With the H-1B visa program emerging as one of the most contentious issues between the US and India, a new analysis revealed the list of companies that increased their use of H-1B visas in 2025. The analysis was done by Newsweek, which claimed that there is no pattern in this increase, as the increase is spread across multiple industries. However, the biggest are from consulting, technology and financial services firms. Going by Newsweek’s analysis, Amazon is the single largest H-1B sponsor, followed by JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Apple, Meta Platforms. The other five positions among the top 10 companies are held by Cisco Systems, TCS, Visa Technology and Operations, Amazon Web Services and General Motors. But the figures also include visa renewals, which occur every three years for employees hired during the pandemic. The Newsweek report quoted Amazon, citing visa renewals as a factor behind the jump in H-1B numbers. The other reason, they said, was a higher lottery selection rate for legitimate employers. Amazon reported 787 more H-1B approvals in 2025 in comparison with 2024, according to the Newsweek analysis. The number is 721 for JPMorgan Chase, 464 for Microsoft, 329 for Apple and 279 for Meta Platforms.

Experts told Newsweek that the figures could be misleading as they include extensions, transfers and cap-exempt petitions. “The numbers can be quite misleading if you are unfamiliar with the data. The Hub actually reports both new and renewed/extended visas, so the numbers are exponentially higher than for just new visas,” Jeff Lande, president of the Lande Group, told Newsweek.

H-1B row and rising anti-India sentiment

H-1B is the visa program that allows US companies to hire foreign skilled people. But over the years, it became synonymous with importing cheap labor and India has become one of the major contributors to this program. Amid the ongoing trade war between India and the US, tech workers, MAGA activists raised calls to stop the H-1B program so that Indians can’t ‘steal’ jobs from Americans. The Trump administration is also planning to revamp the H-1B program in a way that companies can’t bring in cheap labor for entry roles but can only hire for high-skilled, high-wage top roles.