Indian IT companies are pulling back from H-1B visa recruitment: US data

 

 

 

P P Cherian

Washington, DC: Indian IT companies in the US have significantly reduced hiring through new H-1B visas, Bloomberg reported, citing new government data.

There was a 37% decline in first-time H-1B visa applications filed by major Indian companies in fiscal year 2025 (FY 2025). The seven largest Indian firms received only 4,573 visas.

The decline is due to a strategic shift by Indian IT giants to hire more employees directly in the US. The aim is to reduce their dependence on O1A visas.

For the first time, US tech companies (Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Google) have taken the top four spots in obtaining H-1B visas. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is at the fifth position among Indian companies.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has once again defended the O1A program, saying the chip manufacturing sector needs foreign workers. But there are calls from within his own party to completely abolish these visas.