(Reuters) -Tata Technologies will recruit more local nationals in the United States, its top boss said, as the Indian engineering services provider reacts to U.S. President Donald Trump's wide-ranging immigration crackdown.

The United States plans to charge businesses a steep fee for H1-B visas, used by tech majors including Amazon.com and Meta Platforms, in a move the Trump administration said would shield Americans from foreign wage competition.

"As we react and respond to the change in legislation in and around visas, it will mean that we will be recruiting more local nationals in the United States," Tata Technologies CEO and Managing Director Warren Harris told Reuters on Friday.

India accounted for nearly three-fourths of H-1B visa beneficiaries last year, according to government data.

Tata Technologies, which provides engineering and technology services to automobile, aero and heavy machinery makers in at least two dozen countries, has more than 12,000 employees globally including in the United States.

Pune, India-based Tata Technologies does not disclose country-specific revenue or employee count, but North America accounted for roughly a fifth of its 51.68 billion-rupee ($587.97 million) revenue in 2024-2025.

Tata Technologies, whose clients include Jaguar Land Rover, Vietnamese electric car maker VinFast and Boeing, already employs a workforce that is made up of over 70% local nationals in China, Sweden, the United Kingdom and United States.

Indian engineering service providers, which rely heavily on outsourcing work from corporate America, have been under pressure as automotive clients reeling from the impact of U.S. tariffs cut back.

But the Tata Technologies CEO is still bullish about the United States.

"That market continues to be a very vibrant and important market," Harris said, adding, "We do see a pickup in the United States in the next 6 to 9 months now that our customers have come to terms with ... the new tariff regime."

Harris also said Tata Technologies, which last month disclosed plans to buy German peer ES-Tec Group for 75 million euros ($87.47 million), will make more "targeted" acquisitions in the coming years.

Separately on Friday, Tata Technologies reported a 5% rise in quarterly profit.

($1 = 87.8950 Indian rupees)

($1 = 0.8575 euros)