TCS H-1B Visa Approvals 2025: 5 Key Trends That Redefined The Indian IT Giant's US Workforce Strategy
The landscape of US work visas for major technology companies has undergone a significant transformation, and the data for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 confirms a major shift in how Indian IT giants like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) secure their foreign talent. As of mid-2025, TCS has cemented its position as one of the top beneficiaries of the H-1B program, but the context of these approvals—including new USCIS lottery rules and increased competition from US-based tech firms—tells a story of strategic change and adaptation in the post-pandemic era.
The latest federal data, covering the period through the first half of FY 2025, shows that while TCS remains a powerhouse in the H-1B space, the overall strategy for securing new visas has evolved dramatically. The focus has moved from mass applications to targeted, high-value petitions, reflecting both the tightening of the H-1B lottery process and a renewed emphasis on local hiring and upskilling within the United States.
TCS H-1B Visa Approval Profile: FY 2025 Snapshot
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a global leader in IT services, consulting, and business solutions, operating in 55 countries. Its reliance on the H-1B visa program is central to its US operations, enabling the deployment of skilled professionals for client projects across the United States. The data for Fiscal Year 2025, which corresponds to the H-1B lottery conducted in the spring of 2024, highlights its continued prominence.
- Company Name: Tata Consultancy Services Limited (TCS)
- Industry: Information Technology Services and Consulting
- Headquarters: Mumbai, India
- Global Workforce: Over 600,000 employees (as of late 2024)
- FY 2025 Approved Petitions (New & Continuing): Approximately 5,293 to 5,505 approved H-1B visas (as of mid-2025).
- FY 2025 Ranking: Second-highest beneficiary of approved H-1B petitions, trailing only Amazon.
- Key Entities: USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), DOL (Department of Labor), Amazon, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Google, Apple, Deloitte, Infosys, Cognizant.
1. TCS Ranks Second in Total H-1B Approvals, Trailing US Tech Giants
For Fiscal Year 2025, TCS secured its position as the second-largest recipient of approved H-1B petitions across all categories (new employment, continuing employment, transfers, etc.), a significant achievement that underscores its vast operational scale in the US market.
The New Top Tier: US-Based Companies Dominate
The most striking trend in the FY 2025 data is the clear dominance of US-headquartered technology firms in the H-1B landscape. Amazon, for instance, led the list with significantly more approved petitions than TCS. Other major US tech companies like Microsoft and Meta Platforms also featured prominently among the top recipients. This shift highlights a change in the primary users of the H-1B program, moving away from a previous concentration in Indian IT services firms. TCS, however, stood out as the only Indian-based company to rank in the top ten recipients, with its closest Indian competitor, Infosys, ranking significantly lower.
Focus on Continuing Employment
A substantial portion of TCS's approvals are for continuing employment, which includes extensions and transfers for existing staff already working in the US. This category is crucial for maintaining the stability of the current workforce and ensuring business continuity for client projects. The numbers reflect TCS's long-term commitment to its US client base and its strategy of retaining highly skilled talent.
2. The Sharp Decline in New Visas for Indian IT Firms
While TCS’s overall approval numbers are high, a deeper look into the data for *initial employment*—the coveted new H-1B visas—reveals a significant challenge for the entire Indian IT sector. The combined number of approved H-1B petitions for initial employment for the top seven Indian-based companies in FY 2025 saw a massive drop, plummeting by 70% compared to FY 2015.
Impact of the USCIS Lottery Changes
This decline is directly correlated with the changes implemented by the USCIS for the FY 2025 H-1B lottery. The USCIS introduced a new final rule in early 2024 to combat fraud by shifting the registration process from a "per-registration" model to a "per-beneficiary" model.
In previous years (like FY 2024), a single beneficiary could have multiple registrations submitted by different employers, massively inflating the total registration count (which reached a peak of 780,884). The new "per-beneficiary" rule, which ensures each unique passport number is entered only once, was designed to level the playing field. This change significantly reduced the lottery odds for firms that historically relied on submitting large volumes of applications for the same candidates, a practice often associated with outsourcing models.
3. Navigating the FY 2025 Lottery and High Demand
The FY 2025 H-1B cap registration period ran from March 6, 2024, through March 22, 2024. Despite the new anti-fraud measures, demand for the H-1B visa remained exceptionally high, indicating that the congressionally mandated cap of 85,000 visas (65,000 Regular Cap and 20,000 Master’s Cap) was quickly reached.
Single-Round Selection
Unlike some previous years that required multiple lottery rounds due to high fraud or low initial uptake, the FY 2025 cap was reached after a single selection round, demonstrating the continued, intense competition for a limited number of visas. This necessitates that companies like TCS focus their resources on the most critical and highly skilled candidates to maximize their chances of selection.
The Request for Evidence (RFE) Challenge
While the overall H-1B approval rate has generally improved from the restrictive period of FY 2018–FY 2019, major IT services firms still face scrutiny, particularly concerning the "specialty occupation" criteria and the employer-employee relationship. TCS must continue to demonstrate that its sponsored positions meet the prevailing wage requirements and are truly specialized, a constant administrative challenge that leads to Requests for Evidence (RFEs) from USCIS.
4. Strategic Shift: Local Hiring and US Talent Investment
In response to the volatile H-1B process and the political climate, TCS has accelerated its long-term strategy of investing in a local US workforce. This includes:
- Increased Local Recruitment: Hiring graduates directly from US universities and community colleges.
- US Delivery Centers: Expanding its network of US-based delivery centers to service clients locally, reducing the need for visa-dependent transfers.
- Reskilling and Upskilling: Investing heavily in training its existing US-based employees in advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and cybersecurity.
This strategic shift mitigates the risk associated with the H-1B lottery and positions TCS as a major domestic employer, a move that is both politically savvy and operationally resilient.
5. The Future Outlook: Policy and Economic Headwinds
The H-1B program continues to be a subject of intense policy debate. Discussions around further fee hikes, potential changes to the prevailing wage calculation, and the specter of a $100,000 minimum salary levy (a proposal previously floated) all create an uncertain environment for companies like TCS.
For Fiscal Year 2026 and beyond, TCS is expected to continue its dual strategy: maintaining a robust pipeline of H-1B extensions and transfers for its critical talent, while simultaneously deepening its investment in US-based hiring. The FY 2025 data confirms that while the volume of new visas for Indian IT has dropped, TCS’s strategic importance and its ability to secure a significant number of approvals remain high, solidifying its role as a key player in the US technology ecosystem.
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