H-1B visa registrations open soon: Top 25 firms that sponsor immigrants

The H-1B visa remains a crucial route for Indian professionals seeking employment in the United States, particularly in fields such as artificial intelligence and technology.

 

What is an H-1B visa? An H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant work visa that allows US employers to hire foreign professionals for specialised roles for up to three years. The visa can be extended to a maximum of six years.

 

How to apply for an H-1B visa in 2026

 

The H-1B process involves multiple steps, with strict deadlines set by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

 

Find a sponsor: The applicant must secure a job offer from a US employer willing to file the H-1B petition on their behalf.

 

Complete the petition: The employer files Form I-129 with USCIS during the application window starting March 7, 2025.

 

Enter the lottery: Due to high demand, most H-1B petitions go through a lottery system. USCIS issues 85,000 H-1B visas annually, including 20,000 for advanced degree holders from US institutions.

 

Approval and start date: If selected, the applicant's H-1B status begins as early as October 1, 2026, aligning with the US financial year.

 

Important timeline as per USCIS:

Registration starts: March 7, 2025, 10:30 pm IST

Registration closes: March 24, 2025, 10:30 pm IST

Registration fee: $215

 

Who sponsors the most H-1B visas?

Several multinational companies sponsor thousands of H-1B visas each year. Here are the top sponsors in 2024:

 

Amazon: 9,265 approvals

Infosys: 8,140 approvals

Cognizant: 6,321 approvals

Google: 5,364 approvals

Tata Consultancy Services: 5,274 approvals

Meta: 4,844 approvals

Microsoft: 4,725 approvals

Apple: 3,873 approvals

HCL Technologies: 2,953 approvals

IBM: 2,906 approvals

 

Changes in the selection process

 

The FY 2026 H-1B cap will follow the beneficiary-centric selection process introduced in 2025. The US financial year begins on October 1. Under this system, registrations will be selected based on unique beneficiaries rather than individual registrations, which aims to reduce fraud.

 

“If enough unique beneficiaries are received by March 24, we will randomly select from them and send selection notifications through users' USCIS online accounts,” said USCIS.

 

If fewer unique beneficiaries register than required, all properly submitted applications will be selected.

 

Who benefits the most?

 

Indian professionals receive the majority of H-1B visas each year. According to USCIS data, between October 2022 and September 2023, Indians accounted for 72.3% of all H-1B visas issued.

 

In the financial year ending September 30, 2023, Indian nationals made up approximately 78% of the 265,777 H-1B visas issued by the US

 

The US Congress has set an annual cap of 65,000 visas, with an additional 20,000 allocated for applicants with higher education from US institutions.

 

“With 1.5 million engineers graduating annually and 2.5 million STEM graduates in 2022-2023, India’s vast and diverse workforce is primed to meet global industry needs in technology, engineering, and IT. India’s capacity in areas like software development, data science, and artificial intelligence (AI) positions it as a critical source of talent. Furthermore, the demand for engineers in the US is expected to rise by 8-10%, further increasing the need for skilled labour globally, which India is well-positioned to supply,” Dhriti Prasanna Mahanta, Vice-President, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship told Business Standard.