The H-1B visa program, which annually permits US companies to hire up to 85,000 foreign workers, is once again garnering significant attention. Tech giants such as Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are ardent supporters of this program, diligently filing numerous visas each year. A recent report by Business Insider has revealed the top US companies that file the most number of H-1B visas.
According to the report, Amazon had the highest number of certified H-1B filings in 2024, with a total of 14,783, including 23 for Whole Foods. Amazon has employed approximately 1,556,000 people worldwide by the end of the year.
Microsoft followed with 5,695 certified filings, including 970 from LinkedIn, and had a global workforce of 228,000 as of the second quarter of 2024.
Alphabet secured 5,537 certified H-1B filings, including 115 from Waymo and Verily, with a total of 183,323 employees worldwide by the end of 2024.
Meta had 4,844 certified filings whereas Apple, with 3,880 certified H-1B filings stood fifth on the list.
As per the report by Business Insider, IBM reported 2,907 filings whereas Intel had 2,558 certified filings. Among other big names of the list, Oracle followed with 2,141 H-1B whereas Elon Musk-owned Tesla recorded 1,677 certified filings.
Interestingly, Musk has been a rather vocal critic of the H-1B program — or at least in its current avatar. In December 2024, Musk, in a post on social media platform X, called the program “broken.” “I’ve been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform,” Musk had said.
Meanwhile, TikTok’s parent company rounded the top 10 list of H-1B visa filings with its numbers hitting 1,611.
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