How H-1B sponsorship works — and how to apply

This site is built from US Department of Labor disclosure data: a record of every worker an employer has been certified to sponsor, and the wage they filed. That tells you who sponsors and what they pay — but not how the process works. Here's the short version.

What "sponsorship" actually means

An employer "sponsors" you when they file the paperwork — and pay the fees — to hire a foreign worker on a visa like the H-1B. For an H-1B, two things happen: the employer files a Labor Condition Application (LCA) with the Department of Labor promising to pay at least the required wage (that's the data on this site), then files a petition with USCIS. An employer with a long filing history has done this many times and knows the process. It is still not a promise to sponsor you.

The annual cap and the lottery

Most H-1B jobs are subject to a yearly cap (currently 85,000 new visas, per USCIS — 65,000 plus 20,000 reserved for US advanced degrees). Because demand is far higher, there is a registration and random selection ("the lottery"), usually in March, for jobs starting the following 1 October. Steps:

• An employer registers you in March.
• USCIS runs the random selection.
• If selected, the employer files the full petition.
• If approved, work can start 1 October.

Being selected is partly luck. That's exactly why targeting employers who sponsor often matters — more filings usually means more registrations and more chances.

How to use this site to apply smarter

• Find employers that actually sponsor. Start with the sponsor directory or your state.
• Check what they pay. Every company page shows the median filed wage and range, so you know the real number before you apply.
• Target the right roles and cities. Company pages list the job titles and worksites an employer sponsors most — apply to those, not to roles they've never sponsored.
• Compare by occupation. The salaries page shows which fields are sponsored heavily and what they pay.

Before you hit apply

Sponsored roles draw hundreds of applicants, and most are filtered by software before a person reads them. Make sure your resume is ATS-ready and tuned to the job description — EvoResume scans it free.

This is general information, not immigration or legal advice. For authoritative rules and current figures, see USCIS. Data on this site reflects past filings and lags by about a quarter.