Verified List of Companies Hiring Foreigners in the United States — Visa Sponsorship Employers 2026

US employers are recruiting international talent across technology, healthcare, engineering, finance, and consulting — with verified H-1B, L-1, and O-1 visa sponsorship histories and green card pathway support confirmed.

The United States approved 386,000+ H-1B petitions in fiscal year 2024, with technology companies accounting for 65% of approvals as demand for specialized skills continues despite political debate over immigration policy, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data.

Why this matters. For professionals targeting American employment, H-1B visa sponsorship offers access to the world’s highest tech salaries ($120,000–$300,000+ for senior roles), pathway to permanent residence (green card), and career advancement opportunities in the global innovation capital — though competition is intense with annual H-1B lottery odds around 26% for standard applicants.

What’s happening. The US employer-sponsored immigration system operates primarily through H-1B specialty occupation visas (65,000 annual cap + 20,000 advanced degree exemption), L-1 intra-company transfers (uncapped), O-1 extraordinary ability visas (uncapped), and direct green card sponsorship through PERM labor certification. Technology, consulting, and finance sectors dominate sponsorship, with companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft filing thousands of petitions annually.

The verified companies:

Technology & Software (1,200+ major sponsors)

• FAANG & Tech Giants:
  • Amazon — Seattle, Bay Area, Austin, NYC — software development engineers, cloud architects, data scientists, product managers, solutions architects, ML engineers
  • Google (Alphabet) — Mountain View, NYC, Seattle, Austin — software engineers, research scientists, technical program managers, site reliability engineers, UX researchers
  • Meta (Facebook) — Menlo Park, NYC, Seattle — software engineers, data scientists, research scientists, product managers, infrastructure engineers
  • Apple — Cupertino, Austin, San Diego — hardware engineers, software engineers, machine learning engineers, silicon engineers, operations managers
  • Microsoft — Redmond, Bay Area, NYC — software engineers, cloud solution architects, program managers, data scientists, AI researchers
  • Netflix — Los Gatos, Los Angeles — streaming engineers, content platform engineers, data engineers, software architects
• Cloud & Enterprise:
  • Salesforce — San Francisco, Indianapolis, Chicago — software engineers, solutions architects, technical consultants, product managers, platform developers
  • Oracle — Redwood City, Austin, Seattle — software developers, database administrators, cloud engineers, enterprise architects, technical consultants
  • SAP America — Newtown Square, Palo Alto — software developers, SAP consultants, solution architects, product managers
  • ServiceNow — Santa Clara, Chicago — software engineers, platform architects, technical consultants, product managers
  • VMware — Palo Alto, Atlanta — virtualization engineers, cloud architects, software developers, systems engineers
  • Cisco Systems — San Jose, RTP (NC), Austin — network engineers, software developers, systems architects, security engineers
• Semiconductor & Hardware:
  • Intel — Santa Clara, Portland, Phoenix — chip designers, process engineers, validation engineers, software engineers, researchers
  • NVIDIA — Santa Clara, Austin, Durham — GPU architects, software engineers, deep learning researchers, hardware engineers, AI scientists
  • Qualcomm — San Diego, Santa Clara — wireless engineers, chip designers, software developers, systems engineers, RF engineers
  • AMD — Santa Clara, Austin — processor architects, GPU engineers, software developers, verification engineers
  • Texas Instruments — Dallas, Austin — analog designers, embedded systems engineers, test engineers, applications engineers
  • Broadcom — San Jose, Fort Collins — chip designers, firmware engineers, software developers, verification engineers
• Social Media & Consumer Tech:
  • Twitter (X Corp) — San Francisco, NYC — software engineers, machine learning engineers, infrastructure engineers, data scientists
  • Snap Inc. — Santa Monica, NYC, Seattle — computer vision engineers, AR/VR developers, backend engineers, mobile engineers
  • Pinterest — San Francisco, Seattle — software engineers, data scientists, machine learning engineers, product managers
  • Reddit — San Francisco, NYC, Chicago — backend engineers, mobile developers, data engineers, infrastructure engineers
  • Uber — San Francisco, NYC, Seattle — software engineers, data scientists, mapping engineers, autonomous vehicle engineers
  • Lyft — San Francisco, Seattle, NYC — software engineers, data analysts, product managers, ML engineers
• Fintech & Payments:
  • PayPal — San Jose, Chicago, NYC — software engineers, data scientists, fraud analysts, security engineers, platform developers
  • Square (Block) — San Francisco, Atlanta — backend engineers, mobile developers, data engineers, security specialists
  • Stripe — San Francisco, NYC, Seattle — software engineers, infrastructure engineers, machine learning engineers, technical writers
  • Coinbase — San Francisco, NYC — blockchain engineers, security engineers, compliance tech specialists, platform developers
  • Robinhood — Menlo Park, NYC — backend engineers, mobile developers, trading systems engineers, data scientists
• E-commerce & Marketplaces:
  • eBay — San Jose, NYC, Portland — software engineers, data scientists, search engineers, mobile developers, site reliability engineers
  • Shopify — various US locations — full-stack developers, data engineers, infrastructure engineers, UX engineers
  • Airbnb — San Francisco, Seattle — software engineers, data scientists, machine learning engineers, product managers
  • DoorDash — San Francisco, NYC — backend engineers, mobile developers, logistics engineers, data scientists
  • Instacart — San Francisco — software engineers, data engineers, machine learning engineers, mobile developers
• Cybersecurity:
  • Palo Alto Networks — Santa Clara, various — security engineers, malware researchers, threat intelligence analysts, software developers
  • CrowdStrike — Sunnyvale, Austin, Irvine — security researchers, detection engineers, backend developers, data scientists
  • Fortinet — Sunnyvale, Burnaby — security software engineers, threat researchers, QA engineers, network security specialists
  • Okta — San Francisco, Toronto, London — identity engineers, software developers, security architects, platform engineers

