In numbers: Why the H-1B visa hike will hit American companies more than Indian

US Big Tech employs significant numbers under the H-1B visa programme, rivalling Indian IT giants such as Cognizant and TCS

Oct 08, 2025, 12:34 IST1 min

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Even before this hike in fees, non-immigrant visa issuances for Indian nationals were declining. In two years, the number of H-1B visas issued to Indians has fallen by about 22 percent. There has been a similar drop in H-4 visas for dependents and L-1 visas for intracompany transfers

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Amid this decline, more visas are being given to new hires instead of continuing existing contracts

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There is also a fundamental shift in the firms benefiting from H-1Bs. Although the fee hike will impact top-tier Indian IT firms, the effect will be more pronounced on US firms

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Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta lead the list of H-1B beneficiaries, rivalling Indian IT giants like Cognizant, TCS, Infosys and Wipro, which had dominated in previous years

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While questions on the economic feasibility of the steep fee exist, analysis shows that the median compensation for those in computer-related occupation was higher than the median pay for all other H-1B beneficiaries. A gender-based breakdown further reveals a slight pay disparity

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ICT exports from India have consistently outpaced the growth of such exports from the US; a trend that may be both a cause and a consequence of the recent tightening of the visa regime.

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