TCS tops H-1B charts after two years, but growth remains modest
Infosys and Cognizant, which surpassed TCS last year, saw their numbers fall sharply to 2,004 and 2,493 respectively.
By Sanjana B • Updated September 12, 2025, 07:54 PM
TCS regains leadership
After a two-year lull, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has regained the top spot among Indian IT companies for H-1B visa beneficiaries in 2025 with 5,505 approvals.
Infosys and Cognizant, which surpassed TCS last year, saw their numbers fall sharply to 2,004 and 2,493 respectively. TCS’s count, however, represents only a modest rise from 5,272 visas in 2024.
What is the H-1B programme?
The H-1B programme enables US employers to temporarily hire foreign professionals for roles requiring both theoretical and practical expertise in specialised fields.
Eligible occupations
- Architecture
- Engineering
- Medicine and healthcare
- Education
- Business
- Other specialised domains requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher
Long-term trends
According to USCIS data, TCS has secured the highest number of H-1B visas between 2009 and 2025, with 98,259 approvals.
- Cognizant: 92,435
- Infosys: 87,654
- Wipro: 77,289
These figures show that Indian IT giants continue to dominate H-1B allocations, though the growth trajectory has slowed.
Business model perspective
During the company’s Q4 FY25 earnings call, Milind Lakkad, Chief Human Resources Officer at TCS, said:
“Whatever we got the H-1B visas last year, our actual ratios are even better this year. Moreover, our model is essentially global. We will continue to hire people globally and have historically proven these H-1B visas do not affect our business model.”
Historical shifts
- 2024: Infosys became the second-largest recipient with 8,137 applications, followed by Cognizant with 6,313.
- 2022: Cognizant had 13,299, TCS had 17,591, and Infosys 12,625.
These shifts reflect the volatile nature of H-1B allocations over the years.
Industry insights
Varun Singh, MD, XIPHIAS Immigration, observed:
“Over the past decade, Indian IT firms have steadily reduced their overdependence on H-1B visas, with the shift now more evident. Companies are diversifying their talent strategies — whether by ramping up local hiring in the US, building nearshore centres in Mexico and Canada, or deepening delivery capabilities within India. The bigger story here is resilience: Indian firms are learning to navigate a changing immigration landscape without letting it slow down growth.”
Registrations and future outlook
- 2021: 2,69,424 eligible registrations
- 2025: 4,70,342 registrations
- 2026: 3,43,981 eligible registrations
This indicates that demand continues to outpace supply, even as firms adapt to new realities of global mobility.