Indian companies’ reliance on H-1B visas for new employment has seen a dramatic downturn, with FY 2025 showing a 37% drop in initial petitions, according to US government data reported by Bloomberg. Only 4,573 H-1B petitions for new employment were approved for the top-seven Indian firms combined—a massive 70% decline over the past decade.
Experts attribute this to a shift toward hiring more US-based workers, increased offshoring capability, and rapid technological shifts that reduce the need to bring workers onsite to the US.
US Tech Companies Take Over the Top Spots
For the first time ever, the top four companies receiving the highest number of H-1B approvals for new employment were all American tech giants.
According to the NFAP analysis of USCIS data:
- Amazon: 4,644 approvals
- Meta: 1,555 approvals
- Microsoft: 1,394 approvals
- Google: 1,050 approvals
Apple followed closely behind, ranking sixth overall.
This signals a significant power shift in the high-skilled immigration landscape, as US tech giants intensify their hiring of global talent, even as Indian firms step back.
Indian Firms Fall in Rankings
Among Indian companies, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) held onto fifth place, but other major players such as LTIMindtree (20th) and HCL America (21st) barely made it into the top 25.
The decline also reflects the period before the Trump administration’s toughest immigration restrictions took effect—including the unprecedented $100,000 fee per new H-1B employee, making the visa far more expensive for employers.
Workers Still Switching Employers
Contrary to public belief, H-1B workers are not locked to one employer. In FY 2025 alone, over 68,000 H-1B petitions were approved for workers transferring to new companies—a sign of growing job mobility among high-skilled visa holders.
Where Most H-1Bs Are Going
State-level data shows:
- California led with 21,559 new approvals
- Texas, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia followed
New York City ranked No. 1 among cities, with Arlington, Chicago, San Jose, and Santa Clara also major hubs.
Most new H-1B approvals came from sectors including tech, education, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance.
The Bigger Picture
The data reveals a changing H-1B landscape: US tech giants are expanding their dominance, Indian IT firms are adjusting to new hiring and delivery models, and regulatory headwinds are reshaping global talent flows—setting the stage for a transformed future of high-skilled immigration.
