Companies That Sponsor H-1B visas: How to Find and Verify Them in 2026

Companies that sponsor H-1B visas are easier to find than most people think, but there's a gap between employers who mention sponsorship in job postings and those who actually file petitions consistently. According to the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, the majority of approved H-1B petitions come from a core group of companies that sponsor H-1B workers year after year.

The 2026 policy changes make it more important than ever to know which employers are worth targeting. The wage-weighted lottery now favors higher-paying roles, the $100,000 supplemental fee has made some employers more cautious about overseas hires, and cap-exempt institutions have become a more attractive option. Finding the right employer now means looking at more than just whether they sponsor. It also means understanding what wage levels they file at and whether the conditions of their sponsorship give you a realistic chance of selection.

Top companies that sponsor H-1B visas

Based on USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub filings, these are among the most active H-1B sponsorship companies in the United States:

These companies consistently rank among the top H-1B petitioners, but they're far from the only option. Thousands of mid-size and smaller employers also sponsor H-1B visas, and applying to those companies often means less competition and more direct access to hiring managers.

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H-1B sponsorship companies by industry

Companies that sponsor H-1B visas span well beyond Big Tech. Here's where sponsorship activity is strongest in 2026.

Technology and AI

Tech remains the single largest source of H-1B sponsorship. Companies building AI infrastructure, cloud platforms, and cybersecurity products are filing at high volumes, and the roles they sponsor tend to pay at Level II or III wage thresholds. Under the weighted lottery, that means 2–3 lottery entries per registration compared to 1 for Level I roles.

AI hiring has been particularly active. Companies recruiting for agentic AI, model training, and AI hardware roles are offering salaries that reach Level III and IV, giving candidates strong odds under the new system.

Common sponsored roles: Software engineer, machine learning engineer, data scientist, cybersecurity analyst, cloud architect, DevOps engineer, AI research scientist.

Healthcare and life sciences

Healthcare sponsorship is concentrated in research and specialized clinical roles. Clinical researchers, bioinformatics analysts, biostatisticians, and healthcare technologists are commonly sponsored.

A key advantage in healthcare is that many employers are cap-exempt. University-affiliated hospitals, nonprofit research medical centers, and academic medical institutions can sponsor H-1B workers at any time, with no annual cap and no lottery. They're also exempt from the $100,000 supplemental fee. For candidates at cap-exempt healthcare employers, the lottery system doesn't apply.

Common sponsored roles: Clinical research scientist, biostatistician, lab scientist, pharmaceutical researcher, healthcare data analyst, bioinformatics analyst.

Consulting and professional services

Large consulting firms (Deloitte, EY, PwC, Accenture, McKinsey, and others) consistently appear among the top H-1B sponsorship companies. They sponsor across audit, technology consulting, risk advisory, and strategy roles. Most have dedicated immigration teams and well-established sponsorship pipelines.

These firms often prioritize candidates with U.S. master's degrees, since those candidates qualify for the 20,000-visa master's cap (an extra lottery chance) and are already in the U.S. (avoiding the $100,000 fee).

Common sponsored roles: Management consultant, technology consultant, strategy analyst, audit analyst, risk advisory analyst, cybersecurity consultant.

Semiconductors and advanced manufacturing

Federal investment through the CHIPS and Science Act has driven significant demand for engineers in semiconductor manufacturing, chip design, and advanced production. States like Arizona, Texas, and Ohio have become hubs for these roles. Even relatively junior engineering positions in this sector often meet Level III or IV wage thresholds because of the specialized skills involved.

Common sponsored roles: Semiconductor process engineer, electrical engineer, quality systems engineer, industrial engineer, supply chain manager, manufacturing engineer.

Finance and fintech

Banks, hedge funds, and fintech companies consistently sponsor quantitative analysts, risk modelers, data engineers, and software engineers for financial platforms. The specialized quantitative and technical skills required make these roles strong candidates for H-1B approval, and salaries in this sector typically reach Level II or higher.

Common sponsored roles: Quantitative analyst, risk modeler, data engineer, fintech software engineer, compliance analyst, financial systems architect.

Cap-exempt employers: companies that sponsor H-1B visas without the lottery

Cap-exempt employers are worth special attention because they can sponsor H-1B workers at any time of year, with no annual cap, no lottery, and no $100,000 supplemental fee. Many candidates overlook this option, but it's one of the most straightforward paths to an H-1B visa.

