Top 10 companies that bagged H1-B visas

In the wake of the economic crisis, there has been a sharp drop in US's H-1B work visa applications from major Indian IT companies.

While three of the top five ranks are still dominated by Indian companies, none of them except Wipro crossed the 1,000-mark.

US companies are still getting more H-1B visas even as they cut jobs. In 2008, four out of the top five spots for companies bagging the maximum number of H-1B visas were grabbed by Indian companies.

These were Infosys (4,559), Wipro (2678), Satyam (1917) and Tata Consultancy Services (1539). Microsoft with 1037 H1-1B visas was the only US company to figure in top five.

However, the situation has changed significantly in 2009 amid the global financial meltdown.  The number of visas received by many non-US outsourcers is declining. Of the top 200 recipients of H-1B visas in fiscal 2009, offshore outsourcers got about 5,663,  (22 per cent ) down from 38 per cent in fiscal 2008.

The H-1B visa scheme in 2009 has just 800 of the 65,000 slots vacant. For FY 2007, the entire quota of visas for the year was exhausted within a span of less than 2 months on May 2006. For FY 2008, the entire quota was exhausted before the end of the first day on which applications were accepted, April 2.

The H-1B program allows employers to sponsor skilled workers from overseas for up to three years, with the possibility of extending it. Here's a look at he companies that bagged the maximum number of H1-B visas:

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Wipro

Infotech major Wipro topped the list in the 2009 fiscal (from Oct 1, 2008 to Sep 30, 2009), with 1,964 H1-B visas. In 2008, it had received 2,678 H-1B visas.

Despite the hue and cry over H1-B visas being granted to immigrants at a time when the US has a large pool of unemployed professionals, the US companies are among the top H1-B visa seekers.

Microsoft Corp

Microsoft bags the second place with 1,318 H1-B visas. It received 1,037 visas in 2008. The US companies have hiked their demand for visas in the midst of the economic crisis. Among the top 200 recipients in 2009, American companies accounted for 49 per cent of the visas.

US Senator Charles Grassley had earlier this year told Microsoft that US citizens should get priority over H-1B visa holders, when the company announced plans to layoff 5,000 workers in February 2009.

'These work visa programs were never intended to allow a company to retain foreign guest workers rather than similarly qualified American workers, when that company cuts jobs during an economic downturn,' Grassley wrote in a letter to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.  "The substantial majority of H-1B petitions filed by Microsoft are for core technology positions, and technology and engineering positions account for about 90 per cent of Microsoft's H-1B workforce," Microsoft said.

Intel Corporation

Intel follows Microsoft at the third position with 723 visas. Intel had received 381 visas last year.

New H-1B legislation requires certain employers, called 'H1B dependent employers' to advertise positions in the USA before petitioning to employ H1B workers for those positions.

IBM India

IBM India has bagged 695 visas. It received 381 visas last year. Senators Bernie Sanders and Charles Grassley introduced a bill in November to bar major companies that lay off US workers from hiring foreign workers through H-1B programs.

The H-1B program, which started in 1990, allow US companies to hire the best talent in various fields when there is a shoratge in the country. Many now criticise the move of US companies saying they are hiring foreign workers to save on salary expenses.

Patni Americas Inc

Patni Americas Inc is at the fifth position with 609 H1-B visas. Patni had received 296 visas last year.

Larsen & Toubro Infotech

Larsen & Toubro Infotech is ranked 6th among H1-B visa seekers with 602 visas. The company had received 403 visas in 2008.

Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young has bagged 481 visas. The company received 321 visas in 2008.

Infosys Technologies

Infosys, which topped the list with the maximum number of 4,559 H-1B visas in the fiscal year 2008, received only 440 H-1B visas in the fiscal 2009 according to the figures released by the US Citizens and Immigration Services (USCIS).

UST Global Inc

UST Global Inc is at the 9th place with 344 visas. The company has hiked the number of visas from 898 in 2008.

Deloitte Consulting

Deloitte Consulting is ranked 10th with 328 visas. In 2008, it had bagged 218 visas.

Mahindra Satyam is ranked far below with just 219 H-1B visas in 2009 as against 1,917 in 2008. The company had received only 1,396 in 2007.

Cognizant had just 233 H-1B visas as against 467 in 2008. Mphasis Corporation received 229 visas.

Other companies that bagged H1-B visas include:

Qualcomm Incorporated - 320
Cisco Systems Inc - 308
Accenture Technology Solutions - 287
KPMG LLP - 287
Oracle USA Inc - 272
Polaris Software Lab India Ltd - 254
Rite Aid Corporation - 240
Goldman Sachs & Co - 236
Deloitte & Touche - 235