Indian Industry Urges Single-Window Clearance For GCCs And Startups As US H-1B Overhaul Prompts Push For Domestic Innovation

Indian industry leaders have renewed calls for a single-window clearance system to accelerate the growth of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), startups, and research organisations.

The demand comes in the wake of the US government’s recent overhaul of the H1B visa programme where a steep annual fee of USD 100,000 was announced on new H1B applications, sparking fears of disruption for Indian professionals and firms dependent on American markets.

While the US administration later clarified that the fee would apply only to new petitions, industry leaders warned of significant consequences.

“Simplifying regulations, enhancing the ease of doing business, and introducing a single-window clearance system for startups, GCCs, and research organisations will accelerate investment and innovation,” Kapil Joshi, CEO of Quess Corp’s IT staffing business was quoted as saying in an ANI report.

Dewang Neralla of HiWiPay observed that global talent is “becoming costlier and less mobile”, while BRISKPE’s Sanjay Tripathy cautioned that the US risks undermining its own innovation engine.

Industry executives, however, noted the opportunity for India to emerge as a stronger global hub.

“India is no longer a stepping stone; it is the destination. With the kind of AI-first companies and global-scale opportunities being built here today, we have a once-in-a-generation chance to retain and welcome back world-class talent,” Apurv Agrawal of SquadStack.ai was quoted as saying.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) had earlier published a framework for a National Policy on GCCs, envisioning its expansion from 1,800 to 5,000 centres and the creation of upto 25 million jobs.

It calls for integrated regulatory frameworks, global-standard infrastructure, and deeper academia-industry collaboration to position India as the epicentre of enterprise innovation.

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