Consulting & Professional Services (480+ major sponsors)

• Management Consulting (MBB):
  • McKinsey & Company — NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston — management consultants, business analysts, data scientists, digital specialists, industry experts
  • Boston Consulting Group — Boston, NYC, Chicago, LA — consultants, project leaders, data scientists, advanced analytics specialists, topic experts
  • Bain & Company — Boston, NYC, San Francisco — associate consultants, case team leaders, advanced degree specialists, data analysts
• Big Four Accounting:
  • Deloitte US — NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, DC — management consultants, IT consultants, auditors, tax specialists, cybersecurity advisors, data analytics professionals
  • PwC US — NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, DC — tax consultants, audit associates, advisory consultants, technology risk specialists, deals professionals
  • EY (Ernst & Young) US — NYC, Chicago, San Francisco — assurance professionals, tax advisors, transaction advisory, strategy consultants, technology risk
  • KPMG US — NYC, Chicago, San Francisco — audit seniors, tax consultants, advisory professionals, data & analytics specialists, deal advisors
• IT Consulting:
  • Accenture US — major cities nationwide — technology consultants, cloud architects, SAP consultants, data engineers, cybersecurity specialists, AI/ML engineers
  • Capgemini America — NYC, Chicago, Dallas — IT consultants, Salesforce developers, cloud migration specialists, business analysts, digital transformation leads
  • Cognizant — Teaneck (NJ), Dallas, Phoenix — software developers, business analysts, digital engineers, cloud specialists, QA automation engineers
  • Infosys US — various locations — software engineers, digital specialists, cloud consultants, data scientists, automation engineers
  • TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) US — nationwide — IT consultants, software developers, infrastructure specialists, business analysts, cloud engineers
  • Wipro US — multiple locations — software developers, cloud engineers, digital consultants, data analytics professionals

Finance & Banking (380+ major sponsors)

