The H-1B is a US non-immigrant work visa for specialty occupations that typically require a bachelor's degree or higher. It covers roles in engineering, finance, science, IT, medicine, and other professional fields. You can't apply for an H-1B yourself. Your employer files a petition with USCIS on your behalf.

Each fiscal year, USCIS issues 85,000 new H-1B visas: 65,000 under the regular cap and 20,000 reserved for applicants with a US master's degree or higher. Demand far exceeds supply. In FY2025, USCIS received over 470,000 registrations for those 85,000 slots. If you're selected in the lottery, your employer then files the full petition.

An H-1B is valid for 3 years, renewable once for a total of 6. After that, you either move to a green card, switch to another status, or leave. For a deeper breakdown, read our guide: What Is an H-1B Visa? The Complete Breakdown.

How H-1B Sponsorship Works

Sponsorship is entirely employer-driven. Here's the process in three steps:

LCA filing. The employer submits a Labor Condition Application to the DOL, certifying they'll pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and location.
H-1B petition. Once the LCA is certified, the employer files Form I-129 with USCIS. If the role is cap-subject, the worker must first be selected in the annual lottery.
Approval and start date. Standard processing takes 3 to 6 months. Premium processing ($2,805 fee) guarantees a response within 15 business days.

The LCA data on this page comes from Step 1. Every LCA filing is public record. That's how we know which employers are actively sponsoring and for which roles. Related: How to Ask a Recruiter About H-1B Sponsorship.

Finding H-1B Sponsors for Your Job Search

Knowing a company has sponsored before doesn't mean they'll sponsor you, but it tells you they have the legal infrastructure and budget to do it. That's a better starting point than guessing.

On the ShouldApply dashboard, every job card shows an H-1B badge if the employer appears in DOL records. You can toggle the "Show H-1B Sponsors" filter to only see jobs from companies with a filing history. The scoring engine also factors sponsorship track record into its fit analysis.

You can also check any specific company with our free H-1B Sponsorship Checker tool, or read the full strategy guide: How to Find H-1B Jobs in 2026.

Explore H-1B Employers by Company

The search grid above indexes 16,125+ employers from DOL records. Click any company card to see its full profile: filing history by year, approval vs. denial breakdown, average sponsored salary, and the specific job titles they've filed for.

If you're targeting big sponsors, look for companies with 100+ filings and approval rates above 95%. These are typically large tech firms (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta), major consulting companies (Deloitte, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro), financial institutions (JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs), and healthcare systems. Their immigration teams process hundreds of petitions per year and have predictable timelines.

Mid-size companies with 10 to 50 filings are worth watching too. They sponsor less often, but there's usually less competition for those slots. Check each company's company profile page for job quality scores and current openings.

Cap-Exempt Employers

Not every H-1B petition goes through the lottery. Cap-exempt employers can file year-round with no cap limit. These include:

Universities and colleges (as direct employers)
University-affiliated nonprofit research organizations
Nonprofit research organizations (e.g., national labs)
Government research organizations

If you're working at a cap-exempt employer and later transfer to a for-profit company, that new petition becomes cap-subject. You'd need to go through the lottery at that point. For a full breakdown of how cap exemption works and which employers qualify, see: Cap-Exempt H-1B Employers: Who Qualifies and Why It Matters.

Layoffs, Transfers, and the 60-Day Grace Period

If you're laid off on an H-1B, you get a 60-day grace period (or until your visa expires, whichever is sooner). During that window, you can:

Find a new employer willing to file an H-1B transfer petition
Change to another visa status (B-1/B-2 tourist, F-1 student, etc.)
Depart the US before the 60 days expire

The good news: an H-1B transfer doesn't require a new lottery selection. Your new employer files a transfer petition, and you can start working as soon as USCIS receives it (you don't have to wait for approval). Speed matters here. Use the employer data on this page to quickly identify companies with active sponsorship programs in your field.

Read our step-by-step guides: H-1B Layoff Survival Guide and How H-1B Transfers Work.

The OPT-to-H-1B Path

Most international students transition to H-1B through Optional Practical Training (OPT). Here's the typical timeline:

Post-graduation OPT gives you 12 months of work authorization in your field of study.
STEM OPT extension adds 24 months if your degree qualifies, giving you a total of 36 months.
During OPT, your employer registers you for the H-1B lottery (registration opens each March). If selected, your H-1B starts October 1 of that fiscal year.

