Trump’s $ 100,000 H-1b Visa Adds Pressure to Consulting’s Woes

Consulting Firms May Be LESSPOKEN THAN TECH CEOS, but they’re Staring down the Same staffing AS Silicon Valley after President Donald Trump Introduced A $ 100,000 H-1b Application Fee Last Friday.

Break H-1b program Temporarylly Allows Employers to Hire Foreign Skilled Workers for Specialized Jobs.

The Department of Labor Reports that Nearly 50% of H-1b Applications Are Related to “Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services”-with professional services Typically reference to the Consulting and Accounting Carriad Out by Firms Like Deloitte, Ey, KPMG, and PWC.

James Ransome, a partner and strategy Consulting Lead at Patrick Morgan – a firm Focussed on Executive Recruitment and Industry Analysis – Said that Friday’s Executive Order Had Raised Concern Over Acquisition Among Consulting Leaders.

“For Many Firms, the H-1b route has ben a steady pipeline for mid-level consultants with Strong Technical and Analytical Skills, roles that are difficult to at scale in the US domestic. Talent is Already High, “Said Ransome.

Accounting to the US Government’s H-1b Employer Data Hub, Deloitte, Ey, and Accenture are the professional services that hire the samples with h-1b visas.

In the Last Three Years Up to April 2025, Deloitte Hirhed 7,535 Workers on H-1b Visas, Making It The Eleventh Larger Us Employer of H-1b Visa Holders. The Number Represents Roughly 1% of Its Mont Recently Reported US Head Count.

At Accenture and Ey, H-1b Visa Holders Hired in the Last Three Years-5,862 and 5,298, Respectively-Represent Almost 10% of Each Firm’s Last Reported US Headcounts of Around 60,000. The date does Not Reflect How Many Remain Employed by the Firms.

Deloitte, Ey, and Accenture Did Not Respond to Requests for Comment from Business Insider.

Ransome Said and Expective the Big Four and Top-Tier firms to absorb some of the Higher Costs of the Visas to Maintain Staffing Continuity. But they would be Likely take a “Dual Approach” and Shift Their Staffing Alongside Any Cost Absorption, he Said.

Smaller Players in the Consulting Industry Will Need to Up Their Ability to Attract Domestic Talent, especilantly mid-level hires, he added.

Competition over tech talent has Become a Defining Pressure Point for Consulting firms as they have to be to the Strongest it offers for clients, and the H-1b Executive will Add to that Pressure.

Consulting Firms Competting for Data Scientists and Other Highly Technical Specialists Will Feel The Competition Increase, Tom Rodenhauser, A Consulting Analyst and the Managing Partner at Kennedy Intelligence, Told Business Insider.

Accelerating offshoring

The two Experts Told b That Trump’s Executive Order is Also Likely to Make offshoring hubs more attractive to firms.

“Consulting is mobile in the sense that individuals don’t need to be bassed in the US serve customers,” Said rodenhauser. Firms Can Simply Relocate Resources to bypass the Disruption Caed by the Visa Situation, he Said.

For Years, Top Firms Have Used Labor Arbitrage to Bolster Their Revenue Streams, Setting Up Nearshore and Offshore Centers in Countries Like India, Mexico, Argentina, and The Philippins.

The Reliance on Foreign Hubs has increses as Technical Capabilities with offshore centers have improked, and he has reduced the demand for junior workers in us offices.

In august, bi obtained part of an internal presentation showing that pwc US planned to Cut Graduate Hiring by a third over the next three years. One of the Three Reasons the firm gave in the presentation was “Further AC Integration,” Reference to PWC’s Acceleration Centers, Its Name for Its Offshore Hubs.

Ransome SAID CONSULTANCIES HAVE ALREADY BEEN REASSESSESSING The Balance Between OnShore Client-Facing Teams and Offshore Delivery Hubs, and the Potential Changes AROUND H-1B Visas Accelerate Those Strategies.

“Rather than Simply Paying More Across the Board, they’ll use this moment to retrink leverage models: Higher-value, Client-Facing Work Anchored Onshore, with More Delivery Capability Shifted offshore.”

Nearshore Hubs, Like Those in Canada, Wold Start Looking More Attractive. Toronto, Given Its Proximity to New York and Chicago, Waled Be Particularly Appealing, Ransome Said.

For Midsize Firms, Without the Infrastructure Or Scale to Relax on Foreign Hubs, The H-1b Price Will Be More Disruption, He Said.

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