By the end of 2025, the number of H-1B visa applications from American tech giants has significantly decreased.

According to data from US federal agencies, the number of H-1B visa applications submitted by major technology companies significantly decreased at the end of last year, against the backdrop of an increase in layoffs and tightening visa regulations. Since September last year, the program has gone through multiple adjustments, making the application process more costly and the scrutiny of applicants more rigorous. Meanwhile, Amazon, Google, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft have all carried out multiple rounds of layoffs. Data from the US Department of Labor shows that in the first three months of the 2026 fiscal year, the number of H-1B applications submitted by some companies has significantly decreased compared to the same period last year. Amazon not only remains the company with the highest total number of approved applications, but also has the largest decrease: from 4647 in the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year to 3057 in the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year. Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft - all of which are among the largest visa sponsoring companies - also had fewer approved applications than the previous year. Among them, Meta and Google's numbers were almost halved. One company is bucking the trend: Nvidia's H-1B visa application numbers increased year-over-year, from 369 in the first quarter of the 2025 fiscal year to 434 in the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year.