Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google Dominate FY25 H-1B Approvals for the First Time
US Visa, US H-1B Visa Approvals: A new report from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) reveals that American tech companies dominated H-1B visa approvals in fiscal year 2025, while approvals for Indian IT firms saw a significant decline compared to the previous decade.
The US H-1B visa system has undergone a major overhaul. According to a new report from the National Foundation for American Policy, four American giants have emerged as the biggest figures for initial employment H-1B visa approvals in fiscal year 2025 for the first time: Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft. Meanwhile, approvals for Indian companies are steadily declining, reflecting a weakening of their hold on the US tech sector.
According to the NFAP analysis, Amazon ranked first in FY25 with 4,644 approvals. Meta received 1,555, Microsoft 1,394, and Google 1,050. The report indicates that major hiring by these companies is being driven by an estimated $380 billion investment in AI by 2025. These numbers do not represent actual employees since new approvals are recorded even when locations change.
The NFAP report stated that only three companies from India were among the top 25 companies in FY25. Compared to FY2015, H-1B approvals for the top seven Indian IT companies fell by 70% to 4,573. This number is also 37% lower than in FY24, indicating that the role of Indian companies in the US tech sector is gradually diminishing.
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The US issues only 85,000 H-1B slots each year, 65,000 for general and 20,000 for US master's degree holders. In fiscal year 2025, there were a total of 442,000 unique applicants, but due to the limited quota, over 300,000 applications were rejected. Experts say this cap is far below the needs of the US labor market and exacerbates the skills gap in the tech sector.
The NFAP reported that the average H-1B tech salary in fiscal year 2024 was $136,000, proving that foreign engineers are not a cheap option. The number of American-born workers in computer and mathematical fields has increased by 141% over the past two decades, further demonstrating that H-1B workers do not take away American jobs. The report claims that if H-1B policies remain stringent, US companies will be forced to shift these jobs abroad.
