Amazon Web Services Leads H-1B Surge as Microsoft and Apple Follow

(UNITED STATES) Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple are leading a sharp rise in H-1B sponsorships in 2025, even as the federal government rolls out tougher oversight of the high-skilled visa program and political calls for restriction continue.

The standout is AWS, which secured 10,044 H-1B approvals this year—an increase of 787 from 2024—making it the largest single H-1B sponsor of 2025. Microsoft received 5,189 approvals (+464), Meta 5,123 (+279), and Apple 4,202 (+329). JP Morgan Chase posted one of the steepest jumps among non-tech firms with 2,440 approvals (+721), while Cisco reached 1,570 (+238).

Other high-volume employers include:

• Tata Consultancy Services — 5,509
• Amazon Data Services — 543
• Visa Tech — 466
• General Motors — 574

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the surge underscores how large employers continue to depend on global talent despite new compliance demands and a tougher political climate.

Context: Renewals, Transfers, and What the Raw Counts Hide

Company representatives and immigration analysts caution that raw counts can be confusing. Many 2025 approvals are renewals or transfers for workers first sponsored during and after the pandemic—not only brand-new hires.

Amazon has emphasized that a large share of its cases reflect ongoing needs rather than a sudden hiring spree. Even with that caveat, the scale of H-1B sponsorships by major U.S. employers highlights:

• Persistent labor shortages in specialized tech fields
• The need to retain experienced workers who support cloud infrastructure, AI, chip design, cybersecurity, and data engineering

The H-1B Modernization Final Rule (Dec 18, 2024 — effective Jan 17, 2025)

The rising tide of approvals coincides with the Department of Homeland Security’s H-1B Modernization Final Rule, announced on December 18, 2024 and effective January 17, 2025. The rule seeks to:

• Improve fairness in the annual lottery
• Strengthen program integrity
• Give employers clearer guidance on what counts as a “specialty occupation”

It also:

• Codifies site visit authority
• Expands protections for F-1 students in cap-gap periods
• Restores deference to earlier USCIS decisions when facts remain the same

Employers and workers are now learning how these changes play out in real cases as the fiscal year moves forward.

Key policy shifts and immediate effects

1. Lottery reform — beneficiary-centered selection
   • USCIS now selects based on unique beneficiaries rather than multiple employer submissions for the same person.
   • Designed to reduce duplicate selections and level the field for smaller firms and first-time applicants.
   • Early feedback suggests this has curbed bulk registrations and improved odds for candidates previously competing against dozens of duplicative entries.
2. Clarified “specialty occupation” definition
   • Provides flexibility for employers to explain why a role requires a bachelor’s degree in a specific field (or equivalent).
   • Helps craft job descriptions that better reflect real-world duties, especially for hybrid roles that span software, security, and data science.
3. Stronger integrity measures
   • Codified site visit authority and penalties for noncompliance.
   • Counsel report more frequent visits and document checks, pressuring HR and compliance teams to keep records current and consistent across worksites.
4. Cap-gap extension for F-1 students
   • F-1 students selected in the H-1B lottery now have status protected until April 1 of the following fiscal year.
   • This reduces the risk of falling out of status while waiting for H-1B start dates and eases onboarding planning for employers.
5. Deference to prior adjudications
   • Restores deference for extensions involving the same job, same employer, and same facts, trimming friction for long-term staff who already passed earlier reviews.

“When used as intended, deference frees up adjudicators to focus on cases where facts have changed, while cutting the paperwork burden for companies with stable roles and consistent duties.”

What the numbers mean for workers and employers

Several trends are shaping 2025 outcomes:

• Cloud infrastructure and core platforms:
  • The large footprint of AWS and other cloud leaders shows cloud computing remains central infrastructure.
  • H-1B sponsorships cover roles that keep global platforms secure and reliable—senior engineers and architects remain in demand.
• Financial services needs:
  • For banks like JP Morgan Chase, higher approvals reflect demand for software and cybersecurity professionals as the sector modernizes legacy systems and builds AI-enabled tools.
• Talent sourcing and demographics:
  • Indian professionals remain the largest group benefiting from H-1B approvals, reflecting long-standing ties between U.S. tech hubs and India’s STEM pipeline.
  • Shifts in processing or policy even slightly affect families, communities, and employers.
• Political and labor arguments:
  • Critics argue H-1B can pressure U.S. wages and call for stricter enforcement and wage-based selection.
  • Supporters counter H-1B workers fill real shortages, support product roadmaps, and help operations continue after major layoffs between 2022–2024.
• Compliance requirements:
  • Site visits, document checks, and clearer penalties mean HR and legal teams must treat H-1B files as living records. This affects offers, job duties, worksite changes, and promotions.

VisaVerge.com notes that improved lottery selection rates and the need to extend status for pandemic-era hires both helped lift totals this year.

Practical advice for foreign workers, students, and employers

For foreign workers (especially from India):

• The beneficiary-centered lottery reduces the advantage of multiple submissions.
• Keep records clean and consistent.
• Ensure degree-field alignment with job duties.
• Be ready for longer requests for evidence in niche roles.

For F-1 students:

• The extended cap-gap window lowers the chance of status gaps during the switch to H-1B.
• Plan early with employers to coordinate cap-gap periods and start dates.

For employers and compliance teams:

• Refine filing playbooks to match the new rules.
• Use the specialty occupation update to craft precise job descriptions showing how degree fields match daily tasks.
• Lean on deference for extensions with unchanged facts to streamline approvals.
• Expect more site visits; coach managers on what to expect and maintain audit-ready H-1B records.

Step-by-step filing basics:

1. Lottery selection occurs under the new beneficiary-centered rules.
2. Employer files Form I-129 with evidence the job qualifies and the worker meets degree or equivalent requirements (see Form I-129).
3. USCIS reviews under new standards, focusing on duty-degree specificity and employer compliance history.
4. Where facts haven’t changed, deference can streamline extensions—helping explain the high volume of renewals in 2025 totals.

Compliance and workplace impacts

• Distributed teams face special challenges: moving city, shifting remote/hybrid status, or changing job titles can trigger documentation duties.
• Firms that treat H-1B records as audit-ready files—updated in real time—are better positioned for unannounced site visits.
• Union leaders and worker advocates continue to press for wage-based selection and tighter labor market tests. Business groups warn that sudden rule shifts could slow hiring in areas like cloud, AI, and chips.

Looking ahead

The Biden administration has pitched the modernization rule as a balance: better fairness in the lottery, clearer rules for employers, and stronger tools to deter fraud. The debate will continue into 2026, with proposals under discussion but no new finalized rules beyond the current modernization framework as of September 16, 2025.

For authoritative program details and future updates, consult the USCIS H-1B program page: https://www.uscis.gov/h-1b

Final takeaways:

• The U.S. economy still pulls in global skill, and H-1B sponsorships remain a central tool for filling hard-to-staff roles.
• With AWS at more than ten thousand approvals and other giants close behind, the 2025 landscape shows business needs remain strong.
• Approvals reflect two realities: renewals that retain experienced staff and new cases that power the next wave of cloud, AI, and advanced manufacturing.

Companies should coordinate early with counsel to align job descriptions, degree fields, and worksite planning with the rule’s requirements. Workers should prepare for requests for evidence that probe degree relevance and duty specificity. Both sides should expect continued attention to compliance through site visits and record reviews—now explicitly built into the rule.