• Investment Banks:
  • Goldman Sachs — NYC, Dallas, Salt Lake City — investment banking analysts, quantitative researchers, technology associates, risk analysts, compliance professionals
  • J.P. Morgan Chase — NYC, Chicago, Houston — investment bankers, quantitative analysts, software engineers, risk managers, trading analysts
  • Morgan Stanley — NYC, Baltimore — investment banking analysts, wealth management advisors, technology associates, operations analysts
  • Bank of America — NYC, Charlotte — corporate bankers, technology developers, risk analysts, trading professionals, wealth advisors
  • Citigroup — NYC, Tampa, Jacksonville — investment bankers, technology specialists, operations analysts, risk managers, compliance officers
  • Wells Fargo — San Francisco, Charlotte, NYC — commercial bankers, technology professionals, quantitative analysts, risk specialists
• Asset Management:
  • BlackRock — NYC, San Francisco — portfolio managers, research analysts, risk analysts, Aladdin platform developers, quantitative researchers
  • Vanguard — Malvern (PA), Charlotte — investment analysts, quantitative researchers, technology developers, risk specialists
  • Fidelity Investments — Boston, Durham — portfolio managers, research analysts, technology developers, quantitative analysts
  • State Street — Boston — asset servicing professionals, technology specialists, risk analysts, operations managers
  • T. Rowe Price — Baltimore — investment analysts, portfolio managers, technology professionals, quantitative researchers
• Hedge Funds & Trading:
  • Citadel — Chicago, NYC — quantitative researchers, software engineers, portfolio managers, data scientists, trading systems developers
  • Two Sigma — NYC — machine learning researchers, software engineers, quantitative analysts, data scientists
  • Jane Street — NYC — quantitative traders, software engineers, researchers, technology specialists
  • DE Shaw — NYC — quantitative analysts, software developers, computational scientists, researchers
  • Renaissance Technologies — East Setauket (NY) — mathematicians, statisticians, software developers, quantitative researchers

Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals (420+ major sponsors)

• Hospitals & Health Systems:
  • Mayo Clinic — Rochester (MN), Phoenix, Jacksonville — physicians (all specialties), research scientists, clinical fellows, registered nurses, advanced practice providers
  • Cleveland Clinic — Cleveland, Florida — medical specialists, surgeons, researchers, clinical fellows, physician scientists
  • Johns Hopkins Medicine — Baltimore — physicians, research scientists, clinical fellows, postdoctoral researchers, medical specialists
  • Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston — medical residents, research fellows, clinical specialists, physician scientists
  • MD Anderson Cancer Center — Houston — oncologists, research scientists, clinical fellows, medical physicists
• Pharmaceuticals:
  • Pfizer — NYC, Groton (CT), San Diego — research scientists, clinical trial managers, regulatory affairs specialists, medical affairs professionals, data scientists
  • Johnson & Johnson — New Brunswick (NJ), various — pharmaceutical researchers, clinical scientists, regulatory specialists, medical devices engineers
  • Merck — Rahway (NJ), Boston — medicinal chemists, clinical researchers, biostatisticians, regulatory affairs, computational chemists
  • Bristol Myers Squibb — NYC, Princeton — oncology researchers, immunology scientists, clinical development professionals, regulatory specialists
  • Eli Lilly — Indianapolis, NYC, San Diego — research scientists, clinical trial specialists, biostatisticians, regulatory affairs professionals
  • AbbVie — Chicago area — pharmaceutical researchers, immunology scientists, clinical development managers, regulatory specialists
• Biotechnology:
  • Amgen — Thousand Oaks, Cambridge — research scientists, clinical development specialists, bioprocess engineers, computational biologists
  • Genentech (Roche) — South San Francisco — research scientists, clinical scientists, bioinformaticians, protein engineers, medical affairs
  • Biogen — Cambridge — neuroscience researchers, clinical development professionals, biostatisticians, immunology scientists
  • Gilead Sciences — Foster City, Seattle — virology researchers, clinical scientists, regulatory specialists, medical affairs professionals
  • Moderna — Cambridge — mRNA researchers, process development scientists, clinical operations, regulatory affairs specialists
  • Regeneron — Tarrytown (NY) — research scientists, antibody engineers, computational biologists, clinical development professionals
• Medical Devices:
  • Medtronic — Minneapolis, California — biomedical engineers, clinical specialists, regulatory affairs, R&D engineers, software developers
  • Abbott Laboratories — Chicago area — medical device engineers, research scientists, clinical specialists, quality engineers
  • Boston Scientific — Boston area — device engineers, clinical research specialists, regulatory professionals, R&D scientists
  • Stryker — Kalamazoo, Boston — orthopedic engineers, surgical device designers, clinical specialists, R&D engineers

