Companies Sponsoring the Most H-1B Visas
While it’s not unheard of for small businesses to sponsor H-1B visas and their sister visas, the green card, it is more of a challenge. Because of the expense and strict legalities, not to mention the long wait between filing a petition and the October 1 start date, large corporations often have the upper hand when it comes to hiring foreign workers.
Each year, 85,000 H-1B visas are permitted, with the top slots occupied by cutting-edge industries of the time. Lately, these spots are loaded with tech companies. Fiscal Year 2024 is no different. The three companies sponsoring the most visas with approved petitions are in the tech sector:
● Amazon (6,396 approved petitions)
● Infosys (3,151)
● TCS (2,725)
● Cognizant (2,521)
● Google (1,562)
● Meta/Facebook (1,546)
● HCL America (1,260)
● IBM (1,239)
All of these companies are tech-focused. Looking at each one by itself doesn’t seem like a big deal. But when you consider that together, these eight companies make up over 20% of the H-1B visa allotment, you see that workers in the rest of the highly skilled professions are competing for the remaining visas in a very diluted pond.
Challenges to Finding a Sponsor
Making it even more challenging to find a sponsor is the political climate in the US. Since the Trump Administrations restrictive policies during the COVID pandemic, the H-1B program has undergone upheavals. The Biden Administration ended many of those strict regulations, but the backlog of visa and green card processing continues to impact new applicants with delays. Those who tried to petition for visas in the past few years are still filing, adding increased competition to an already oversaturated lottery process.
On top of those issues is the current USCIS request for fee increases. The government is attempting to come to an agreement before releasing official new rates, but it’s expected that the request will be granted. Many employers are pushing for H-1B visas and green cards now before the new prices go into effect.
The H-1B visa program is undergoing an overhaul once again, and the end result is predicted to include stricter requirements to meet the criteria of a “skilled professional.”
What’s Next?
With all of these changes on the horizon and the backlog clogging the system, those who wish to obtain an H-1B visa have many obstacles to overcome. The most effective way to reach your visa goal is to partner with a legal immigration expert like Visa2US.
At Visa2US, our friendly legal professionals are here all day, every day, to answer your questions and guide you to your next career steps. Let us take the stress out of applying for your H-1B visa and dealing with government rules and regulations, so you can focus on the journey ahead.
