Big Tech companies continue to claim there is a labor shortage when, in reality, there are more than enough willing and able Americans ready to step in. The repeated message that there are "no qualified Americans" does more than insult them: It leaves lasting damage that cannot be undone by simply finding new employment. However, Big Tech's claims do not stand up to actual documented evidence. In fact, Amazon's own filings with the U.S. Department of Labor comprise a comprehensive record of the company's immigration submissions. And that data dismantles the "shortage" narrative, revealing a system in which loopholes are used, recruitment requirements minimized and federal certifications freely obtained for foreign labor – even as qualified Americans are sidelined. Between 2009 and 2024, Amazon filed more than 111,000 petitions for H-1B visas, a program intended for positions requiring "specialized knowledge" that cannot be filled by any qualified U.S. workers. Of these filings, 39,012 were new H-1B visa applications, while 72,726 were renewal applications for existing foreign workers.