Engineering & Manufacturing (320+ major sponsors)

• Aerospace & Defense:
  • Boeing — Seattle, Southern California, Charleston — aerospace engineers, software engineers, systems engineers, stress analysts, avionics engineers
  • Lockheed Martin — Fort Worth, Marietta, Orlando — systems engineers, software developers, aerospace engineers, electrical engineers (US citizenship often required for classified work)
  • Northrop Grumman — Los Angeles, Virginia, Florida — systems engineers, software developers, aerospace engineers (citizenship requirements for many roles)
  • SpaceX — Hawthorne, Boca Chica, Cape Canaveral — aerospace engineers, software engineers, manufacturing engineers, propulsion engineers (ITAR restrictions apply)
  • Blue Origin — Kent (WA), Van Horn (TX) — rocket engineers, software developers, propulsion engineers, avionics specialists
• Automotive:
  • Tesla — Fremont, Austin, Nevada — electrical engineers, software engineers, battery engineers, mechanical engineers, manufacturing engineers
  • GM (General Motors) — Detroit, Austin — automotive engineers, software developers, electrical engineers, autonomous vehicle engineers
  • Ford Motor — Dearborn, Palo Alto — vehicle engineers, software developers, electrification engineers, autonomous systems engineers
  • Rivian — Irvine, Normal (IL) — electrical engineers, battery engineers, software developers, mechanical engineers
• Energy:
  • ExxonMobil — Houston, Upstream TX — petroleum engineers, chemical engineers, data scientists, geoscientists, drilling engineers
  • Chevron — Houston, Bay Area — reservoir engineers, facilities engineers, data scientists, drilling engineers, project engineers
  • Schlumberger — Houston, Boston — petroleum engineers, data scientists, software developers, geophysicists, drilling engineers

Retail & E-commerce (180+ major sponsors)

• Major Retailers:
  • Walmart — Bentonville (AR), Bay Area — software engineers, data scientists, supply chain analysts, e-commerce specialists, AI/ML engineers
  • Target — Minneapolis — software developers, data scientists, digital specialists, supply chain engineers, cybersecurity professionals
  • Home Depot — Atlanta — software engineers, data analysts, supply chain specialists, e-commerce developers
  • Costco — Seattle area — buyers, logistics specialists, IT professionals, operations managers

Automotive Technology (140+ sponsors)

• Self-Driving & Mobility:
  • Waymo — Mountain View, Phoenix — autonomy engineers, machine learning researchers, robotics engineers, perception engineers, mapping specialists
  • Cruise (GM) — San Francisco — robotics engineers, software developers, perception engineers, simulation engineers
  • Aurora — Mountain View, Pittsburgh — self-driving engineers, ML researchers, robotics specialists, perception engineers
  • Argo AI — Pittsburgh, Detroit — autonomous vehicle engineers, robotics specialists, machine learning engineers

Education & Research (280+ sponsors)

