Two federal datasets show which U.S. employers sponsor H-1B workers, and they are the fastest way to find sponsorship jobs. USCIS publishes how many H-1B petitions each employer had approved and denied, by fiscal year. The Department of Labor publishes the labor condition applications behind those petitions, with each job title, work location and wage. Shortlist employers from both, then check which are exempt from the annual cap.
Timing decides the rest. An employer subject to the cap can register you only during one period a year, typically in March, for work beginning October 1 or later. Bring up sponsorship in your first conversation.
Key takeaways
- You do not apply for an H-1B yourself. An employer registers you and files the petition.
- The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub shows which employers have had petitions approved. Department of Labor files add job titles, locations and wages.
- The annual cap is 65,000, with 20,000 more for people holding a U.S. master’s degree or higher. Colleges, universities and nonprofit or government research organizations are exempt.
- USCIS reports that the fiscal year 2027 cap is full, so plan for the next registration.
- Selection is now weighted by wage level, and a $100,000 payment rule from 2025 is being fought in court.
01
What H-1B sponsorship involves
The H-1B is a temporary classification for what USCIS calls specialty occupations: roles that need highly specialized knowledge and, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in a directly related field or the equivalent. The employer carries the process.
- If the job is cap-subject, the employer enters you in the yearly registration and waits for the selection.
- The employer gets a Labor Condition Application (LCA) certified by the Department of Labor, attesting that your pay will be at least the higher of what it pays similarly qualified staff and the prevailing wage for the job in that area.
- The employer files the petition, Form I-129, with USCIS.
- If you are abroad, you apply for the visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate once the petition is approved.
Status is generally granted for up to three years and can generally be extended to six in total.
02
How to use the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub
Start with the H-1B Employer Data Hub. You can search it by employer name, fiscal year, city, state, ZIP code or industry code, and USCIS expects to refresh it every quarter. Look up a company you are considering, or filter by state to build a list.
| If you are | Look at | Because it counts |
|---|---|---|
| A student, a worker in another status, or abroad | New Employment Approval | People approved for a first H-1B job with that employer, from outside the country or from a different classification |
| Already in H-1B status | Change of Employer Approval | H-1B holders approved to move to that employer |
Three limits apply. Each row reflects only the first decision USCIS made, so appeals, revocations and pending cases are missing. The year shown is when USCIS decided, not when the employer filed. The city and state are the employer’s mailing address, which may not be where the job is, and an employer with several addresses has several rows.
03
How to find sponsored job titles and salaries in Department of Labor data
The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification releases its LCA records as spreadsheets on its Performance Data page, grouped by federal fiscal year and refreshed each quarter. On October 6, 2026, the latest LCA file ran from October 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
A companion document, the record layout, explains every column. Those that matter to a job seeker give the case status, the employer, the job title, where the work will be done, what the employer offered to pay and the prevailing wage.
- Download the newest LCA disclosure file and its record layout.
- Keep rows where the visa class is H-1B and the status is Certified. The file also covers the E-3 (Australia) and the H-1B1 (Chile and Singapore).
- Filter by your job title and the state where you want to work.
- Note which employers appear and what they offered to pay.
Read the result as evidence of intent. An LCA is filed before the petition and may cover more than one position, so a certified row means the employer prepared to sponsor that job, not that someone was hired. The Department also cautions that the employer-supplied data can contain errors. The offered wages still give your salary research real numbers.
04
Cap-subject vs. cap-exempt employers
| Cap-subject | Cap-exempt | |
|---|---|---|
| Which employers | Any employer without an exemption, so most private companies | Institutions of higher education, their affiliated or related nonprofit entities, nonprofit research organizations and government research organizations |
| Yearly limit | 65,000, with 20,000 more for people holding a U.S. master’s degree or higher | None |
| Registration and selection | Mandatory | Not part of the process |
| Earliest start | October 1 of the fiscal year | No fixed date |
In the fiscal year 2026 cycle, USCIS received 343,981 eligible registrations and selected 120,141. Since the fiscal year 2027 cycle, any random selection has been weighted by pay: a registration is entered four times if the offered wage reaches the top of four wage levels, and once at the lowest. A better-paid offer improves your chances.
