Remote Jobs in the U.S. That Offer Visa Sponsorship

If you search "remote jobs with visa sponsorship," most results assume you're sitting abroad and hoping a U.S. company will sponsor you to work from home in another country. That's not how it works. U.S. work visas require you to be physically present in the United States. When employers post "remote" jobs, they mean remote within the U.S., not remote from overseas.

This article is for people who are already in the U.S. on a work visa (or will be soon) and want to know: can I take a remote job and stay in compliance? The short answer is yes, but the rules depend on your visa type, and some are stricter than others.

Why companies sponsor visas for remote workers

If your first thought is "why would a company pay for visa sponsorship when they could just hire a contractor overseas?", that's a fair question. Here's the reality.

Most visa-sponsored remote workers are already in the U.S.

About 90% of the time, remote visa sponsorship looks like this: you graduated from a U.S. university, started working on F-1 OPT, and your company sponsors your H-1B to keep you after OPT expires. Or you're already on a TN, E-3, or H-1B1 visa and your team switches to remote or hybrid. The company isn't bringing you from abroad. You're already here, already productive, and the remote arrangement is just how the team works.

The role is U.S.-based, it just happens to be remote

Many companies need employees in U.S. time zones, working under U.S. data security and compliance rules, or available for client-facing work that requires physical presence. Remote work is the company's standard policy for the role, not a special arrangement for visa holders.

Rare case: Senior talent recruited globally

Occasionally, a company will sponsor someone from abroad for a remote-eligible role, but this almost always involves highly specialized senior talent at Level III–IV wages. Think principal engineers, research scientists, or directors with niche expertise that's genuinely hard to find domestically.

Which visas allow remote work in the U.S.?

You can work remotely on most U.S. work visas, as long as you stay within the country. But the compliance requirements vary. Some visas are straightforward, while others (especially the H-1B visa) require careful attention to work location rules.

H-1B visa

Remote work is allowed, and the H-1B Modernization Rule (effective January 17, 2025) formally recognizes telework, remote work, and off-site arrangements as valid under the program. But your employer must list your home address as an official worksite on the Labor Condition Application (LCA), and your salary must meet the prevailing wage for your home's geographic area. If you move to a different metro area, your employer needs to file a new LCA and an amended H-1B petition before you start working from the new location.

Key compliance rule: Your home becomes your "place of employment" for immigration purposes. If you relocate without updating your filings, even temporarily for more than 30–60 days, you could be in violation.

F-1 OPT / STEM OPT

You can work remotely for a U.S. employer during your post-graduation work authorization. For STEM OPT, your employer must be E-Verify registered. No LCA is required, so there's less paperwork around work location, but you still need to maintain valid status and report any changes to your DSO.

F-1 CPT

Remote work is allowed as long as it relates to your field of study and is authorized by your school. Your academic institution has to approve the specific arrangement.

TN visa (Canada/Mexico)

Remote work within the U.S. is allowed and compliance is simpler than H-1B because TN visas don't require an LCA. There's no prevailing wage filing tied to your specific work location, so relocating within the U.S. doesn't trigger the same paperwork.

E-3 visa (Australia)

Similar to the H-1B visa in that remote work requires LCA compliance, with your home address listed as a worksite. Moving to a new metro area means your employer needs to file a new LCA. The advantage: no lottery and a separate annual cap from H-1B.

H-1B1 visa (Chile/Singapore)

Same LCA compliance rules as H-1B and E-3, but no lottery and separate annual caps. Remote work is allowed with the same location-tracking requirements.

L-1 visa (Intracompany Transfer)

After establishing U.S. presence, L-1 holders often have more flexibility for remote work. No LCA is required, so there's no prevailing wage issue tied to your specific home address.

O-1 visa (Extraordinary Ability)

Remote work is allowed and O-1 visas don't require an LCA, which gives you more flexibility on location. Significant changes to your duties or employer would still require an amended petition.

J-1 visa (Exchange Visitor)

Remote work depends on your specific program category and sponsor approval. Check with your J-1 sponsor organization before accepting any remote arrangement.

