IT biggies that got most H-1B visas

IIndian technology majors received the maximum number of H-1B work permits, according to the statistics for 2008 published by US immigration authorities.
The figures provided more ammunition to the critics of the H-1B visa program who have opposed the dominance of Indian firms when it comes to bagging H-1B visas.
The statistics is for the fiscal year which ended September 30, 2008. In 2007 also Indian companies topped the list of H-1B recipients. Six of the top 10 visa recipients that year were based in India.
The Programmers Guild and Hire Americans First, groups that oppose H-1B visa program, always cite the dominance of Indian firms to oppose it. They advocate that only US business should be allowed to bring workers on H-1B visa.
Critics point out the difference between Indian companies and the US companies which use the visa. Most of the US companies will keep the H-1 workers and sponsor them for Permanent Residence. But the Indian companies bring them for only a brief period with low wages, critics say. They will get training in the offices of US clients, and go back after some time. With the expertise gained from the US they can work for the US companies from India.
Meanwhile, companies and job seekers are again gearing up for applying for the H-1B visas, which will become available in financial year 2010, which begins in October. The USCIS will receive application for the 65,000 visas on April 1. If they get more applications as in earlier years, winners will be selected in a lottery.

Infosys Technologies -- 4,559 visas
Infosys Technologies, by far, was the biggest recipient of H-1B visas, with the USCIS granting it approval for 4,559 visas, the same number that it got in 2007.

Wipro Technologies -- 2,678 visas
Wipro, at second spot, received 2,678 visas in 2008, slightly more that 2,567 that it got in 2007.

Satyam Computer Services -- 1,917 visas
The fraud-hit Satyam Computer got as many as 1,917 H-1B visas in 2008. The company had received only 1,396 in 2007.

Tata Consultancy Services -- 1,539 visas
Indian IT giant, TCS, bagged 1,539 visas in 2008. The number for the company has almost doubled from 797 it got in 2007.

Microsoft Corporation -- 1,307 visas
The fifth place went to Microsoft with 1,018 visas, 59 more than it got in 2007.

Cognizant Technology Solutions -- 467 visas
Nasdaq-listed Cognizant is a leading provider of information technology, with more than 40 global delivery centers and over 58,000 employees.
The company got 467 H-1B visas in 2008.

Cisco Systems -- 422 visas
Cisco Systems is a US communications technology company. It designs and markets networking and communications technology products and services.
In 2008, the company got 422 H-1B visas.

Google -- 207 visas
Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google is a top web property in all major global markets. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.
In 2008, the company got 207 H-1B visas.

Oracle -- 168 visas
The Nasdaq-listed, Larry Ellison-led Oracle Corporation develops and markets enterprise software products.
In 2008, the American IT major got 168 H-1B visas.

Yahoo -- 139 visas
Yahoo! Inc is a US Internet giant providing worldwide services.
In 2008, the company got 139 H-1B visas.

Lehman Brothers -- 130 visas
Lehman Brothers, the giant investment bank, succumbed to the sub-prime mortgage crisis that rocked the United States and the global economy. Lehman was strangled by a massive credit crisis and fast plummeting real estate prices. Most parts of its business were taken over by Barclay�s.
Lehman received 130 H-1B visas in 2008.

Motorola -- 112 visas
US-headquarted Motorola is a multinational telecommunications major. It manufactures telephone handsets and other related equipment.
The telecom major got 112 H-1B visas in 2008.

IBM -- 104 visas
Computer technology multinational IBM is one of the world's largest information technology companies.
The American technology giant got 104 H-1B visas in 2008.

Apple -- 70 visas
Apple Inc, ranked as the world's most admired company by Fortune magazine, received 70 H-1B visas during 2008, which is slightly less than 1.6 per cent of what Infosys got.