Indian companies sharply scaled back their use of H-1B visas for new hires in FY 2025, according to U.S. government data cited by Bloomberg, a drop of roughly 37% in new employment petitions compared to the previous year.
Experts attribute the decline to multiple shifting dynamics. Indian-based firms have been ramping up local hiring in the U.S., increasingly tapping into domestic talent pools. At the same time, advances in technology, particularly in remote collaboration and digital delivery have made it easier to execute high-skilled work from outside the United States.
The trend reflects a much deeper long-term shift. Over the past decade, H-1B filings from the seven biggest India-headquartered firms have plunged by about 70%. In FY 2025, those companies received just 4,573 approvals for initial H-1B employment, a stark contrast to their volumes from ten years ago, the report noted.
The data also highlights a clear shift in who’s dominating tech visa sponsorship. In FY 2025, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Google topped the list for new H-1B approvals, with Apple following closely in sixth place. Indian IT firms, once regulars in that upper tier, have largely receded. Their filings have shrunk so sharply that only three Indian companies are still among the top 25 H-1B sponsors.
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The latest government data also underscores how the H-1B landscape has shifted. For FY 2025, tech giants like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Google secured the highest number of new H-1B approvals, with Apple not far behind, ranking sixth. But now Indian IT majors, once dominant in visa sponsorship have largely slipped off the leaderboard. With their filings sharply reduced, only three India-based firms still appear in the top 25 sponsors.
These numbers reflect a snapshot from before some of the most stringent U.S. immigration measures were imposed. Under the Trump administration, rules were tightened significantly, including a proposed $100,000 fee for each newly hired H-1B worker, making it more costly for companies to sponsor foreign talent.
In FY 2025, Amazon emerged as the largest recruiter of new H-1B talent, with 4,644 initial employment petitions approved. Meta followed with 1,555 approvals, trailed by Microsoft with 1,394 and Google with 1,050, according to a National Foundation for American Policy analysis of USCIS data, as per Bloomberg.
For the first time, the top four spots for new H-1B approvals were all held by U.S. tech giants such as Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and Google, marking a significant shift in the visa landscape.
These initial employment petitions generally represent new hires and typically count toward the annual H-1B quota, making them a strong indicator of which employers are actively seeking specialized foreign talent.
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Among Indian firms, Tata Consultancy Services managed to retain a presence near the top, ranking fifth overall for initial H-1B approvals. But others, including LTIMindtree and HCL America, only narrowly stayed on the list, landing at 20th and 21st, respectively.
Challenging a widely held perception, federal data shows that H-1B workers are not locked into one employer. In FY 2025, more than 68,000 petitions were approved for individuals transferring to new companies, a clear sign of growing mobility within the high-skilled visa workforce.
As per the data, California emerged as the top destination for new H-1B talent in FY 2025, recording 21,559 approvals for initial employment. Texas followed with 12,613, while New York registered 11,436. New Jersey and Virginia rounded out the top five, with 7,729 and 7,579 approvals, respectively.
At the city level, New York stood out as the biggest hub for fresh H-1B approvals, tallying 7,811 in FY 2025. Arlington, Virginia followed with 4,836, while Chicago logged 2,923. In Silicon Valley, San Jose and Santa Clara saw 2,383 and 2,286 approvals, respectively, with San Francisco close behind at 2,222 reinforcing their status as key magnets for high-skilled talent.
The strongest demand for new H-1B talent came from knowledge and innovation-driven industries. Professional, scientific and technical services led the way, followed by education, manufacturing, information technology, healthcare and social assistance, and the finance and insurance sectors brought in specialized foreign workers to the U.S. economy.