Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has emerged as the second-largest recipient of H-1B visas in 2025, with over 5,500 approvals, trailing only Amazon, according to U.S. federal records. Data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shows that Amazon employed 10,044 workers on H-1B visas as of June 2025, followed by TCS with 5,505 approvals.
Other major beneficiaries 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).
In a move with major implications for Indian IT professionals and other skilled foreign workers, the Trump administration has introduced a steep annual levy of $100,000 on every H-1B visa. The administration argued this was necessary to curb what it described as widespread misuse of the programme.
In July, USCIS confirmed it had already received enough petitions to meet both the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa cap and the additional 20,000 reserved for applicants with advanced U.S. degrees for fiscal year 2026.
On September 19, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled &ldquo;Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers.&rdquo; The directive stipulates that non-immigrant applicants will only be permitted entry if their H-1B petitions are accompanied by the new $100,000 payment. The order will remain valid for 12 months from its effective date of September 21, 2025, unless extended.
The administration noted that the number of foreign STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) professionals in the U.S. doubled from 1.2 million in 2000 to nearly 2.5 million by 2019, even though overall STEM employment grew by just 44.5% in that period. Among computer and mathematics occupations, the foreign workforce rose from 17.7% in 2000 to 26.1% in 2019.
Officials blamed the H-1B programme for facilitating this surge, alleging that IT outsourcing companies have consistently exploited the system. The share of IT workers under H-1B visas increased from 32% in FY 2003 to more than 65% on average over the past five years.
The administration also cited research showing employers save significantly by hiring foreign workers, with &ldquo;entry-level&rdquo; H-1B roles costing around 36% less than equivalent full-time American positions. This, it argued, has encouraged firms to dismantle in-house IT departments, dismiss American employees, and replace them with lower-paid visa holders.
The order further referenced examples where tech companies sought thousands of H-1B approvals while simultaneously announcing large-scale layoffs of U.S. staff. One software giant, for instance, received over 5,000 approvals in FY 2025 while cutting more than 15,000 jobs. Another IT firm secured nearly 1,700 H-1B visas but dismissed 2,400 American employees in Oregon in July.

Amazon, TCS top H-1B visa approvals in 2025

Amazon leads with 10,044 H-1B visas, TCS follows with 5,505 amid new $100k fee rule

Amazon, TCS top H-1B visa approvals in 2025

Amazon leads with 10,044 H-1B visas, TCS follows with 5,505 amid new $100k fee rule

September 20, 2025 | 21:25 IST