What is an H-1B visa? How many were issued, which companies have the most in Massachusetts

Massachusetts companies receive one of the highest numbers of a special visa allowing specially skilled foreign workers into the U.S. that’s now facing a $100,000 fee by President Donald Trump.

It’s used in the state by hundreds of companies, including investment firms, universities and hospitals.

On Sept. 19, Trump declared that the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program has been “deliberately exploited” to replace American workers with lower paid and less-skilled labor. To address the claim, Trump said he’s introducing a $100,000 application fee for companies applying for a H-1B visa, with discretion from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to exempt workers. Research shows visa workers complement American workers due to different skillsets.

While Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said all of the “big companies are on board,” H-1Bs are vital to the nation’s tech industry, and Trump’s fee will likely face legal challenges.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data from June 30, 2025, in fiscal 2025 2,019 Massachusetts employers submitted petitions to obtain H-1B visas for workers. The department approved 12,525 among 12,807 applications.

Massachusetts employers apply for and receive one of the highest amount of visas in the U.S., behind just California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Illinois. California receives the highest amount with over 61,000 approved applications in fiscal year 2025.

Here’s what to know about the H-1B visa.

Which Massachusetts companies sought the most H-1B applications?

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services listed the H-1B visas numbers approved for Massachusetts companies for fiscal year 2025. Here are the top recipients:

1. Fidelity Technology Group, 1,171

4. Boston Consulting Group, 303

5. Fidelity Investments, 298

8. State Street Bank and Trust, 190

9. Thermo Fisher Scientific, 166

12. UMass Chan Medical School, 136

14. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 120

15. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 116

16. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 113

18. Children’s Hospital Corporation, 111

19. General Hosp Corp D B A Mass General Hosp, 110

How do people qualify for H-1Bs?

The visa category lets employers seek workers who are highly educated − at least a bachelor’s degree − to perform in “specialty occupations,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Before employers can file their USCIS petition, they have to show foreign workers don’t harm American workers, the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration advocacy group, said in a 2024 fact sheet. This includes employers attesting, via the Department of Labor, that a prospective H-1B worker won’t affect wages and labor conditions of similar American workers, USCIS said. Existing workers also have to be notified of a company’s plan to hire a visa worker.

How long is the visa?

USCIS said workers are usually admitted for up to three years, but can be extended to six years.

There are additional ways to extend the visa, such as getting an approved immigrant visa petition under employment-based categories for individuals with extraordinary abilities.

How many H-1Bs are awarded each year?

The federal government caps new H-1B visas to 65,000 per year, with an additional 20,000 visas for people who have earned a master’s degree or higher from an American higher education institution.

The majority of H-1B approvals come from renewal applications, Pew Research Center said. Out of about 400,000 approvals in the 2024 fiscal year, nearly two-thirds are renewals.

The USCIS website notes that it has already received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap, and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year 2026.

What kind of work do H-1B workers?

Jobs tend to be concentrated in STEM fields, according to the American Immigration Council.

USCIS data showed Amazon had the most H-1B visas approved this year, with more than 10,000. Microsoft, Meta and Indian IT company Tata each had more than 5,000 visas approved, followed by Apple and Google each with more than 4,000 visas. In Massachusetts, STEM-related companies also led the way, with technology companies like Virtusa, Mathworks, and Thermo Fisher Scientific in the top 10 companies with the most H-1B visas.

Scientific researchers and medical professionals are also often H-1B visa holders. The American Immigration Council notes that eight U.S. companies that would help develop COVID-19 vaccines — Gilead Sciences, Moderna Therapeutics, GlaxoSmithKline, Inovio, Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron, Vir Therapeutics, and Sanofi — received H-1B approval for 3,310 biochemists, biophysicists, chemists, and other scientists between 2010 and 2019. In 2017, H-1B visa applicants accounted for 1.4% of all practicing physicians, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In Massachusetts, four hospitals and a medical school made the top 20.

Where do people come from?

Nearly three-in-four H-1B workers come from India, according to Pew. On Sept. 20, India’s external affairs ministry said in a statement that new American fees could have “humanitarian consequences” by disrupting families.

China sends the next highest number of H-1B workers, at around 12%. The rest of the world makes up about 16% of H-1B workers.

In a Sept. 20 statement, Nasscom, a trade association for India’s tech industry, said Trump’s changes can have “ripple effects” on American innovation and the wider job economy.

Can workers bring their families?

Workers’ spouses and unmarried children under 21 may seek admission in the H-4 nonimmigrant classification.

Contributing: Dan Basso

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Trump seeks $100,000 fees on H-1B visas. How many are issued in MA