Athira Sethu
Kochi, 20 Nov 2025
Indian technology companies face a much higher rejection rate of the H-1B visa compared to American technology firms, while US-based companies are receiving approval at nearly record-high levels.
A recent report by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) indicates that companies like HCL America, LTIMindtree, Cognizant, and Capgemini have experienced denial rates far above the national average of 2.8% for the fiscal year 2025. On the other hand, big US companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta have rejection rates of less than 1%.
An analysis, based on new data from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, shows how Indian outsourcing firms are facing greater hurdles than American product-based technology companies. The outsourcing companies have been under more scrutiny, and the costs for compliance with immigration rules have also gone up.
For the past decade, there has been a continuous decline in new H-1B petition approvals for Indian-based firms. As an example, in fiscal 2025, the top seven Indian firms received a total of 4,573 approvals, representing a 70% drop from 2015. Some contributing factors to this include increased hiring of US residents, remote working from India, and stricter compliance rules. TCS, one of the largest Indian IT companies, has shown in recent times that it will not hire any new workers under the H-1B visa in the coming year. All these are part of the overall trends within the Indian companies’ moves to reduce dependence on US visas.
More specifically, U.S. tech giants are still enjoying great success in securing H-1B approvals. Major leaders include Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google, with Amazon standing tall in FY 2025 with 4,644 new petitions. Companies are also riding high on increased investment in artificial intelligence, with their need for skilled labor driving demand. The NFAP report also warns that forthcoming changes in immigration rules under the Trump administration may further affect the approval rates for Indian outsourcing firms. These changes include a rise in wage requirements and a new entry fee for visa holders, which will translate to even higher rejection rates for consulting companies and first-time applicants. Overall, the 2025 denial rate remains low compared to previous years, a function of US companies becoming more adept at handling immigration paperwork and legal requirements.
