Top H-1B Employers In Texas Revealed By New Federal Data

A newly updated federal database shows that a handful of technology and consulting giants dominate H-1B visa approvals in Texas, with previously reprimanded companies such as Cognizant Technology Solutions and Infosys Limited far outpacing all others.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updates the database periodically, and data for late fall and December 2025 were not available until recently.

The refreshed dataset ranks the top 25 employers in Texas by total H-1B approvals over that period, underscoring the scale of foreign worker hiring as state and federal officials intensify scrutiny of the program. The Dallas Express reviewed data from January 1, 2020, through December 31, 2025, the latest available period in the federal database.

*An asterisk indicates totals that reflect consolidated entries for companies listed under nearly identical names in the federal database.*

Cognizant’s 50,666 approvals place it well ahead of its closest competitor. The company was recently hit with a significant federal court ruling in an eight-year discrimination case. On December 5, Chief U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ruled that several of Cognizant’s workforce policies had a discriminatory disparate impact on certain U.S. workers, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Plaintiffs had argued the company engineered a workforce dominated by Indian H-1B holders and disproportionately terminated non-visa employees from its internal “bench,” according to court filings previously reported by The Dallas Express. Cognizant officials indicated plans to appeal.

Infosys, ranked second with 45,323 approvals, agreed in 2013 to pay $34 million to settle allegations of systemic visa fraud and abuse of immigration processes, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement press release.

The government alleged that the company unlawfully used B-1 visa holders to perform work that should have required H-1B visas and submitted false statements in visa documents. The Indian corporation agreed to enhanced compliance measures as part of the settlement, which federal officials described at the time as the largest payment ever levied in an immigration case.

The updated rankings also show significant participation by public institutions. Texas A&M University, UT Southwestern Medical Center, The University of Texas at Austin, and Dallas Independent School District all appear in the top 25.

The release of the new data comes weeks after Governor Greg Abbott ordered a statewide freeze on new H-1B visa petitions across Texas agencies and public universities.

On January 27, Abbott directed state entities to halt new petitions and submit detailed reports on their current use of the program, citing what he described as “recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa program,” DX reported. The freeze remains in place until the end of the Texas Legislature’s 90th Regular Session on May 31, 2027.

The Texas Tribune previously credited DX reporting on A&M’s H-1B usage and the outlet’s complaint to the Attorney General’s office against the university with preceding the Governor’s investigation, which ultimately led to the halt order days later.

Private sector employers on the list have also faced workforce questions. Texas Instruments, ranked 17th with 1,040 approvals since 2020, conducted several DFW-area layoffs in September, as The Dallas Express reported at the time.

The layoffs reportedly followed earlier cuts and came after a $1.61 billion award under the federal CHIPS Act intended to expand its U.S. manufacturing footprint.

Supporters of the H-1B visa program, including former Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy, have reportedly argued that it is necessary because “American culture has venerated mediocrity,” and that foreign workers better fit the demands of American companies.

Contrarily, the AFL-CIO’s 2025 H-1B fact sheet suggested that employers embrace H-1B labor as a cheaper alternative compared to domestic workers. “In fiscal year 2019, 60 percent of H-1B positions were paid at the lowest two levels, meaning they were paid below the median wage for the occupation and location,” read the document.

The concentration of H-1B approvals among certain employers has coincided with broader shifts in workforce demographics in Texas. 72% of H-1B visas are awarded to workers from India, with 12% going to those from China, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services annual data.