Fri Oct 03 17:19:45 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**U.S. Senators Grill TCS, Cognizant, Tech Giants Over H-1B Visa Practices Amidst Layoffs**
*New Delhi, October 3, 2025* – Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Cognizant, and eight other major corporations are facing scrutiny from U.S. Senators regarding their use of H-1B skilled worker visas, following significant layoffs of American employees. Senators Charles Grassley and Richard Durbin, key members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have sent letters to Amazon, Apple, Deloitte, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Meta, Microsoft, and Walmart, demanding details on their hiring practices and potential disparities in compensation between H-1B visa holders and American staff.
The inquiry, prompted by rising unemployment rates among American tech workers, particularly STEM graduates, comes at a time when the H-1B visa program is under increasing scrutiny. The Senators have long argued that the program is susceptible to abuse, allowing companies to replace American workers with cheaper foreign labor. They are also reintroducing legislation to reform the H-1B and L-1 visa programs, aimed at combating fraud, protecting American workers and visa holders, and improving transparency.
The Senators’ letters highlight the apparent contradiction between mass layoffs and the simultaneous filing of H-1B visa petitions. For example, TCS, which recently announced plans to lay off over 12,000 employees (including American staff), received approval for 5,505 H-1B visas in fiscal year 2025. Cognizant, facing a previous federal jury ruling finding the company favored South Asian H-1B visa holders, was approved for 2,493 visas in the same period. Amazon received approval for 10,044 visas, Google for 4,181 visas, Meta for 5,123 visas, and Microsoft for 5,189 visas, despite recent layoffs in all of these companies.
The Senators questioned the tech companies’ inability to find qualified American workers, with, “all of the homegrown American talent relegated to the sidelines”.
TCS is also currently under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly firing older American employees in favor of newly hired foreign H-1B visa holders.
Neither TCS nor Cognizant has responded to requests for comment. The investigation marks a significant escalation in the debate over the H-1B visa program and its impact on the American workforce.
**Summary of Provided Text:**
The text is a news article reporting on an inquiry by U.S. Senators Charles Grassley and Richard Durbin into the H-1B visa practices of several major corporations, including TCS and Cognizant. The Senators are questioning these companies about their hiring of foreign workers under the H-1B visa program while simultaneously laying off American employees. The Senators are concerned about the impact of these practices on American tech workers and have proposed legislation to reform the visa programs. The article provides specific examples of layoffs and H-1B visa approvals for each company, highlighting the apparent conflict between these two activities. The Senators are also investigating possible hiring discrimination.
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