Green Card (EB-2/EB-3)

No restrictions. Once you have a green card, you can work remotely for any U.S. employer from any location.

Remote work compliance: what you need to know

Remote work on a visa is legal, but it creates compliance obligations that office-based work doesn't. Here's what to watch out for, especially on an H-1B visa.

Your home is your worksite

Under DOL regulations, every location where an H-1B, E-3, or H-1B1 worker performs their job must be listed on the LCA. That includes your home office. Your employer needs to maintain a Public Access File that covers each worksite.

Moving to a new city is an immigration event

If you're on an H-1B visa and relocate to a different Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), your employer must file a new LCA with the prevailing wage for that area and submit an amended H-1B petition, before you start working from the new location. The prevailing wage in the new city could be higher or lower than your current salary. Working from an unapproved location, even for a few months, can be a visa violation.

For TN, O-1, and L-1 holders, there's no LCA to update, so moving is simpler from an immigration standpoint (though you still need to file Form AR-11 within 10 days of any address change).

USCIS site visits are expanding

The H-1B Modernization Rule expanded USCIS authority to conduct site visits for remote and hybrid workers. These visits can happen by phone, video, or in person, and USCIS can deny or revoke a petition if it can't verify employment details. Employers need to keep documentation of remote arrangements, oversight processes, and proof that the role still qualifies as a specialty occupation.

The prevailing wage follows your location, not your company's HQ

If your company is headquartered in Austin but you work remotely from San Francisco, the prevailing wage on your LCA must reflect San Francisco rates. A salary that qualifies as Level III in Austin might only reach Level II in SF due to higher local wages. This matters for lottery odds under the wage-weighted selection system (effective for FY 2027).

How to find remote jobs that sponsor visas

Most job boards don't tell you whether an employer actually sponsors visas, and "remote" listings rarely specify whether they're open to visa holders. Here's how to search smarter.

Use Migrate Mate's verified sponsorship data

Migrate Mate shows you U.S. employers with verified H-1B filing histories matched with current job openings. You can filter by worksite type (remote, hybrid, on-site), visa category, salary range, and location to find remote jobs that sponsor visas and match your profile.

How to use it:

1. Create your profile with your visa type, education, experience, and preferred locations
2. Filter for remote roles using the worksite filter, combined with your visa type (F-1 OPT, H-1B, TN, E-3, H-1B1, J-1)
3. Check employer filing history to verify that the company has actually sponsored visas in your occupation recently
4. Apply and follow up using Migrate Mate's direct recruiter and visa contact information to ask about remote work policies for visa holders

Questions to ask during remote job interviews

When you find a remote role at a company with a visa sponsorship history, these questions help you figure out whether they'll actually support visa holders in remote positions.

If you're on F-1 OPT or STEM OPT:

"I'm on F-1 OPT [or STEM OPT]. Do you hire OPT candidates for remote roles, and is the company E-Verify registered?"

"What's your typical process for transitioning OPT employees to H-1B or other long-term sponsorship?"

If you're an H-1B candidate:

"I see that [Company Name] has sponsored H-1B workers based on USCIS data. Does your remote work policy include H-1B holders, or is sponsorship only for office-based roles?"

"For remote H-1B employees, how does your team handle LCA compliance when someone works from home or relocates?"

If you're a TN candidate (Canada/Mexico):

"I'm eligible for TN status. Since TN doesn't require an LCA, remote work compliance is simpler. Does your company have experience with TN sponsorship for remote roles?"

If you're an E-3 (Australia) or H-1B1 (Chile/Singapore) candidate:

"I'm eligible for the E-3 [or H-1B1] visa, which has no lottery and a separate cap. Has your company sponsored this visa type before for remote positions?"

For any visa type, ask HR:

"Does your company's remote work policy apply the same way to visa-sponsored employees as it does to other staff?"

"Given the $100,000 supplemental fee for H-1B beneficiaries outside the U.S., does this affect your sponsorship approach?"

Frequently Asked Questions