Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, and other Indian-origin tech companies have secured a fifth of all H-1B visas issued by the US in 2024. According to data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services from April to September 2024, 24,766 of the 130,000 H-1B visas were granted to Indian-origin companies. The H-1B visa program allows US companies to temporarily hire foreign workers for specialty roles.
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Infosys, TCS tops the H1-B visa list
As per the data, Infosys was the top beneficiary, receiving 8,140 visas, followed by TCS with 5,274 and HCL America with 2,953. The only company surpassing Infosys was Amazon Com Services LLC, which received 9,265 visas. Cognizant ranked third with 6,321 visas.
Other Indian companies in the list include Wipro and Tech Mahindra. Wipro received 1,634 visas, while Tech Mahindra was issued 1,199 visas.
List of the top companies by H-1B sponsorship approvals in 2024
- Amazon Com Services LLC: 9,265 approvals
- Infosys Limited: 8,140 approvals
- Cognizant Technology Solutions: 6,321 approvals
- Google LLC: 5,364 approvals
- Tata Consultancy Services Limited: 5,274 approvals
- Meta Platforms Inc: 4,844 approvals
- Microsoft Corporation: 4,725 approvals
- Apple Inc: 3,873 approvals
- HCL America Inc: 2,953 approvals
- IBM Corporation: 2,906 approvals
H1-B visa debate in US
The H-1B visas debate has stirred US political circles, dividng President-elect Donald Trump’s MAGA supporters. Among these is Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk who has publicly said that he is willing to go to war over these visas. Musk sees keeping the pipeline open for tech and other skilled workers critical for the American economy. For those unaware, H-1B visa programme permits foreign-born computer scientists, engineers and other highly skilled workers to migrate to the United States.
Trump too has thrown his weight behind Musk on the issue. Trump declared that he is a “believer in H-1B” visas, quashing the opposition to the programme for qualified professionals to work in the US. “It’s a great program,” he told the New York Post. He said, “I’ve always liked the visas; I have always been in favour of the visas. That’s why we have them.”