A seismic shift is reshaping the landscape for Indian technology professionals seeking careers in the United States. Far from the political spotlight, a quiet but dramatic transformation in US immigration patterns is closing a historic gateway for India's IT workforce.
A Staggering Decline in Opportunities
Fresh analysis from the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) paints a stark picture. In the fiscal year 2025, the seven largest Indian IT companies collectively secured only 4,573 H-1B approvals for initial employment. This figure represents a catastrophic 70% collapse compared to 2015 levels and a 37% fall from just the previous year, 2024. The data, sourced from the official USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, signals the end of an era.
The traditional power structure of H-1B sponsorship has been upended. For the first time, American tech behemoths—Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google—now occupy the top four slots for new H-1B approvals. Indian IT names have been relegated to the margins, with only three India-headquartered companies managing to cling to positions within the top 25 employers list for initial visa grants.
The Squeeze on Extensions and Rising Denials
The challenges extend beyond securing new visas. Even for existing workers seeking to continue their employment, the environment is growing tougher. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) remains the sole major Indian IT firm in the top tier for both initial and continuing employment petitions. However, its initial approvals fell to 846 in FY2025 from 1,452 in 2024.
More alarmingly, TCS faced a 7% rejection rate for continuing employment petitions, a rate far exceeding the USCIS-wide average denial rate of 1.9% for such extensions. This contrasts with Infosys, Wipro, and LTIMindtree, which reported denial rates between 1% and 2% for continuing employment. For new hires, denial rates at some firms are even higher, with HCL America at 6%, LTIMindtree at 5%, and Capgemini at 4% for initial petitions.
This trend points to a labor market in recalibration. US companies appear to be prioritizing the protection of their current workforce over importing fresh talent from abroad. While renewals for existing employees still generally see low denial rates, the pipeline for new talent is conspicuously drying up.
Debunking the Wage Myth and Looking Ahead
Arguments that H-1B workers depress local wages are dismantled by official data. In FY 2024, the average salary for H-1B professionals in computer-related roles was $136,000, with a median of $125,000. Furthermore, 63% of approved H-1B beneficiaries held a master's degree or higher. These are highly qualified, well-compensated individuals in a global competition for top-tier engineering talent.
The implications are profound for thousands of Indian engineers for whom the H-1B visa symbolized more than a work permit—it represented access to world-class projects, a path to building a life abroad, and the quintessential American Dream earned through skill and determination. That dream now feels increasingly fragile.
Yet, this contraction may represent a cycle of correction rather than a permanent closure. The US tech ecosystem's fundamental hunger for expertise remains. American universities continue to be global magnets for brilliant minds. The current phase demands improvisation and adaptation from Indian tech professionals.
The narrative has evolved beyond mere visa statistics. It now centers on a critical question: Will America's opportunity landscape remain expansive for the international talent that helped forge its technological dominance, or will it become more exclusionary? The American Dream is not crumbling, but it is being rigorously renegotiated—visa by visa, policy by policy. The light at the end of the tunnel still flickers, but the path forward is undoubtedly longer and more uncertain.
