Tech Giants and the H-1B Visa Program: Who’s Hiring?
The tech industry in the United States is known for its innovation and global reach, but a crucial element often overlooked is its dependence on skilled foreign workers. Each year, companies sponsor thousands of these individuals through the H-1B visa program.
As the program faces renewed scrutiny, particularly from political figures and even some industry leaders, the question arises: which companies rely on it the most? This article examines the top 40 tech companies that filed the most H-1B visa requests during the 2024 fiscal year, providing a glimpse into their dependence on this avenue for talent acquisition.
The H-1B Visa Landscape
The H-1B program permits U.S. businesses to employ foreign workers in specialized occupations requiring theoretical or technical expertise. Each year, the U.S. government grants up to 85,000 such visas, with selections made via a lottery system.
However, the program is under the spotlight. While former President Donald Trump once expressed support for the program, figures within his political base have raised concerns. This includes criticism of the program as a potential threat to American workers.
This comes as some tech leaders are reevaluating their stance. For instance, Elon Musk has called for increasing minimum salary requirements for H-1B visa holders.
Methodology
This analysis is based on publicly available data from the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, focusing on applications from tech product companies. IT consulting firms are excluded to focus on the core tech sector.
It is important to note that a visa filing does not always translate directly into employment, and some filings may relate to amendments or extensions. However, the data still provides a valuable indication of companies’ H-1B visa needs.
Top H-1B Sponsors
The following companies, ranked by their number of H-1B filings, showcase the tech industry’s reliance on the program:
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Amazon:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 14,783 (including 23 for Whole Foods).
- Total employees worldwide: 1,556,000 as of the end of 2024.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.
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Microsoft:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 5,695 (including 970 from LinkedIn).
- Total employees worldwide: 228,000 as of the second quarter of 2024.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
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Alphabet:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 5,537 (including 115 from Waymo and Verily).
- Total employees worldwide: 183,323 as of the end of 2024.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
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Meta:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 4,844.
- Total employees worldwide: 74,067 as of the end of 2024.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
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Apple:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 3,880.
- Total employees worldwide: 164,000 as of the third quarter of 2024.
Apple CEO Tim Cook.
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IBM:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 2,907.
- Total employees worldwide: More than 293,400 as of the end of 2024.
IBM.
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Intel:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 2,558.
- Total employees worldwide: 108,900 as of the end of 2024.
Intel.
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Oracle:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 2,141.
- Total employees worldwide: 159,000 as of the end of May 2024.
Oracle
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Tesla:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 1,677.
- Total employees worldwide: 125,665 as of the end of 2024.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
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Bytedance:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 1,611.
- Total employees worldwide: More than 150,000, according to the company’s website.
TikTok parent company Bytedance.
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Salesforce:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 1,525 (A Salesforce spokesperson said that the company filed 1,808 H-1B petitions in fiscal year 2024 including new hires, amendments, and extensions).
- Total employees worldwide: 76,453 as of the end of January 2025.
Salesforce.
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Nvidia:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 1,519.
- Total employees worldwide: 36,000 as of the end of fiscal year 2025.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
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Cisco:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 1,330.
- Total employees worldwide: 90,400 as of the end of fiscal year 2024.
Cisco health clinic at Cisco Systems in San Jose.
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Qualcomm:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 1,291.
- Total employees worldwide: 49,000 employees as of the end of the third quarter of 2024.
Qualcomm.
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Adobe:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 787.
- Total employees worldwide: More than 30,708 as of November 2024.
Adobe.
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Intuit:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 770.
- Total employees worldwide: 18,200 at the end of fiscal year 2024.
Intuit.
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Uber:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 703.
- Total employees worldwide: 31,100 as of the end of 2024.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.
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Paypal:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 623.
- Total employees worldwide: 24,400 as of the end of 2024.
PayPal.
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eBay:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 548 (An eBay spokesperson said eBay filed 494 H-1B visas in fiscal year 2024, noting that the publicly available information doesn’t disclose the exact number of roles hired for.)
- Total employees worldwide: 11,500 as of the end of 2024.
eBay.
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Rivian:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 584.
- Total employees worldwide: 14,861 as of the end of 2024.
Rivian.
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ServiceNow:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 578.
- Total employees worldwide: 26,293 as of the end of 2024.
ServiceNow.
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HP:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 533.
- Total employees worldwide: 58,000 as of the end of 2024.
HP.
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Dell:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 489.
- Total employees worldwide: 120,000 as of February 2, 2024.
Dell.
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Lucid Motors:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 488.
- Total employees worldwide: 6,800 as of the end of 2024.
Lucid.
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DoorDash:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 427.
- Total employees worldwide: 23,700 as of the end of 2024.
DoorDash.
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Fiserv:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 403.
- Total employees worldwide: 38,000 as of the end of 2024.
Fiserv.
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Micron Technology:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 369.
- Total employees worldwide: 48,000 as of August 29, 2024.
Micron.
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VMware:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 359.
- Total employees worldwide: 16,000 according to Business Insider’s sources.
VMWare.
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ADP:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 350.
- Total employees worldwide: 64,000 as of June 2024.
ADP.
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Workday:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 347.
- Total employees worldwide: 20,400 as of January 31, 2025.
Workday.
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Expedia:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 331.
- Total employees worldwide: 16,500 as of the end of 2024.
Expedia.
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MathWorks:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 295.
- Total employees worldwide: 6,500, according to the corporate website.
MathWorks.
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Snowflake:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 285.
- Total employees worldwide: 7,004 as of January 31, 2024.
Snowflake.
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Databricks:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 283.
- Total employees worldwide: More than 7,000, according to the company’s website.
Databricks.
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Synopsys:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 267.
- Total employees worldwide: 20,000 as of November 2024.
Synopsys.
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Stripe:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 265.
- Total employees worldwide: Approximately 8,200 according to BI’s reporting.
Stripe.
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Snap:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 258
- Total employees worldwide: 4,911 as of December 2024.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel.
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Netflix:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 256.
- Total employees worldwide: 14,000 as of the end of 2024.
Netflix.
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Block:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 231.
- Total employees worldwide: 11,372 as of the end of 2024.
Block CEO Jack Dorsey.
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Pinterest:
- Total certified H-1B filings: 225.
- Total employees worldwide: 4,666 as of the end of 2024.
Pinterest.
Conclusion
The H-1B visa program is a critical component of the tech industry, and any modifications to access to this global talent pool could have significant repercussions for these companies.
