Amid an ongoing “civil war” between President-elect Donald Trump’s hardline MAGA supporters and Tesla CEO Elon Musk over H-1B visas, latest USCIS data shows Indian tech companies secured nearly one fifth of such visas between April and September 2024.
Out of 130,000 H-1B visas issued during this period to American firms to bring in highly skilled foreign workers, Indian companies were issued 24,766 visas. Infosys led the Indian pack with 8,140 visas, followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with 5,274, and HCL America with 2,953.
Globally, Amazon topped the list with 9,265 H-1B visas, slightly ahead of Infosys. Cognizant, a company founded in Chennai but now headquartered in New Jersey, ranked third overall with 6,321 visas. Other major Indian IT firms also featured prominently, with Wipro obtaining 1,634 visas and Tech Mahindra 1,199.
READ: After H-1B, Trump’s MAGA supporters target OPT (January 7, 2025)
Indian IT giants like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, and HCL Technologies have consistently been among the largest beneficiaries of the program that enables US companies to hire foreign professionals in specialised fields, particularly in the technology sector.
However, the H-1B program faces challenges ahead of Trump’s Jan 20 inauguration as evidenced by an escalating conflict between his MAGA supporters and Musk, triggered by the appointment of Indian American venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as a senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence.
The President-elect has come out in support of his billionaire friend Musk and Indian American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, both of whom have been tasked with leading his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Defending the visa program that allows Indian techies and and other highly skilled foreign workers to immigrate to the US, Trump told The New York Post in an interview last month that he’s “a believer in H-1B.”
“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump told the newspaper. “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” he added.
Trump reiterated his support for the program during the New Year eve celebration at Mar-a-Lago when asked why he had changed his stance on the program he once decried as “unfair” to American workers and “very bad.”
READ: Trump sides with Musk in H-1B war (December 29, 2024)
“I didn’t change my mind. I always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country,” Trump claimed.Stressing that the US needs “competent and smart” people, he said, “We need a lot of people coming in. We’re going to have jobs like we’ve never had before.”
In a recent post Musk again stressed the importance of welcoming talent from diverse backgrounds. “Anyone — of any race, creed or nationality — who came to America and worked like hell to contribute to this country will forever have my respect. America is the land of freedom and opportunity. Fight with every fibre of your being to keep it that way!,” he wrote on X.