A major shift in the landscape of H-1B visa approvals has emerged, with top Indian-based companies experiencing a staggering 70% decline in approvals for initial employment in FY25 compared to FY15. According to a detailed analysis by the National Foundation for American PolicyNFAP, based on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data, the top seven Indian-based companies secured only 4,573 initial-employment H-1B petitions in FY25—37% lower than FY24 and dramatically below FY15 levels.

H-1B petitions for initial employment—cases counted against the annual cap of 65,000, plus the 20,000 advanced-degree exemption—are primarily for new hires. The NFAP analysis also revealed that in FY25, only three Indian-based companies appeared among the top 25 employers with approved initial H-1B petitions, underscoring a significant erosion in their historical dominance of this visa category.

In contrast, major U.S. technology corporations posted far higher H-1B approval numbers. Amazon led with 4,644 initial approvals in FY25. Meta followed with 1,555, Microsoft secured 1,394, and Google had 1,050—figures that collectively reflect the aggressive hiring strategies of U.S. tech giants, particularly in AI and high-skilled engineering roles. Stuart Anderson, NFAP’s executive director, noted that these patterns show Indian-based firms increasingly servicing the U.S. market with fewer visa-dependent workers, while large U.S. firms continue recruiting foreign-born graduate students to support soaring AI investment.

The report also outlined broader H-1B employment trends: 28,277 employers across the U.S. were approved to hire at least one new H-1B worker in FY25. Notably, 61% received approval for only one petition, and 95% secured approval for 10 or fewer. Over half of all new H-1B petitions went to employers with 15 or fewer approvals, and 72% went to employers with 100 or fewer—showing a wide distribution of approvals among smaller employers rather than concentration among a few large companies.

The heightened focus on H-1B approvals comes amid renewed U.S. debates over skilled immigration, workforce shortages, and global competitiveness. These discussions continue to intensify under political scrutiny, especially in light of former President Donald Trump’s previous immigration crackdowns and his floated proposal of a $100,000 fee for new H-1B filings. Yet, during a recent address at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, reported widely in U.S. political coverage, Trump acknowledged the ongoing reality that the U.S. lacks sufficient domestic talent to fill critical high-tech roles—signaling a potentially more nuanced stance on future high-skilled immigration policy.