The STEM extension is critical. It gives you up to three chances at the H-1B lottery instead of one. When evaluating employers, look for companies on this page that have a consistent multi-year filing history. That signals they understand the OPT-to-H-1B timeline and won't be surprised by the process.

H-1B Policy Updates

H-1B rules change frequently. USCIS updates filing procedures, fee structures, and lottery mechanics on a regular basis. Recent developments include the beneficiary-centric lottery system (designed to reduce duplicate registrations), increased premium processing fees, and proposed changes to the definition of "specialty occupation."

We track these changes and update our data accordingly. When USCIS adjusts the registration process or DOL changes prevailing wage methodologies, those shifts show up in the filing patterns you see on this page. Companies that reduce their filings may be responding to policy tightening, higher fees, or internal budget cuts.

For context on what "unable to sponsor" actually means in a job posting, read: What Does "Unable to Sponsor Visa" Mean?.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does this H-1B data come from?

The Department of Labor publishes Labor Condition Application (LCA) disclosure files every fiscal year. We parse those records, normalize employer names, and compute approval rates, denial rates, and average wages per employer.

What's the difference between an LCA filing and an H-1B petition?

An LCA is a prerequisite. Before an employer can file an H-1B petition with USCIS, they must get DOL approval for the wage and working conditions. A high filing count means the company regularly starts the sponsorship process, though not every LCA turns into a successful visa.

Can I filter by job title or location?

Click into any employer's page to see their top sponsored job titles and office location. The search box on this page filters by company name only.

How often is this data updated?

We refresh the dataset when DOL publishes new quarterly or annual disclosure files. Pages revalidate every 24 hours to pick up any corrections or additions.

Does a high filing count mean they'll sponsor me?

Not automatically. Filing count tells you the company has sponsored before and has the process in place. Whether they'll sponsor a specific role depends on budget, headcount, and immigration policy at the time of your application. Always confirm directly with the recruiter.

What is an H-1B visa?

The H-1B is a US non-immigrant work visa for specialty occupations that require at least a bachelor's degree. Employers sponsor workers by filing a petition with USCIS after getting DOL approval. There's an annual cap of 85,000 new visas. ShouldApply tracks which employers file H-1B petitions so you can target companies with active sponsorship pipelines.

How do I find companies that sponsor H-1B?

Search the DOL's LCA disclosure data, which lists every employer that has filed for H-1B sponsorship. This page indexes 16,000+ employers with their filing counts and approval rates. You can also use ShouldApply's H-1B filter on the dashboard to surface jobs from known sponsors.

How many H-1B visa holders are there in the USA?

USCIS estimates roughly 600,000 to 700,000 H-1B workers are in the US at any given time. Around 85,000 new visas are issued annually, but the actual number of petitions filed each year is much higher due to lottery demand.

What happens to my H-1B if I get laid off?

You have a 60-day grace period to find a new employer willing to file a transfer petition, change to another visa status, or depart the US. The clock starts on your last day of employment, not the layoff notice date. ShouldApply's scoring engine can help you quickly identify roles where you're a strong fit to speed up your transfer search.

How long does H-1B sponsorship take?

The standard timeline is 3 to 6 months from LCA filing to USCIS decision. Premium processing (an extra $2,805 fee) gets a response within 15 business days. Cap-subject petitions must be filed during the annual registration window in March.

What does 'unable to sponsor visa' mean in a job posting?

It means the employer won't file H-1B or other work visa petitions for that role. This could be a company-wide policy or specific to the position. If you need sponsorship, filter these out early. ShouldApply's H-1B badge on job cards flags which employers have a sponsorship track record.

Which companies have the best H-1B approval rates?

Large tech companies and consulting firms tend to have the highest filing volumes and approval rates above 95%. You can sort employers on this page by filing count to find the most active sponsors. Click any company to see their specific approval rate and top sponsored titles.

What is the difference between an H-1B and a green card?

An H-1B is a temporary work visa valid for up to 6 years (3 + 3 renewal). A green card grants permanent residency with no expiration. Many H-1B holders eventually apply for a green card through their employer via the PERM labor certification process, which can take years depending on your country of origin.

H-1B & Green Card Process Guides

The visa-to-green-card path runs through a stack of forms, processing queues, and notices. Start with the full timeline, then drill into each step.

H-1B Data & Rankings

Slice the DOL dataset by the angle that matters for your search: raw sponsorship volume, green card backing, geography, or job role.

Score your fit against live job postings

Found a company that sponsors? Upload your resume and the scoring engine will tell you exactly where you match and where you don't for their open roles.