• Universities (Major Research):
  • Harvard University — Cambridge (MA) — faculty, postdoctoral researchers, research scientists (all disciplines), lab managers, research associates
  • Stanford University — Palo Alto — professors, research fellows, postdocs, research scientists, teaching faculty
  • MIT — Cambridge (MA) — research scientists, postdoctoral associates, professors, research engineers, lab directors
  • UC Berkeley — Berkeley — academic researchers, postdocs, professors, research specialists, teaching faculty
  • Columbia University — NYC — faculty, researchers, postdocs, clinical researchers, lab managers
  • University of Michigan — Ann Arbor — research faculty, postdocs, research scientists, clinical researchers
  • Yale University — New Haven — professors, research associates, postdocs, clinical researchers
• Research Institutes:
  • National Institutes of Health — Bethesda (MD) — research fellows, postdocs, scientists, clinical researchers (many positions require US citizenship)
  • Scripps Research — San Diego, Florida — research scientists, postdocs, principal investigators, research associates
  • Broad Institute — Cambridge — computational biologists, research scientists, software engineers, genomics researchers

The numbers that matter:

• H-1B cap: 65,000 general + 20,000 US advanced degree = 85,000 total annual
• H-1B lottery odds: ~26% for bachelor’s, ~40% for US master’s+ (2024 data)
• Minimum H-1B wage: Prevailing wage for occupation/location (typically $65,000–$95,000+ entry level)
• H-1B duration: 3 years initial, renewable once (6 years total, extensions possible with green card in process)
• Visa fees: $460 base + $500 fraud prevention + $1,500 (employer with 50+ employees, >50% H-1B/L-1)
• Premium processing: $2,805 for 15-day decision (optional, employer paid)
• Green card timeline: 1–10+ years depending on country of birth (India/China backlogs extreme)

Between the lines. The H-1B lottery system creates massive uncertainty — even with job offers from top companies, only ~1 in 4 applicants receive visa approval, with unsuccessful candidates needing to leave the US or find alternative visa categories, creating anxiety and forcing many talented workers to consider Canada, UK, or other countries with more predictable immigration systems.

What workers need to know:

H-1B Specialty Occupation visa:

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) minimum in specialty field
• Job requires theoretical/practical application of specialized knowledge
• Employer-employee relationship
• Prevailing wage payment

Cap-subject vs. Cap-exempt:

• Cap-subject: Private companies (lottery required)
• Cap-exempt: Universities, non-profit research, government research organizations (no lottery, can start anytime)

Process:

• March: Electronic registration lottery ($10/registration)
• April: Selected candidates notified
• April-June: Petitions filed for October 1 start
• October 1: Earliest start date for new H-1B employment

L-1 Intra-Company Transfer:

Requirements:

• 1 year continuous employment with foreign parent/subsidiary/affiliate
• Transferring to US office of same company
• Managerial, executive, or specialized knowledge role

Advantages:

• No cap, no lottery
• Dual intent (can pursue green card)
• L-1A (manager/executive): 7-year maximum
• L-1B (specialized knowledge): 5-year maximum
• Spouse (L-2) can get work authorization

O-1 Extraordinary Ability:

Requirements:

• Sustained national/international acclaim
• Recognition in field (awards, publications, media, expert letters)
• Coming to continue work in area of expertise

Advantages:

• No cap, no lottery
• 3-year initial period, unlimited 1-year extensions
• Available for sciences, arts, education, business, athletics
• Higher approval threshold but more flexible than H-1B

What’s changing in 2026:

• H-1B registration fee increase: Proposed rise to $215 (from $10)
• Beneficiary-centric selection: New lottery system (one person, one chance regardless of multiple employer registrations)
• F-1 STEM OPT extension: Remains 24 months for STEM graduates (36 months total OPT)
• Green card country caps debate: Ongoing discussion to eliminate per-country limits (would help Indian/Chinese nationals significantly)
• H-4 EAD uncertainty: Work authorization for H-1B spouses under periodic legal challenge

Salary expectations by sector (2026):

Technology (Big Tech):

• Software engineer (entry): $120,000–$180,000 + stock
• Software engineer (mid-level): $180,000–$250,000 + stock
• Senior engineer: $250,000–$400,000+ (total comp)
• Staff/Principal engineer: $350,000–$600,000+ (total comp)

Technology (Startups/Mid-size):

