Amazon is reportedly the top employer of foreign workers in the United States, according to new federal data. The e-commerce giant currently employs 10,044 people on H-1B visas, making it the largest sponsor of foreign talent. It is followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with 5,505 H-1B workers, Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202) and Google (4,181). Other major sponsors include Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
The H-1B visa program allows US companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations such as technology and engineering. Every year, 65,000 regular visas and 20,000 advanced degree exemptions are issued under the congressionally mandated cap. In July, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that it had already received enough petitions to meet the quota for the fiscal year 2026.
However, the Trump administration has announced a sweeping change that could significantly impact the program. Under a new proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers”, companies sponsoring H-1B visas will now be required to pay an annual fee of $100,000 per worker. Petitions without this payment will be denied, and employees will be barred from entering the US.
The administration argues that the move is aimed at curbing “systemic abuse” of the program. Trump said that instead of supplementing the American workforce, companies have been using H-1B visas to replace US workers with “lower-paid, lower-skilled” foreign labour.
The proclamation cites data showing that the number of foreign STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) workers in the US grew from 1.2 million in 2000 to 2.5 million in 2019. During the same period, foreign workforce participation in computer and math occupations rose from 17.7% to 26.1%. The share of IT workers in the H-1B program has also grown sharply, from 32% in FY2003 to over 65% in recent years.
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
