US visa fee hike: Where are most H-1B holders based? Which companies will be hit the hardest?

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday, September 19, raising the annual fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 to encourage companies to prioritise hiring American workers, allowing the hiring of “highly skilled foreign workers” in specialised fields.

The H-1B visa fee, which was previously around a thousand dollars, is now increased to $100,000, a move that would impact employers across different sectors, specifically the Information Technology (IT) industry.

Which companies are hit the hardest?

The IT companies who were heavily relied on the H-1B program to hire foreign workers will be significantly impacted by the fee hike as their expenses to bring in new employees from foreign countries will also rise. The visa fees are typically considered a business expense for the employer.

Here are the top 10 companies who are set to feel the shockwaves of the sudden fee hike in H-1B visa by the Trump administration as they employ the highest number of visa beneficiaries as of June 30, 2025:

1. Amazon: The e-commerce giant employs 10,044 H-1B visa beneficiaries.
2. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): This Indian tech giant has around 5,505 beneficiaries.
3. Microsoft: It employees 5,189 H-1B visa holders.
4. Meta: The company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has around 5,123 beneficiaries of the program in their workforce.
5. Apple: Tim Cook-led company has 4,202 visa holders in their company.
6. Google: The global tech giant has 4,181 beneficiaries of the H-1B visa program.
7. Cognizant technology solutions: It has around 2,493 visa holders within the firm.
8. JP Morgan Chase and co.: This tech company has 2,440 employees who hold the H-1B visa.
9. Walmart: The retail company employs 2,390 beneficiaries of the H-1B visa.
10. Deloitte: This global professional services firm has around 2,353 visa holders in their workforce.

Which US states have the most H-1B visa holders?

California in the US tops the list as the state with the most number of H-1B visa holders.

The next most populated state by foreign workers holding the visa holders is Texas, followed by New York and Virginia.

These states, among various others such as Illinois, Michigan and Washington host significant concentrations of H-1B visa beneficiaries across both tech and financial companies.

They remain key hubs for skilled foreign workers, reflecting the broader trends in the distribution of H-1B employment across the US.

How Many H-1B Visas Were Already Approved for FY 2026?

The H-1B program offers around 65,000 visas annually to employers bringing in temporary foreign workers in specialised fields, and another 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees, a news report by Mint said.

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, Mint reported.

India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved beneficiaries, while China was a distant second at 11.7%, according to government data.