Indian IT companies facing higher H-1B rejections than US counterparts
What's the story
Indian tech companies continue to face high H-1B visa application rejections. The National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) has revealed that firms such as HCL, LTIMindtree, and Cognizant have denial rates much higher than the national average of 2.8% for fiscal year 2025. Meanwhile, top US employers like Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta have reported rejection rates below 1%.
Policy impact
Policy scrutiny impacts outsourcing-driven companies
The NFAP analysis, which uses data from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) H-1B Employer Data Hub, highlights how policy scrutiny and compliance costs are affecting outsourcing-driven firms more than product-based technology ones. India-based employers have seen a steady decline in approvals for new H-1B petitions over the last decade. In FY2025, the top seven Indian-headquartered firms received 4,573 approvals for initial employment, 70% lower than FY2015 and 37% less than FY2024.
Approval rates
US tech giants lead in H-1B approvals
In stark contrast to Indian firms, America's largest technology companies, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Google and Apple dominate overall H-1B approvals. Amazon topped the list with 4,644 new petitions in FY2025 and another 14,532 renewals. Denial rates for these companies remained between 0.4% and 1%, a far cry from what Indian IT firms are experiencing.
Future outlook
Regulatory changes may impact future approvals
The NFAP brief warns the upcoming regulatory changes like higher wage thresholds and a $100,000 entry fee for new visa holders, could further increase rejection rates for consulting firms and first-time applicants. Despite an overall denial rate increase to 2.8% in FY2025 from 2.5% in 2024, it remains well below the 24% rate seen in 2018. Experts attribute this decline among US firms to improved documentation and internal legal compliance practices.