Tech giants Infosys, TCS among top 5 global H-1B visa beneficiaries

Account for over 41% of visas along with Cognizant, HCLTech

The contentious debate in the US on stiffening H-1B visa rules, if implemented, will adversely impact US technology (tech) giants and India’s three leading information technology (IT) companies — Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and HCLTech — more than other home-grown tech players.

 

These companies, including Wipro, Tech Mahindra (TechM), L&T Technology Services, LTIMindtree, and Hexaware Technologies, have a much smaller share of the temporary visas granted by the US government.

 

Infosys, TCS, and HCLTech, together with Cognizant — founded in India but headquartered in the US — have collectively accounted for more than 41 per cent of the H-1B visa beneficiaries approved  until September 30 to the top 10 companies  of the programme. 

 

The rest, and the larger portion of the visas, were secured by US tech companies, including Amazon.com (Amazon), Microsoft Corporation, Google, Meta Platforms (Meta), Apple Inc., and IBM, based on data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

 

A bitter battle has broken out in the US between President-elect Donald Trump and Tesla’s Elon Musk, who are defending the H-1B visa, and leading MAGA (Make America Great Again) proponents, who want US tech companies to hire more Americans. 

 

Indian IT companies Infosys and TCS have each been issued more H-1B visas than US tech giants Meta, Microsoft, and Apple individually. Infosys has been granted more H-1B visas than search giant Google.

 

Based on the data, Infosys is ranked No. 2 in terms of the highest number of H-1B visas granted this year, at 8,140, second only to an Amazon company, which was granted 9,265. The three IT companies — Infosys, TCS (5,272 visas), HCLTech United States (2,953), and Cognizant (6,321 H-1B visas) — are on the top 10 list.

 

In contrast, Wipro, TechM, L&T Technology Services, LTIMindtree, Mphasis, and Hexaware have collectively been issued only 6,606 H-1B visas, far fewer than the number granted to Infosys alone by the US government. 

 

However, US tech companies have secured a significant share of the visas. Amazon has collectively, through various companies, obtained a substantial 14,658 visas. Other US companies — Meta (4,844 H-1B visas), Microsoft (4,725), Apple (3,173), and Accenture (2,157) — are also key beneficiaries. Even Tesla is an important player, landing 1,767 H-1B visas.

 

The H-1B visa, issued in 1990, was intended to bring highly skilled foreign workers temporarily to the US. Visa holders could apply for green cards and extend their stay in the country.

 

However, the visas are capped at 85,000 annually, and companies that apply for them receive visas through a lottery system. With demand far outstripping supply, competition among companies is fierce. India has managed to secure a substantial share of these visas.

 

In 2020, during Trump’s first term as president, he attempted to revamp the system, including pushing companies to pay higher wages, but the effort did not take off. Recently, the president-elect altered his narrative, saying he has always supported the H-1B visas. Musk, his trusted advisor, initially defended the visas and even threatened to “go to war” over them but softened his stance due to MAGA opposition, saying the programme is “broken” and in need of “major reform”.