Fears are growing among foreign tech workers in the US amidst President Donald Trump administration’s strict immigration. Tech giants – Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft and others are advising employees on visas to avoid traveling outside the US, fearing they may face trouble re-entering the country. As per a Washington Post report, law firms have also warned that rejection rates for high-skilled visas that include H-1B and Green Card could increase. The report quotes Malcolm Goeschl, principal attorney for Goeschl Law, a San Francisco-based firm who said “What we’re seeing right now is just a lot of worry and panic. It seems like [the administration is] just getting more and more momentum, and we don’t know what’s around the corner.”
The publication interviewed two tech workers who said that they have cancelled their travel plans to India for fear of being denied re-entry to the US. “There’s an assumption that everybody who is not a U.S. citizen might be here illegally,” one of the workers said. “When we’re walking around, we always carry our documents,” another worker told the publication
When Elon Musk raised concerns about lack of skilled Americans
H1B visas have caused a split within Trump’s supporters. On one side are tech leaders whose companies hire immigrants, and on the other are those who want to reduce immigration to the U.S. This disagreement became public in December when both sides argued on X about whether Trump should support or limit skilled immigration.
In December last year, Elon Musk shared a post on X stating “we need more like double that number yesterday! The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low. Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win.” The tech CEO was then responding to a post about engineering talent shortage.
Amazon bags highest number of H-1B visa approvals
As per the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data, Amazon emerged as the largest beneficiary of the H-1B visa program in 2025 with 9,265 approvals. The e-commerce giant was followed by Cognizant and Google with 6,321 and 5,364 H-1B visa approvals, respectively. Elon Musk’s Tesla also featured prominently, alongside other tech giants – Meta, Apple, Microsoft, IBM and others.
Earlier this month, the USCIS said that the H-1B visa cap of 85,000 for the fiscal year 2026 has been reached. In a press statement, the agency stated, “We have randomly selected enough beneficiaries with properly submitted registrations projected as needed to reach the H-1B cap.”
The publication interviewed two tech workers who said that they have cancelled their travel plans to India for fear of being denied re-entry to the US. “There’s an assumption that everybody who is not a U.S. citizen might be here illegally,” one of the workers said. “When we’re walking around, we always carry our documents,” another worker told the publication
When Elon Musk raised concerns about lack of skilled Americans
H1B visas have caused a split within Trump’s supporters. On one side are tech leaders whose companies hire immigrants, and on the other are those who want to reduce immigration to the U.S. This disagreement became public in December when both sides argued on X about whether Trump should support or limit skilled immigration.
In December last year, Elon Musk shared a post on X stating “we need more like double that number yesterday! The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low. Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win.” The tech CEO was then responding to a post about engineering talent shortage.
No, we need more like double that number yesterday!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 25, 2024
The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low.
Think of this like a pro sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever…
Amazon bags highest number of H-1B visa approvals
As per the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data, Amazon emerged as the largest beneficiary of the H-1B visa program in 2025 with 9,265 approvals. The e-commerce giant was followed by Cognizant and Google with 6,321 and 5,364 H-1B visa approvals, respectively. Elon Musk’s Tesla also featured prominently, alongside other tech giants – Meta, Apple, Microsoft, IBM and others.
Earlier this month, the USCIS said that the H-1B visa cap of 85,000 for the fiscal year 2026 has been reached. In a press statement, the agency stated, “We have randomly selected enough beneficiaries with properly submitted registrations projected as needed to reach the H-1B cap.”
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