Indian IT Firms' H-1B Visa Approvals Halve Since 2015

The National Foundation for American Policy's analysis of US data reveals a significant decline in H-1B visa approvals for Indian-based IT firms. Seven major companies received 7,299 petitions for new employment in fiscal year 2024, compared to 14,792 in FY2015. The approved petitions constituted 5.2% of total approvals and 0.004% of the US civilian workforce. Despite a low H-1B denial rate of 2.5% in FY24, a slight reduction from 3.5% in FY23, the analysis suggests potential increases in denial rates if Trump's administration implements stricter policies.

Tesla Makes Notable Progress in H-1B Approvals

Tesla has demonstrated notable growth in H-1B approvals, reaching 16th position in FY24 with 742 approvals, substantially higher than its previous figures of 328 in FY2023 and 337 in FY2022. The company sought H-1B visa holders for various positions in engineering, software, supply management and other specialized roles.

H-1B Visa Approval Trends Across Industries

In FY2024, professional, scientific and technical services dominated H-1B approvals at 49.1%, followed by educational services (11.9%), manufacturing (9.3%), and healthcare and social assistance (6.5%). The United States maintains an annual cap of 65,000 H-1B visas, plus 20,000 for foreign nationals holding advanced degrees from US universities.