Indian IT Firms Face 70% Drop in H-1B Approvals as US Giants Surge
H-1B visa approvals for Indian IT firms fall 70% in FY25. Amazon, Meta, Microsoft lead new hires as Indian companies cut reliance on US visas.
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A new analysis by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) shows that approvals for initial H-1B visas for India-based companies have fallen significantly over the last ten years. In the fiscal year 2025, the seven largest Indian IT firms together filed only 4,573 H-1B petitions for new employment, which is a 70% decrease from the fiscal year 2015 and 37% less than the fiscal year 2024.
The NFAP study of the data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicates a drastic reduction of H-1B new approvals for the Indian companies. The petitions are counted against the annual H-1B cap of 65,000, which is complemented by a further 20,000 slots reserved for the individuals with a master’s degree or higher from a U.S. university.
Just three Indian IT companies were ranked among the top 25 employers approved for H-1B petitions for initial employment in FY25. This reflects a strategic shift in the Indian firms' provision of IT services to the U.S. market.
In contrast, the tech companies based in the U.S. maintained their leading position in new H-1B approvals. Amazon was the winner with 4,644 approvals, followed by Meta Platforms with 1,555, Microsoft with 1,394, and Google with 1,050.
According to the NFAP report, the number of U.S. employers who were given the green light to hire at least one new H-1B worker in FY25 reached a total of 28,277. Approximately 61% of the employers received permission for just one petition while 95% had the approval granted for 10 or fewer new H-1B visas. More than half of the total new petitions were allocated to employers with 15 or fewer approvals and 72% to those with 100 or fewer.
H-1B approvals have become a central issue in U.S. discussions around skilled immigration, the labor shortage in the tech sector, and global competitiveness. The Trump administration had been the one to introduce the $100,000 fee for the new H-1B application, claiming that the U.S. government had already filled its quota for workers with the right skills for certain industries.
Trump during the recent U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum stated that he would put his weight behind skilled immigrants who would be the ones to train American workers in the production of advanced technologies such as chips and missiles, thus, admitting that the move could attract the wrath of his supporters who demand strict immigration policies.
The cutback in the number of H-1B visas given to Indian IT companies coincides with the ongoing changes in global IT delivery models and it is also a sign of the U.S. immigration policy that is now more capable than before of strategically directing highly skilled workers into technology sectors.
