Under Biden, H-1B Woes End, Visa Approval Rates Rise, Wages Peak.

Since U.S. President Biden took over, H-1B visa approval rates surpassed those seen in the Obama period and peaked at 98%.

The median wage of H-1B workers also matches the top 10% of U.S. earners. During the Donald Trump era, H-1B workers, mostly Indians, had a hard time.

The visa approval rate sharply dropped to 72% from over 95% during Barack Obama’s presidency.

The share of Chinese nationals consistently rose among H-1B workers as the share of Indians declined. While the percentage of H-1B workers in American companies kept increasing, Indian companies struggled to get H-1B permits. However, since Joe Biden took over as President, the situation has changed. H-1B visa approval rates have surpassed those seen in the Obama period and peaked at 98%.

Indian vs. U.S. employers

Before 2018, Indian companies such as Wipro, Infosys, TCS, and CTS (U.S.-based firms with heavy dependency on India-based workers) hired a lion’s share of H-1B workers. Post-2018, their share waned, and the % of U.S. firms surged. Since 2021, the percentage of some Indian firms has seen a revival.

H-1B nationality

In 2021, 75% of approved H-1B workers were Indian, 16% were Chinese, and 9% were from other countries. The sharp rise in the share of the Chinese was arrested in 2021, and the Indian share started to grow again.