Indian Tech Powerhouse Crushes Microsoft, Meta in Fierce H-1B Visa Battle
The H-1B visa program faces significant changes with the Trump administration's new $100,000 application fee, aimed at ensuring highly skilled workers and protecting American jobs. This comes as Amazon and TCS lead in visa approvals for 2025, amidst ongoing debates about the program's perceived misuse by IT outsourcing firms.
The H-1B non-immigrant visa program, a critical component of the United States’ immigration framework for highly skilled foreign workers, is currently undergoing significant scrutiny and policy changes. Recent federal data highlights the distribution of these visas among major technology and consulting firms, while the Trump administration has introduced a substantial fee increase, sparking debate about its implications for the program's future.
According to federal data for 2025, Amazon emerged as the leading beneficiary of H-1B visas, securing 10,044 approvals. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) followed as the second-highest recipient, with over 5,000 approved visas, specifically tallying 5,505 by June 2025. Other prominent companies receiving a significant number of H-1B visas include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), and Google (4,181). Consulting and IT services firms such as Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523), and Tech Mahindra Americas (951) also featured among the top beneficiaries.
In a significant policy shift, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a substantial $100,000 (over ₹88 lakh) fee on H-1B visa applicants. This move is aimed at ensuring that individuals entering the US through this program are