H-1B visa approvals for initial employment at the top seven Indian-based companies fell sharply in FY25, according to a National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data. It showed a 70% decline from FY15.
In FY25, only 4,573 H-1B visa petitions for initial employment were approved for the top seven Indian-based companies. This amounts to a 70% decline from FY15 and a 37% decrease compared to FY24.
H-1B petitions for initial employment mainly cover new hires, counted against the annual limit of 65,000, with an additional 20,000 exemptions for individuals holding a US master’s degree or higher.
In FY25, just three Indian-based companies were among the top 25 employers with approved H-1B petitions for initial employment, the analysis found.
US companies surpassed Indian firms in H-1B approvals in FY25. Amazon topped the list with 4,644 approvals, followed by Meta at 1,555, Microsoft 1,394, and Google 1,050, showing that US tech giants are heavily hiring skilled foreign talent.
Stuart Anderson, executive director of NFAP, told Newsweek that Indian companies are now providing IT services to US clients using fewer H-1B visas, while US tech giants continue hiring foreign-born graduates for AI and other critical projects, showing a strategic shift.
In FY25, 28,277 US employers were approved to hire at least one new H-1B visa holder. The majority were small-scale approvals, 61% for a single petition and 95% for 10 or fewer.
Over half of new H-1B petitions went to employers with 15 or fewer approvals and 72% to companies with 100 or fewer approvals. This indicates H-1B allocations are concentrated among smaller employers, as per NFAP analysis.
H-1B approvals are drawing attention as the US debates skilled immigration and worker shortages. Despite introducing a $100,000 fee, Trump said at the US-Saudi Investment Forum that America still lacks talent in key industries and needs skilled immigrants to help train its workforce.
