BIG TECH FACES SCRUTINY
Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and other firms investing heavily in artificial intelligence have all announced layoffs this year. Yet they remain among the largest users of the H-1B program, which allows businesses to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.
Amazon and its cloud unit AWS received approval for more than 12,000 H-1B visas in the first half of 2025, while Microsoft and Meta had more than 5,000 approvals each, according to government data.
India accounted for 71 per cent of approved H-1B beneficiaries last year, with China second at 11.7 per cent.
Deloitte, Alphabet’s Google, Walmart, Cognizant and Tata Consultancy Services were also among the recipients of the lawmakers’ letter.
Microsoft declined to comment, while Walmart, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta and Cognizant did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