• Software engineer (entry): $90,000–$130,000 + equity
• Mid-level: $130,000–$180,000 + equity
• Senior: $170,000–$250,000 + equity

Consulting:

• Analyst/Associate: $85,000–$110,000 + bonus
• Consultant: $120,000–$160,000 + bonus
• Manager: $160,000–$220,000 + bonus
• Senior Manager/Principal: $220,000–$350,000+ + bonus

Finance:

• Analyst (investment banking): $100,000–$120,000 + bonus (total comp $150,000–$200,000)
• Associate: $150,000–$200,000 + bonus (total $250,000–$400,000)
• Vice President: $250,000+ (total $400,000–$700,000+)

Healthcare:

• Physician (resident): $55,000–$70,000
• Physician (attending): $200,000–$400,000+ depending on specialty
• Researcher (postdoc): $55,000–$75,000
• Research scientist: $80,000–$130,000

Engineering:

• Entry engineer: $75,000–$95,000
• Mid-level: $95,000–$130,000
• Senior: $130,000–$180,000
• Principal/Staff: $180,000–$280,000+

The application process:

H-1B Timeline:

October-February: Job search, interviews, offer acceptance March 1-18: Employer registers for H-1B lottery ($10/person) Late March: USCIS conducts random selection, notifies selected registrations April 1-June 30: Selected employers file full H-1B petitions April-September: USCIS adjudicates petitions October 1: Earliest H-1B employment start date

Required documents:

• University degree certificates, transcripts
• Resume/CV detailing experience
• Employment letter describing role, duties, salary
• Company support letter
• Labor Condition Application (LCA) from Department of Labor
• Prevailing wage determination

Critical requirements:

• Degree relevance: Must relate directly to job (computer science degree for software engineer, etc.)
• Employer petitioner: Cannot self-petition; employer must sponsor
• Prevailing wage: Must be paid at least the average for occupation in geographic area
• Specialty occupation: Job must require bachelor’s minimum in specific specialty

What’s included in US employment:

• Vacation: Typically 10–15 days (entry level), 15–25 days (experienced) — no federal minimum
• Sick leave: Varies by employer, no federal requirement (some states mandate)
• Health insurance: Employer-sponsored plans common, employee pays portion (varies widely)
• 401(k) retirement: Employer match common (3–6% typical)
• Public holidays: ~10 federal holidays (private sector not required to observe)
• Parental leave: No federal paid leave; varies by employer (tech companies often generous: 12–20 weeks)

Regional variations:

San Francisco Bay Area:

• Highest tech salaries ($150,000–$400,000+ total comp common)
• Extreme housing costs (rent $3,000–$5,000+/month 1BR)
• Largest concentration H-1B sponsors
• Stock compensation significant part of total comp

Seattle:

• Major tech hub (Amazon, Microsoft headquarters)
• No state income tax (significant savings)
• Lower housing costs than Bay Area (still expensive: $2,000–$3,500/month 1BR)
• Strong tech ecosystem, many sponsors

New York City:

• Finance, consulting, media, tech opportunities
• Extremely high living costs (rent $2,500–$4,500+/month 1BR)
• Highest state + city taxes (~12% combined)
• Diverse economy, many sponsorship options

Austin:

• Emerging tech hub (Tesla, Oracle, Apple, Google expansions)
• No state income tax
• Lower cost of living than coasts ($1,500–$2,500/month 1BR)
• Growing H-1B sponsor base

Boston:

• Biotech, healthcare, education, tech
• High living costs but less than SF/NYC ($2,000–$3,500/month 1BR)
• Major universities, research institutions
• Strong life sciences sponsorship

Research Triangle (NC):

• Tech, pharma, research
• Moderate cost of living ($1,200–$2,000/month 1BR)
• Growing tech scene
• Good quality of life, lower competition

Another critical factor. The US green card process has massive backlogs for Indian and Chinese nationals due to per-country caps — Indian EB-2/EB-3 applicants face 10–50+ year waits, creating “indentured servitude” concerns where workers remain with sponsoring employers for decades awaiting permanent residence, while nationals of most other countries receive green cards within 1–3 years.

