The H-1B visa category was introduced in 1990 as a way for employers

 The H-1B visa category was introduced in 1990 as a way for employers

 to advocate for foreign-born professionals to occupy "specialty" positions in emerging industries like engineering and medical sciences. At the time, the cap was set to 65,000 visas for employment that required at least a bachelor's degree, or the equivalent. The H-1B visa cap has remained relatively the same aside from an additional 20,000 visas allocated for master's or doctorate holders in 2006, despite massive changes in labor market and industry demands in the decades since.

With an increasing population of prospects and a stagnant number of available visas, the battle for international labor became especially fierce and Big Tech worked to maintain their top spot in ensuring global talent.

A reliance on global talent

Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft spent nearly $70 million in federal lobbying in 2022. That number isn't so surprising as the past year set a precedent in Big Tech pushback with emerging legislation that proposes increased privacy protections, content moderation, and retribution for corporate infringements. Lobbying groups like the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), which represents corporations including Meta, Alphabet, and Twitter, ramped up its highest spending in the past 7 years in 2022.