The top 10 companies which received the most number of certifications from the U.S. Department of Labor for H-1B visas in 2018 include only two Indian firms: TCS and Mphasis. This is a far cry from FY2014 & 2015, when four Indian firms were in the top 10 with a significant number of overall certifications.
Before applying for the H-1B visas, the employer submits a labour condition application to the Department of Labor. Companies can proceed with the H-1B petitions only after they receive a certification by the Department of labour.
Non-Indian firms, as the below heatmap shows, are obtaining more certifications (hence the darker shade of red). Conversely, the numbers for Indian firms have declined (shown in lighter shade of red).
(If viewing on mobile, please scroll horizontally and vertically to check out the full table).
Software specialists are hot property
Most of the companies among the top 10 are software and consulting firms. The share of computer-related occupations among the total H-1B visas granted has seen a steady rise, and still account for most of the H-1B visas granted.
Indians are the biggest recipients of H-1Bs
Indians still make up the largest contingent among people receiving H-1Bs: As of October 5, 2018, out of 4.19 lakh H-1B holders, Indians accounted for 3.09 lakh H-1Bs (74%). The Chinese are second, accounting for about 11% of the H-1B recipients. Canada and South Korea are the only other countries which account for a little over one per cent each of the H-1B share, with all other countries accounting for less than 1%.
Gender gap in issuing H-1Bs
Only 63,220 women (20.4%) were among the 3.09 lakh Indian H-1B holders in 2018. The gender gap is not so high among Chinese, where 45.2% of the H-1Bs were held by women. The Philippines is the only country in top 10 H-1B visa holders where there are more women (52.7%) than men.