India’s Donald Trump , are changing their strategy on U.S. work visas even before new policies are implemented.

While the White House has drafted an executive order that envisages changes to the way the H-1B program is administered, none have come into effect so far. With the application process kicking off next month, companies are preparing to face tougher new rules as they seek some of the 85,000 work permits allocated.

“The key thing is that we will stop applying for H-1B visas for employees with lower levels of experience,” Krishnakumar Natarajan, executive chairman of IT services company Mindtree Ltd., told Bloomberg market for India’s $110-billion IT services export industry, with companies changing their strategy even as they aggressively ramp up operations and set up development centers.

“We are going local and building recruitment to reduce dependencies on H-1B visas,” said Bangalore-based Natarajan, a former chairman of industry body Nasscom.

Until now, IT companies typically applied for multiples of the visas they expect to need because the system operates as a lottery. C.P. Gurnani, chief executive officer of Tech Mahindra Ltd. BSE -0.52 % , expects higher billing rates for customers as salaries for business needs,” said Gurnani, whose company is India’s fifth largest outsourcing company