U.S. tech giants Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google held the top four spots for new H-1B petition approvals in FY2025, as President Donald Trump extended the visa’s entry restrictions and $100,000 payment requirement for overseas petitions through September 21, 2027.
Amazon led all employers with 4,644 initial-employment H-1B approvals in FY2025, followed by Meta (1,555), Microsoft (1,394), and Google (1,050), according to an NFAP analysis; the seven largest India-based IT firms secured just 4,573 combined approvals, a 37% drop from FY2024, as those firms shift toward onshore staffing. That FY2025 data predates the $100,000 fee, which took effect that September. More recent Labor Department filings from October 2025 through March 2026, after the fee began applying, show the same employers still filing at volume: Amazon, Cognizant, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta remain among the largest active sponsors, alongside Ernst & Young.
The $100,000 fee applies only to petitions for beneficiaries located outside the U.S. at filing time; current H-1B holders filing extensions or transfers are exempt, reinforcing continued high-volume filing even as new overseas hiring slows. The proclamation states the restriction has “proven to be highly effective,” and the White House separately reported that H-1B registrations from large IT outsourcing firms had fallen 92% since the original 2025 measure took effect.
IAM Member Impact: Members serving corporate relocation clients among the largest H-1B sponsors should expect continued high-volume filing activity, but increasingly weighted toward continuing-employment moves for staff already in the U.S. rather than new international arrivals.
Source: National Foundation for American Policy; Scale.jobs analysis of DOL LCA Filings; Federal Register, Proclamation 11069