What’s unclear:

• Whether per-country green card caps will be eliminated (periodic legislative attempts fail)
• If H-1B program will face major reforms under future administrations
• Whether remote work trends will reduce H-1B demand or shift to different roles
• How AI advancement will affect H-1B occupation eligibility long-term

The big picture. The United States offers unmatched compensation (especially tech/finance), career advancement opportunities, and innovation ecosystem — but H-1B lottery uncertainty, green card backlogs (especially India/China), expensive healthcare, limited vacation time, and visa dependency on employer create significant challenges compared to Canada/Australia’s more predictable points-based immigration systems.

Tax considerations:

• Federal income tax: 10–37% progressive brackets
• State income tax: 0% (TX, FL, WA, NV) to 13.3% (CA)
• Social Security/Medicare: 7.65% employee portion (capped for SS)
• Typical net: 65–75% depending on state and salary level
• Tax treaties: May reduce withholding for some countries

Family considerations:

• H-4 dependent visas: Spouse and children under 21 included
• H-4 EAD: Spouses can work if H-1B holder has approved I-140 (green card petition)
• Education: Public schools free K-12, university costs $10,000–$70,000+/year
• Healthcare: Family coverage $500–$1,500+/month employee portion
• Childcare: $1,000–$3,000+/month depending on location

Pathways to green card:

Employment-Based Categories:

EB-1 (Priority Workers):

• Extraordinary ability, outstanding professors/researchers, multinational executives
• No labor certification required
• Faster processing, shorter backlogs
• Can self-petition (EB-1A)

EB-2 (Advanced Degree/Exceptional Ability):

• Master’s degree + 0 years OR Bachelor’s + 5 years experience
• PERM labor certification required (6–12 months)
• Current wait: 0-2 years (most countries), 10–80+ years (India), 2–5 years (China)

EB-3 (Skilled Workers/Professionals):

• Bachelor’s degree OR 2 years experience
• PERM required
• Longer backlogs than EB-2

PERM Process:

1. Prevailing wage determination (2–8 months)
2. Recruitment (30–180 days proving no qualified US workers)
3. PERM filing with Department of Labor
4. I-140 immigrant petition (4–12 months)
5. I-485 adjustment of status OR consular processing
6. Green card approval

Timeline expectations:

• ROW (Rest of World): 1.5–3 years total
• China EB-2: 2–5 years
• India EB-2: 10–80+ years (depends on priority date, category)
• India EB-3: 10–30+ years

Red flags to avoid:

• Recruiters charging placement fees (illegal in US)
• Companies promising “guaranteed H-1B” before lottery
• Salaries significantly below prevailing wage
• Employers without clear business operations/legitimacy
• “Bench” arrangements (paying only when placed with client)
• Body shops with poor reputations (research Glassdoor, H-1B databases)

Bottom line. The US H-1B system is highly competitive and uncertain — lottery odds mean even stellar candidates with top company offers may not receive visas, while those who do face employer dependency, potential green card decades-long waits (if Indian/Chinese), and expensive healthcare/education costs, but compensation levels (especially tech: $200,000–$500,000+ senior roles) and career opportunities remain globally unmatched for those who navigate the system successfully.

Verification essential: Check employer H-1B history using Department of Labor’s Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (flag.dol.gov), research company reviews on Glassdoor/Blind focusing on H-1B employee experiences, verify prevailing wage using DOL databases to ensure offer is compliant, and consult immigration attorneys (not recruiters) for complex cases — the H-1B/green card process is unforgiving of errors and delays can cost years.

Access H-1B sponsor data: Visit h1bdata.info or myvisajobs.com to search companies’ H-1B filing history, approval rates, salary ranges, and job titles — this reveals which employers actively sponsor, typical compensation, and approval success rates before you invest time in applications.