ByStuart Anderson,
Senior Contributor.
With sizable investments at stake in artificial intelligence, America’s leading technology companies are snapping up foreign-born talent. According to a new analysis of government data, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft and Google had the most approved new H-1B petitions in FY 2025, and Apple was number 6. At the same time, Indian-based companies have almost disappeared from the top rankings, with their numbers plummeting. Only three Indian companies were among the top 25 employers of new H-1B visa holders in FY 2025.
The latest H-1B numbers predate the Trump administration’s most restrictive immigration measures against employers of high-skilled foreign nationals. Those measures include imposing a $100,000 fee on the entry of new H-1B visa holders, conducting Department of Labor investigations under Operation Firewall and implementing upcoming rules expected to limit who qualifies for H-1B status and raise the required prevailing wage. Next year’s list of top H-1B employers could see additional changes.
H-1B temporary visas are often the only way for high-skilled foreign nationals to work in the United States long term. When companies recruit at U.S. universities, they find that international students account for approximately 70% of full-time graduate students in AI-related fields, such as computer and information sciences. The H-1B annual limit is 65,000, with an exemption of 20,000 for individuals with master’s degrees or higher from a U.S. university, or about 0.05% of the U.S. labor force. In addition to government fees that can exceed $6,000, employers must pay the higher of the actual or prevailing wage paid to U.S. professionals with similar experience and qualifications.
