This Indian IT giant beats Microsoft, Meta and Google in 2025 H-1B visa race
TCS is the 2nd-largest H-1B visa beneficiary in 2025 after Amazon. Trump’s $100K fee aims to ensure only highly skilled workers enter the US, preventing job losses for Americans.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with over 5,000 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon, according to federal data. Other leading companies include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523), and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
What Is the Trump Administration’s Latest Move on H-1B Visas?
In a major crackdown on immigration, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 (over ₹88 lakh) fee on H-1B visa applicants. The move aims to ensure that those entering the US are “actually very highly skilled” and not taking jobs from American workers. Trump said, “We need workers. We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that's what's going to happen.”
Also read | H-1B visa update: What is Project Firewall?
How Many H-1B Visas Were Already Approved for FY 2026?
According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Amazon had 10,044 workers on H-1B visas as of June 2025, while TCS had 5,505 approved visas. USCIS stated in July that it has already received enough petitions to meet the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa US advanced degree exemption, also called the master’s cap, for fiscal year 2026.
Why Is the H-1B Program Considered ‘Most Abused Visa?’
White House staff secretary Will Scharf described the H-1B non-immigrant visa program as one of the “most abused visa” systems in the country’s immigration framework. “This proclamation will raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000. This ensures that the people they’re bringing in are highly skilled and not replaceable by American workers,” he added.
How Has the Share of IT Workers on H-1B Visas Changed?
The proportion of IT workers on H-1B visas has risen sharply, from 32% in Fiscal Year 2003 to over 65% on average in the past five years. Many of the top H-1B employers are now primarily IT outsourcing firms.
Using these H-1B-reliant outsourcing companies allows employers to reduce costs. Studies show a 36% savings on “entry-level” H-1B positions compared to full-time American workers. To leverage these lower labor costs, some companies have shut down in-house IT divisions, laid off American employees, and outsourced jobs to cheaper foreign workers.