Indian IT Firms See Sharp Decline in New H-1B Visa Approvals in FY 2025

Indian IT companies have witnessed a significant drop in new H-1B visa approvals for initial employment in FY 2025, marking one of the steepest declines in the last decade. According to newly published U.S. immigration data, approvals for Indian firms have fallen by approximately 37% compared to last year and nearly 70% compared to ten years ago.

While Indian tech giants such as TCS, Infosys, HCL, and Wipro once dominated the H-1B landscape, they have now been overtaken by American technology majors including Amazon, Meta, Google, and Microsoft, which collectively secured the highest number of approvals this year.

Industry experts attribute the fall to several factors, including changing business delivery models, rising visa costs, tighter scrutiny, and an increased shift towards offshore and remote operations. Recent policy changes in the U.S.—such as significantly higher fees for new H-1B applicants—have also impacted demand.

The trend raises questions about the future of global tech mobility and the long-standing dependence of Indian IT on U.S.-based deployments. It could also reshape talent strategies and accelerate the shift toward distributed and hybrid work models around the world.