Amazon Remains Top US H-1B Sponsor Despite $100K Fee
Amazon was the largest U.S. H-1B sponsor in FY2025 with about 10,044 total approvals (up from 9,257) and 4,644 new initial-employment petitions, and continued sponsoring into the FY2027 cycle even after the $100,000 supplemental fee took effect.
Why Does This Company Sponsor Visas?
Deep demand for software, ML, and applied-science talent across AWS and retail
F-1-to-H-1B change-of-status hires are exempt from the new $100K fee
Renewals, extensions, and transfers (not subject to the fee) make up much of its volume
Competition for global AI talent keeps sponsorship strategically essential
Impact Analysis
Amazon's scale lets it absorb the September 2025 $100,000 fee on certain consular-processed petitions better than smaller employers. Its continued sponsorship signals that frontier tech hiring remains visa-dependent even amid an "America First" policy tightening.
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