Companies sponsoring H1-B visas and paving the way forward for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

The H-1B program was introduced about 30 years ago, and since then it has evolved to be one of the largest sources of highly skilled professionals from countries around the world for US companies. At the same time, the Trump administration brought into force an embargo, in 2020, which caused widespread panic among skilled workers around the world. While Trump indicated that the H-1B programme is stealing American jobs, it has been found that the H-1B programme has supplied the brains which have contributed to the creation of large-scale companies employing hundreds of workers in Silicon Valley.

While the law was repealed, the uncertainty remained due to the widespread confusion caused. However, under the new Biden administration, professionals foresee a return to stability. Even before and after the embargo, some H1-B sponsor companies have been at the forefront of promoting inclusion and diversity in the workplace, here is a list of some:

• Amazon – Amazon has re-shaped the retail sector. While it has helped sustained trade for small and big businesses alike during tough times, it also leads in terms of international employees in the tech. sector. The company has also donated $10 million to organizations that fight for justice and equity.

• Google – Google has dominated the search-engine market since a very long time, and it is partly because of it being at the forefront of innovation in terms of integration software, and the internet of things. A prime example of the company’s diversity in the workplace is its CEO, Sundar Pichai. The company had approximately 2,700 H-1B visa applications approved in 2019.

• Microsoft – Microsoft is the company behind the widely popular Windows operating system. The company’s CEO, Satya Nadella, has also made his opinions public about his disapproval of the Trump administration’s handling of immigrants and dependents at the border. The company, in 2019, received approval for approximately 1,700 H-1B visas.

• Facebook – Facebook has become the pioneer of social-media innovation, with its acquirement of popular messaging platform WhatsApp, and social media platform Instagram. The company was at the forefront of fighting for what is right, by expressing disapproval over Trump’s imposed embargo earlier this year. The company had over 1,500 H-1B visas approved.