Big Tech Companies Employ Majority Of H-1B Visa Workers: Where Do Amazon, Google, Meta Rank?

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. (NASDAQ: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. (NASDAQ:CTSH), Infosys Ltd. (NYSE:INFY) and Tata Consultancy Services, Inc. round out the top four. 

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Alphabet, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google came in fifth place and employed almost 5,550 H-1B workers in 2023, less than half compared to Amazon.

Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) followed in sixth with nearly 4,800 workers and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) came in right behind at 3,800.

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: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. (NASDAQ: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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