H-1B approvals for Indian IT firms plunge 70% since 2015: NFAP report

The findings, published by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) using USCIS data, point to a shifting landscape in high-skilled immigration to the US.

Indian IT services companies saw a sharp drop in approvals for new H-1B visas in FY 2025, with the top seven firms securing just 4,573 initial-employment petitions. This marks a 70% decline from 2015 and 37% lower than last year.

The findings, published by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) using USCIS data, point to a shifting landscape in high-skilled immigration to the US.

For the first time, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google occupied the top four positions for initial H-1B approvals, leaving TCS as the only Indian IT company in the top five. TCS also remained among the leading employers for continuing-employment petitions, though its rejection rate for extensions rose to 7%, compared with 4% in FY24 and higher than the 1.9% overall USCIS denial rate.

TCS secured 5,293 approvals for continued employment and 846 for initial employment this year, down significantly from 1,452 last year. Infosys, Wipro, and LTIMindtree recorded low rejection rates of 1-2% for extensions, but initial-employment refusals rose across several firms. Among major players, TCS posted a relatively low 2% denial rate, while HCL America, LTIMindtree, and Capgemini faced higher rejection rates.

Analysts, cited in a Times of India report, state that the data reinforces a long-term trend - companies are increasingly relying on the H-1B program to retain existing employees stuck in prolonged green-card backlogs rather than to hire new foreign workers.

Approvals for software-engineering positions have also declined for four consecutive years, with labour certifications dropping sharply since 2022.

Contrary to claims that H-1B workers are underpaid, USCIS data for FY24 shows an average salary of $136,000 in computer-related roles, with nearly two-thirds of approved applicants holding advanced degrees.