India Tops H-1B Approvals with 283,772 Visas in FY 2025, Sparking U.S. Political Debate
Published: May 5, 2026
A new U.S. government report shows India received 283,772 H-1B visa approvals in fiscal year 2025, accounting for 70% of total approvals, prompting criticism from Senator Eric Schmitt over job displacement and alleged visa fraud. Immigration experts counter that most approvals are renewals and do not represent a surge in new foreign hires.
India received 283,772 H-1B visa approvals in fiscal year 2025, according to official U.S. data, representing approximately 70% of all approvals and far surpassing China’s 49,161. The figures have drawn sharp criticism from Senator Eric Schmitt, who called the scale of approvals 'a betrayal of American workers' and accused major technology firms of exploiting the visa system to replace U.S. employees.