Washington, Aug 17 (IANS): High-skilled foreign workers are now receiving a higher salary by their US employers, with major tech companies giving out the most lucrative job offers, a study has revealed.

The median salary for workers on the H1-B visas increased to $80,000 a year, compared to a $69,000 a decade ago, the study by Pew Research Centre, a non-partisan fact tank, said on Wednesday.

The pay rise for skilled foreign workers was coupled by an increase in demand as well, according to statistics by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, as American employers filed for 246,126 cases of H1-B visas in 2009 and 399,349 in 2016, reports Xinhua news agency.

US technology companies offered the most generous pay when it comes to foreign workers, with Facebook, Apple, Google, Microsoft leading the way with average salaries topping 125,000 dollars, the Pew study shows.

Cognizant Tech Solution, an IT consulting company based in New Jersey, had more than 21,000 applications approved in fiscal 2016, more than any other US firms.

The H1-B is a non-immigration visa granted to high-skilled foreign workers.

Employers who wish to hire foreign professionals may apply for the visa on their behalf from the US government.

These visas are currently granted through a lottery-like process.

The White House is drawing up a plan to reform the programme.