Big tech companies are employing the majority of approved H-1B visa workers in the U.S., according to research from the Pew Research Center. Here’s a look at which companies top the list.
Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN came in first with 11,000 H-1B visa approvals in 2023, marking the third consecutive year the e-commerce giant topped the list. Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. CTSH, Infosys Ltd. INFY and Tata Consultancy Services, Inc. round out the top four.
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Alphabet, Inc.’s GOOG GOOGL Google came in fifth place and employed almost 5,550 H-1B workers in 2023, less than half compared to Amazon.
Microsoft Corp. MSFT followed in sixth with nearly 4,800 workers and Apple Inc. AAPL came in right behind at 3,800.
Meta Platforms, Inc. META came in eighth place with 3,371 H-1B workers and currently faces a lawsuit claiming the company systematically favors foreign workers.
Plaintiffs in the case argue that Meta has a pattern of prioritizing visa holders for employment, a claim supported by court-cited statistics: 15% of Meta’s U.S. workforce holds H-1B visas, compared to 0.5% across all industries.
Meta has denied the allegations and called the discrimination claims “baseless.”
Tesla, Inc. TSLA ranked near the bottom of the 30 companies on Pew Research’s list with less than 1,100 H-1B visas, accounting for 0.3% of total H-1B approvals. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been an outspoken proponent of the visa program, likening it to drafting talented foreign players to bolster an NBA team.
The H-1B program, established in 1990, enables U.S. employers to recruit skilled foreign professionals with bachelor’s degrees or equivalent qualifications for specialized roles.
H1-B visas are initially valid for three years, renewable up to six years, with potential extensions for those pursuing permanent residency. In 2023, 400,000 H-1B applications were approved with 65% of approvals being renewals.
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