Despite its warnings over TikTok's potential national security risks and ties to the Chinese government, the U.S. still allowed the social media platform's parent company to claim nearly 1,000 temporary visas in the past year.
The highly sought H-1B visa allows high-skilled foreign workers to come to the U.S. temporarily with an employer sponsor, but the system has come under fire for its lottery-style approach and concerns that employers, particularly in Big Tech, are passing over qualified Americans for some of the highest-paying jobs in the country.
Tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta are among the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B program. During Fiscal Year 2024, some 9,200 H-1Bs out of 85,000 were awarded to Amazon alone. Infosys, Cognizant Technology Solutions and Google followed behind.
While TikTok parent ByteDance was 34th on the top 100 list of companies in 2024, just above LinkedIn, the Beijing-based conglomerate has steadily increased its import of foreign workers, rising from 163 in 2020 to 997 in 2024. The majority of those hired were from China.
