — I-140 approval: Priority date established. The queue wait for EB-2 India begins here — at roughly 12 years from current conditions.

If you do not make the lottery in year one, you repeat steps 3 and 4 the following year, burning another year of OPT authorization.

Comparing your options

The green card timeline is the same regardless of employer for Indian nationals — the per-country annual cap is a system-level constraint, not an employer one. The difference is in lottery odds and petition quality, not in how fast you reach permanent residence.

Common mistakes

Assuming high petition volume equals high personal approval odds. Volume reflects the number of petitions filed, not the approval rate per worker. Elevated RFE rates in the staffing segment mean your petition may require more back-and-forth with USCIS even if the firm files thousands per year.

Not asking about wage level before accepting. The LCA wage level is the single most important number for your lottery odds under the 2026 system. Ask before you sign, not after.

Skipping the STEM OPT I-983 review. Assuming your employer handles it without involving your DSO is a compliance risk. Get the training plan reviewed and signed before day one.

Treating the H-1B approval as the end of the process. H-1B gives you six years (extendable if an I-140 is approved and you are waiting in the green card queue). If the EB-2 India backlog is roughly 12 years, you need the I-140 approved well before your H-1B expires to use the extension provisions under AC21.

Not planning for what happens if a client engagement ends. In a staffing model, if the client engagement terminates, the employer-employee relationship may be affected. Understand your employer's policy on internal bench time and how long they maintain your H-1B status between placements. A gap in employment can create status complications.

Counting on switching employers easily once you are deep in the green card queue. Switching employers is possible under AC21 portability once your I-140 has been approved for more than 180 days, but the strategic tradeoffs are real. Read our post on switching employers versus staying for the green card before making that move.

What to ask the recruiter before you sign

Go into the offer conversation with specific questions. Vague answers or evasion are themselves information.

• What DOL wage level will the LCA be filed at for this role?
• Is this a direct-hire position or will I be placed at a client site?
• What is the firm's process if a client engagement ends before my H-1B is approved?
• Does the firm sponsor PERM / green card, and at what career stage does that typically begin?
• Can I speak with someone on the immigration legal team before accepting?

A reputable firm with a genuine commitment to sponsorship will answer these questions directly. If the recruiter does not know the wage level or deflects the staffing question, escalate to HR in writing.

Frequently asked questions

Do TCS, Infosys, and Cognizant sponsor H-1B visas?

Yes, all three file H-1B petitions in high volumes each year based on public LCA data. However, volume alone does not tell you your personal odds. Because these firms often place workers at client sites as staffing or consulting roles, their petitions face elevated USCIS scrutiny on the employer-employee relationship and have historically seen higher RFE rates than direct-hire tech companies.

How does the 2026 wage-weighted H-1B lottery affect my chances with a large Indian IT firm?

The wage-weighted lottery introduced for FY 2027 registration (February 27, 2026) assigns more selection chances to petitions with higher prevailing wage levels. Staffing and consulting roles at these firms are often placed at DOL wage Level I or Level II, which yields lower projected selection rates — roughly 15.3 to 30.6 percent — compared to Level III and IV roles at product companies. If your offered role falls at a lower wage level, your lottery odds are meaningfully reduced.

How long is the green card wait if I join TCS, Infosys, or Cognizant as an Indian national?

Extremely long. The EB-2 India priority date is unavailable through September 30, 2026, and the rough forward-movement estimate puts the realistic wait at approximately 12 years or more for Indian nationals. Joining a large Indian IT firm that files thousands of PERM applications annually places you in a very long queue behind workers who filed years before you.

Can I use OPT or STEM OPT while working at TCS, Infosys, or Cognizant?

Yes, you can start on OPT or STEM OPT and have the employer sponsor your H-1B later. However, the staffing model matters here. STEM OPT requires a bona fide employer-employee relationship and a signed Form I-983 training plan. If your day-to-day work is at a client site rather than the sponsoring employer's own premises, you and your DSO need to confirm that arrangement satisfies STEM OPT compliance rules before signing.

What should I ask an Indian IT firm recruiter before accepting an H-1B sponsorship offer?

Ask specifically what wage level the LCA will be filed at and whether the role is classified as staffing or direct hire. Ask about the firm's historical RFE rate and their legal team's track record on responses. Ask how long current employees in India-born EB-2 or EB-3 PERM queues have been waiting. And ask what happens to your H-1B if your client engagement ends before approval.

The offers from these firms are real. For some candidates — especially those who want industry experience quickly and are willing to navigate the queue — they are the right move. For others, the lottery math and decade-plus green card timeline change the calculus significantly. The goal here is to make sure you are choosing with full information rather than discovering these constraints two years in.

If you want a second opinion on a specific offer or help building a target company list that weighs sponsorship quality alongside career fit, F1Jobs works through exactly this analysis with candidates every week.