H-1B visa applications at major tech companies fell sharply in late 2025 as layoffs rose and stricter U.S. immigration rules increased costs and scrutiny.

Big Tech H-1B Applications Drop

Federal data shows Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), and Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT)  filed significantly fewer H-1B petitions in the first quarter of fiscal 2026, as reported by Business Insider on Wednesday.

This marks a notable decline compared with the same period a year earlier

Amazon's certified applications dropped from 4,647 to 3,057, while filings at Meta and Google roughly halved.

Apple, Microsoft, International Business Machines Corp (NYSE:IBM), Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM), and Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)  also saw declines.

Jason Finkelman, a Texas-based immigration lawyer, noted that the decline is driven by higher costs, increased scrutiny of H-1B applications, and a shift in companies' hiring priorities.

He said, "Companies are being more selective in who they sponsor."

The drop comes as Big Tech cuts thousands of jobs. Amazon eliminated 16,000 corporate positions in January, following 14,000 cuts in October.

Meta laid off hundreds in March, Microsoft trimmed 15,000 employees between May and July 2025, and Google has implemented smaller reductions.

H-1B Visa Policy Impacts Tech Hiring And US Workforce

Earlier this year, Amazon allowed employees stranded in India due to H-1B visa delays to work remotely until March 2, though they were restricted from coding, strategic decision-making, and customer interactions.

The delays were caused by new consular rules requiring social media reviews, affecting scheduling at U.S. embassies and prompting travel advisories from other tech firms, including Alphabet, Apple, and Microsoft.

Last year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk highlighted the significant contribution of H-1B talent to the U.S., emphasizing that his companies, Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI struggled to find enough skilled workers.

Musk acknowledged some misuse of the program by outsourcing firms but warned that ending it entirely "would actually be very bad."

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended President Donald Trump's H-1B policy, saying it aimed to bring in foreign experts temporarily to train American workers in manufacturing, shipbuilding, and semiconductor production.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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