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.”