Cap-exempt employers include:

• Universities and colleges (any institution of higher education)
• Nonprofit research organizations affiliated with or related to a university
• Government research organizations
• University-affiliated hospitals and medical centers

The key word is "affiliated." A hospital that has a formal affiliation or relationship with a university may qualify as cap-exempt, even if it's not directly run by the university. This includes many large academic medical centers.

Cap-exempt roles are filed on a rolling basis, meaning your employer doesn't have to wait for the March registration window. They can file your petition whenever the job and paperwork are ready. For candidates who want certainty over lottery odds, cap-exempt employers are the most reliable path to H-1B status.

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How to verify any company's H-1B sponsorship history

Before you spend time applying to a company, it's worth checking whether they've actually sponsored H-1B workers before. Here are three ways to do it.

1. USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub

The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub is the official government source. You can search by employer name and see total H-1B petitions filed, approvals, and denials. It's free but limited: it doesn't show salary data, specific roles, or how recent the filings are.

2. DOL FLAG system

The DOL Foreign Labor Application Gateway shows Labor Condition Applications (LCAs), which employers must file before submitting H-1B petitions. LCA data includes the job title, wage offered, and work location. This is useful for checking what salary a company is offering for specific roles and whether that salary puts you at a favorable wage level under the weighted lottery.

3. Migrate Mate

Migrate Mate lets you search for jobs and companies that offer H-1B sponsorship. You can filter by occupation, location, and salary range, etc to find roles at companies that sponsor H-1B visas. It's a simpler starting point than cross-referencing multiple government databases yourself.

How 2026 policy changes affect which companies sponsor

Two major policy changes in 2026 are worth understanding when you're evaluating which companies that sponsor H-1B visas to target.

The wage-weighted lottery

Under the new weighted selection system (effective Feb 27, 2026), your lottery odds depend on your wage level. Level IV positions get 4 lottery entries; Level I gets 1. This means the same company can give you very different odds depending on the role and salary they offer.

When evaluating H-1B sponsorship companies, look beyond whether they sponsor at all. Check what wage levels they typically file at. A company that consistently files at Level I is offering you a 15% selection chance. One that files at Level III is offering 46%.

The $100,000 supplemental fee

The $100,000 fee applies to new H-1B petitions for workers outside the U.S. who don't already hold a valid H-1B visa. It does not apply if you're already in the U.S. (for example, on F-1/OPT status) and your employer files for change of status.

In practice, this has made some companies, especially smaller ones, more cautious about sponsoring overseas candidates because the total cost is now significantly higher. Candidates already in the U.S. are less expensive to sponsor, which can be an advantage. Larger employers (major tech firms, Big Four consulting, large banks) are generally more willing to absorb the fee for the right candidate. Smaller employers may focus their sponsorship on candidates who are already in the country.

Common mistakes when looking for H-1B companies

Relying on job postings alone. Many companies list "visa sponsorship available" as a checkbox option without a consistent history of actually filing. It's worth verifying with real filing data before putting time into an application.

Only targeting the biggest names. Amazon and Google sponsor thousands of H-1B workers, but they also receive an enormous volume of applications. Mid-size companies with active sponsorship programs often have less competition and faster hiring processes.

Overlooking cap-exempt employers. Universities, research institutions, and academic medical centers skip the lottery entirely. These roles often pay competitively and offer strong career paths, but many candidates don't consider them because they're focused on the private sector.

Not checking wage levels. Under the weighted lottery, a company that sponsors at Level I is offering roughly a 15% selection chance. The same role at a different company or in a different city might qualify at Level III, tripling your entries. Use DOL wage data to compare before accepting an offer.

Applying from overseas without understanding the fee. If you're outside the U.S. and the employer would need to pay the $100,000 supplemental fee on top of standard filing costs, it's important to confirm they're aware and willing before you get far into the process.

Find companies that sponsor H-1B visas

Migrate Mate lets you search for jobs and companies that offer H-1B sponsorship. You can filter by:

• Occupation: Search by job title
• Location: Filter by state or city
• Salary level: Target roles at Level II–IV wages for better lottery odds
• Visa type: H-1B, green card, TN, E-3, OPT, etc

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