A cap-exempt employer avoids all of that, so put universities and research institutes on your list and have each confirm its status. A later move to a cap-subject employer puts you into the cap process.
05
When to apply: the H-1B timeline
The dates below are the ones USCIS set for fiscal year 2027, which began October 1, 2026. Future years will differ, though recent registration periods have fallen in March.
| Date | USCIS milestone | Your part |
|---|---|---|
| Fall and winter | None | Interview, and secure an employer’s commitment to register you |
| March 4 to 19, 2026 | Registration open, at $215 per registration | Send passport details when asked, since registration needs them |
| March 31, 2026 | Target date for notifying selected registrants | Ask the employer for the outcome |
| April 1, 2026 | First day petitions could be filed | Provide degree records quickly |
| October 1, 2026 | Earliest employment start date | Begin work if the petition is approved |
USCIS has since announced that it received enough petitions to reach both the 65,000 cap and the 20,000 master’s exemption for fiscal year 2027, so plan around the next registration.
06
What is happening with the $100,000 H-1B payment
In September 2025, a presidential proclamation added a $100,000 payment to certain H-1B petitions filed from 12:01 a.m. Eastern on September 21, 2025. According to USCIS, it covers petitions for workers who are outside the United States and hold no valid H-1B visa. It does not cover a petition to change status, amend or extend for a person already in the United States, provided the request is granted.
The requirement is now in court. USCIS reports that the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated the agency’s implementing guidance on June 8, 2026, and that the First Circuit refused to stay that ruling on July 24, 2026. The Department of Homeland Security is complying for now and says it will collect the payment if the ruling is lifted. If you are abroad, ask a prospective employer how its lawyers are treating this.
07
How to bring up sponsorship with an employer
- Before applying, read the posting for a sponsorship line. “We do not sponsor” settles it. No mention means you should ask.
- On the form, expect two questions: are you legally allowed to work in the United States, and will you need sponsorship now or later? Answer each as written. Work authorization that runs out counts as needing sponsorship later.
- With the recruiter, raise it in the first call, in two sentences, with a date. How to message a recruiter has email versions.
- Before sending documents, make sure the employer is genuine, because registration requires your passport details. How to research a company and the guide to job scams show what to check.
One thing to flag early: I'm authorized to work now on [status] through [date], and I'd need H-1B sponsorship after that. USCIS data shows [Company] had H-1B petitions approved in [fiscal year], so I hope this is familiar ground. Is this role open to sponsorship, and would the company register me in the next H-1B registration?
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell whether a company sponsors H-1B visas?
Look the company up in the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, which shows how many H-1B petitions it had approved and denied in each fiscal year. For the roles and pay involved, filter the Department of Labor’s LCA disclosure file by the company’s name. Past petitions mean the employer knows the process, not that every role qualifies.
When should I look for a job if I need an H-1B?
If the employer is subject to the cap, begin in the fall. It must decide to sponsor you before the registration period, which has recently fallen in March, and work can begin October 1 at the earliest. For fiscal year 2027, registration ran from March 4 to March 19, 2026. Cap-exempt employers such as universities are not bound by that cycle.
Do I have to say that I need sponsorship when I apply?
If the application asks, yes, and truthfully. An employer that does not sponsor will stop the process whenever it learns the answer, so hiding it only costs you time. Telling a cap-subject employer early also leaves it time to prepare a registration.
How long can I stay in the United States if I lose my H-1B job?
USCIS says you may have up to 60 consecutive days, or until your authorized stay runs out if that comes first, to find a new employer, change status or leave. When a new employer properly files an H-1B petition for you within that window, you can generally begin working for it without waiting for approval.
Sources
- USCIS: H-1B Specialty Occupations: eligibility, the filing steps, cap exemptions, changing employers, the 60-day period and the $100,000 payment.
- USCIS: H-1B Cap Season: the cap numbers, the weighted selection and the October 1 start date.
- USCIS: H-1B Electronic Registration Process: the fiscal year 2027 dates and fee, registration counts and cap status.
- USCIS: Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub: how to search the hub, what each column counts and its limits.
- U.S. Department of Labor: OFLC Performance Data: the LCA disclosure files, their record layout and the period covered.
Published by Jobbie and last updated on October 6, 2026. This guide is general information for job seekers, not legal, tax or financial advice. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.