An ed-tech co-owner has voiced his dissatisfaction over the fact that more than 70% of H-1B visa approvals between 2020 and 2023 were granted to a single country. Hany Girgis called it a “pipeline” issue and added that the “system is rigged”.

‘73.7% of H-1B approvals go to India’

“73.7% of all H-1B approvals go to just one country,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) as he shared a graphic from Bloomberg. 

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The graphic highlighted the top 10 countries by H-1B visa approval rates. India led the list with 2.3 lakh visas approved between 2020 and 2023. China came in second with just 16%, accounting for slightly over 51,000 approvals during the same period.

Canada ranked third with 3%, followed by Taiwan (1.3%), South Korea (1.3%), Mexico (1.2%), and Nepal, Brazil, Pakistan, and the Philippines, all at 0.8%. 

The man added, “This is not about diversity or shortages,” and blamed the imbalance on the “pipeline”. 

He explained that by “pipeline,” he meant “a pipeline of cheap, compliant labour feeding outsourcing firms… while sidelining American grads.”

“The system is rigged,” he declared on X.

Process of H-1B

The H-1B visa application process starts with the employer filing a Labour Condition Application (LCA) with the Department of Labour. The LCA, which must be approved before submitting the petition, details the job role, wage, and work location, and ensures the employer follows labour laws. Once certified, the employer can register the worker for the annual H-1B lottery conducted by USCIS.

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Once done, USCIS randomly selects around 65,000 people under the regular cap and an additional 20,000 people who either hold a master’s degree or higher when visa demand exceeds. If the selected person is not an American, the employer must submit Form I-129 to the USCIS. If approved, an H-1B visa would be granted. If not, the visa would be rejected. 

A person with an H-1B visa can stay in the US for up to three years. Once this ends, the employer can apply for a three-year extension. After six years, the individual either has to leave the United States or the employer must initiate a Green Card while seeking a one-year visa extension on a temporary basis. 

‘Most H-1Bs come from India because…’: Internet users

Reacting to his X post, one person defended the data. “It’s pretty simple. Most H-1Bs come from India because that’s literally where most of the highly skilled, highly educated, English-speaking humans in the world live.”

In response, he quoted the job data that shows H-1Bs in 5 of 6 major tech roles are paid less than Americans. “If they’re the ‘best and brightest,’ why the discount?” he argued, before adding, “They’re not being hired for talent… They’re cheaper and easier to control.”

Another suggested banning H-1Bs. “A lot of these jobs could have gone to Americans. SMH, can we just ban H-1Bs? If we are short of talent, just train new ones here in the USA.”

“The best and brightest are all in India, apparently,” commented a third. 

A fourth asked, “So who should you be upset with, the Indians or the companies hiring them?”