H-1B Approvals For Indian IT Firms Crash To Lowest In 10 Years

Last Updated:December 01, 2025, 07:48 IST

In 2025, Indian IT firms saw H-1B approvals drop 70 percent since 2015, with only TCS in the top five. US tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft now dominate visa allocations.

In 2025, Indian IT firms saw H-1B approvals drop 70 percent since 2015, with only TCS in the top five. US tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft now dominate visa allocations. (AI Image)

In fiscal year 2025, Indian IT firms saw a sharp decline in H-1B visa approvals from the United States: only 4,573 new petitions were approved for initial employment. That marks a nearly 70% drop compared with 2015, and a 37% decrease from 2024.

The data, analysed by the Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) using records from the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, places 2025 as the worst year in the past decade for approvals for Indian firms.

Among Indian companies, only Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) retained a place in the top five employers securing new H-1B approvals, underscoring a major shift in visa allocation away from traditional outsourcing firms.

Why the Decline?

Analysts attribute the steep drop to a mix of tightening immigration policies, stricter scrutiny of visa petitions, and a broader shift in hiring patterns. Over recent years, American tech giants such as Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft have increasingly dominated new H-1B approvals through their strong legal and administrative foothold in the U.S.

Meanwhile, many Indian outsourcing firms have dialed back their reliance on US-based work visas, signalling a broader shift in global tech staffing dynamics.

Implications for the Industry

The drastic decline threatens to reshape the business model of the Indian IT sector, which has long relied on H-1B visas to deploy talent and serve American clients. With fewer visas available, companies may face challenges in staffing US-based projects and might increasingly turn to local hiring or remote models.

At the same time, the dominance of large US tech firms in visa allocations suggests they are consolidating access to global talent, potentially widening the gap between them and traditional outsourcing companies.

The NFAP analysis signals a turning point for the global tech talent market, with far-reaching consequences for Indian IT firms, emigrant professionals, and hiring patterns worldwide.

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