Are H-1Bs in trouble? Immigration experts on why Cognizant, Infosys, Microsoft are not getting timely approvals on job visas

Immigration attorney Emily Neumann said she has been seeing multiple cases of H-1B petitions from three tech giants not getting approved on time. Neumann said Cognizant, Infosys, and Microsoft at the moment are experiencing H-1B issues but she was certain that it would continue and would spread to other companies as well -- and it was not just a coincidence.Neumann said all these three companies are the highest sponsors of H-1B visas and their H-1B extensions and H-1B transfers are stuck with USCIS. The government has not issued any clarification but it could be tied to past layoffs; ongoing extensions into the alleged H-1B fraud. "The USCIS, the DHS, the DOL all have tiplines to report H-1B fraud, and this delay could be tied to any investigation. I would expect it to continue and spread to other companies," Neumann said.Immigration attorney Rahul Reddy said the Donald Trump administration does not want the H-1B visa program and it is clear. Vice President JD Vance, who is a top speculative candidate for the presidential race in 2028, wants to end the H-1B visa program, Reddy said, adding that the top three tech companies seeing the H-1B petitions stuck sends out a clear message.Reddy and Neumann said first Cognizant faced the heat: they filed H-1B extensions, applied for premium processing but the approvals did not come on time and now Infosys and Microsoft are seeing the same issue.Major H-1B crackdown in 2026 so far H-1B lottery is no longer purely random; it is wage-based.$100,000 H-1B fee has become a major legal battle, though it is blocked by the court. The Trump administration extended the fee for another year.DHS has proposed a permanent $103,265 H-1B fee, separate from the contentious $100K fee. The proposal was published in August and would apply to cap-subject H-1B petitions.More scrutiny for companies that have laid off US workers: A September 18 executive order directed the Departments of Labor, Homeland Security and State to consider whether an H-1B sponsoring employer has recently laid off, or plans to lay off, similarly situated US workers.JD Vance's White House fraud task force is targeting H-1B abuse: Vice President JD Vance is chair of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, created by President Donald Trump in March 2026. The task force is broader than immigration: its mandate covers fraud, waste and abuse across federal programmes. But H-1B and other foreign-worker programmes have become a major enforcement focus.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.