70% of H-1B visas go to Indians, but that’s not the real story

Of the H-1B petitions approved in fiscal 2025, nearly 70% were for beneficiaries whose country of birth was India, according to the latest US Citizenship and Immigration Services annual report. China was a distant second at roughly 12%, followed by the Philippines, Canada, South Korea and Mexico.

But the report, released this spring, offers a far richer picture than that now-familiar headline. It shows an H-1B programme increasingly dominated by highly qualified professionals, with master’s degree holders now forming the majority of beneficiaries, while computer-related occupations continue to drive demand.

More than half, 58%, of H-1B beneficiaries had a master’s degree or higher in fiscal 2025, up from 46% the year before. Bachelor’s degree holders accounted for 31%, down from 33%, while doctoral degree holders made up a niche but important 4% of the workforce.

Computer-related occupations continued to dominate by a wide margin, accounting for 62% of all 4,06,348 approvals. Immigration experts say the trend reflects growing demand for specialised skills in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, semiconductor design, biotechnology and advanced engineering.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by ZTebaykina