Is the Trump Administration denying H1-B visas?

H1B Visa Stats from USCIS

A quick look at the H1-B visa approval rates shows that H1-B visa approval rate has not changed much since the Trump administration took over. This is based on the newly-released data from the USCIS. The chart above shows the H1-B visa approvals for each year starting from 2009. It appears that H1B visa approval rates has reduced since 2016,during the Obama Administration itself.

The H1B denial rate has gone up since Trump took over, however. See below.

The data for 2019 includes the numbers upto Apr-1. Note, however that a year for these numbers starts with Oct-1 and ends Sep-30 of the next year. So the numbers are going to be likely similar for 2019.

Intel tops the list of H1B Approvals

Most H1B visas issued were to Intel, closely followed by IBM India.

Most Employers Based in California

The following chart shows that most visas went to companies based in California. Not surprising since most of the IT companies employing H1-Bs are based there.

Indian Companies faced the largest number of denials

The most number of visas were denied to indian companies. Again, no surprises there since these companies follow a policy of apply for as many as you can.

Increasing Number of Denials

While the number of approvals has not changed much since Trump took over, it appears that the number of denials has shot up drastically in the last 2 years.

Largest Number of "Repeat Customers"

The following chart presents the companies with the largest number of "Continuing Approval". This terms refers to H1B visa petitions with other than "New Employment".

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