The H-1B visa program was created to help American tech firms address labor shortages, allowing them to temporarily hire nonimmigrant workers to fill roles related to areas like computer programming or engineering. Today, the nation’s largest companies continue to use the H-1B visa program, gathering some of their employees from other countries to curate a workforce that matches their needs.
What Is an H-1B Visa?
An H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant work visa that lets U.S. employers hire foreign employees into specialty job roles for up to three years. This visa is granted under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act and has an issue limit of 65,000 visas per fiscal year.
Importance of H-1B Visas in U.S. Employment
H-1B visas provide an opportunity for job seekers who live abroad to temporarily work in the United States if they meet proper qualifications. U.S. employers rely on the H-1B visa program to access talent pools outside of the United States and find candidates with the specific skills necessary for a position. Plus, H-1B visas encourage the creation of diverse and inclusive companies with workers from various backgrounds.
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US Companies That Sponsor H-1B Work Visas
US Companies That Sponsor H-1B Visas
- Accenture
- Apple
- Cisco
- Deloitte
- Intel
- IBM
- Microsoft
- Meta
- Amazon
RapDev is a software development company that works with client companies to make software releases more effective and efficient. It consults on Datadog and ServiceNow implementations and works with SRE, DevOps and cloud platforms. The company says it is happy to assist qualified candidates with visa sponsorships.
Kikoff is a fintech company that makes products for consumer credit development and repair. Through its digital platform products, it allows users to build credit history and improve credit scores and reports through lines of credit, credit-builder loans and secured credit cards. Each of these tools is meant to allow users to establish a history of successfully repaying loans. The company sponsors employees for H-1B visas as well as green cards from their first day of employment.
Mobile gaming company MobilityWare produces card and puzzle games that have been downloaded over 600 million times, according to the company. Based out of Irvine, California, the company brings together professionals across career areas ranging from marketing to software engineering. MobilityWare typically gets approval for at least a handful of H-1B visas each year, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services H-1B Employer Data Hub.
IT services company Accenture has broadened its global reach since its founding in 1989. The company serves clients in more than 120 countries, making it a truly international organization. Accenture has a history of sponsoring H-1B visas, winning approvals for 1,441 visas in 2023, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website.
Like other high-tech behemoths, consumer product pioneer Apple has been focusing more closely on diversity in recent years. In 2020, the company launched a $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which has continued to grow with new major projects since. Apple had approval for 2,956 H-1B visas in 2023.
IT innovator Capgemini may not be a Silicon Valley original, but the Paris-based company has undoubtedly made an impact on the world’s tech scene. The company boasts over 300,000 employees across more than 50 countries, making it a global tech leader. In 2023, the company had 1,744 H-1B visas approved.
Cisco has been a part of the Silicon Valley scene for several decades, becoming a sprawling global IT network. The multinational conglomerate boasts almost 80,000 employees in offices across the world, making it one of the most internationally focused high-tech firms. Cisco had approvals for 1,195 H-1B visas in 2023.
Digital solutions provider Cognizant has been around since 1994. Today, the company has amplified its international presence, employing more than 300,000 people globally. Owing to its massive global reach, Cognizant has a history of sponsoring H-1B visas, with approval for 5,504 H-1B visas in 2023.
As one of the world’s tech titans, Google has amassed a legion of employees that spans across six continents. In recent years, the company has worked to strengthen its diversity and inclusion initiatives, establishing a range of programs to foster diversity within the global tech community. The company had approval for 4,043 H-1B visa applications in 2023.
As one of the nation’s most established tech firms, IBM has long been a part of the global tech races. The company has made an effort to boost international student hiring, offering a variety of programs designed to attract global tech talent. IBM currently employs techies from regions across the globe such as Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, and had approval for 1,598 H-1B visas in 2023.
Digital services and IT consulting giant Infosys has more than 345,000 employees worldwide. The company offers various diversity and inclusion initiatives, including one called Culture Chat, which enables employees to connect with their colleagues across the globe. Infosys received approval for 4,699 H-1B visas in 2023.
Intel is one of the world’s most recognizable tech corporations. Today, the company has dozens of offices across the globe, employing about 121,000 tech professionals. Being an epicenter of international tech talent, Intel received approval for 1,717 visas in 2023.
Like its Silicon Valley compatriots, Meta has been attracting foreign-born talent for years with thousands of workers employed across the world. In 2023, the company had 2,628 H-1B visas approved.
Throughout the 2010s, Microsoft has ramped up its diversity and inclusion initiatives in an attempt to bolster its status as a global household name. In 2023, the company received approval for 3,547 H-1B visas.
Since its inception during the 1970s, cloud technology provider Oracle has become an international household name. Presenting an employee base that exceeds 170,000, the company hosts a range of diversity and inclusion initiatives and focuses on strengthening its international standing. Oracle is one of many tech powerhouses that sponsors H-1B visas, and received approval for 1,553 H-1B visas in 2023.
Based in Mumbai, Tata Consultancy Services has locations spanning the globe, making it a true driving force in the global IT services sector. With an employee team that exceeds 616,000, the company has made substantial efforts to drive diversity within the workplace and has even created a program designed to promote inclusive hiring in Latin America. It received approval for 5,169 H-1B visas in 2023.
India-based company Wipro, with its U.S. headquarters in Seattle, Washington, provides global IT, consulting and business process services. It employs more than 250,000 people in 66 countries, and received approval for 1,661 H-1B visas in 2023.
E-commerce retailer Amazon has changed the course of online delivery. The company says it remains dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the workplace, having 13 employee resource groups and donating $10 million to organizations that support justice and equity in 2020. Amazon had approval for 8,065 H-1B visas in 2023.
This Amazon subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and has grown to be one of the most popular cloud services. Amazon Web Services received initial approval for over 400 H-1B visas in 2021.
HCL Technologies, an IT, engineering and software company, has offices in 50 countries and employs more than 219,000 workers. Being an advocate for employee inclusion, the company is a member of CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion, a CEO-driven initiative to further workplace DEI. HCL America had 1,963 H-1B visas approved in 2023.
Networking business Qualcomm has earned a reputation as one of the tech world’s most impactful companies. With over 190 offices in almost 30 countries, the company has begun amplifying its diversity and inclusion initiatives and has even established a Diversity Task Force to keep track of these measures. It received approval for 967 H-1B visas in 2023.
Uber has been a prominent figure in the ride-sharing space since its inception in 2009, carving out an identity for itself that encompasses the globe. The company seeks to prioritize diversity and equity across employee-base, with the goals of increasing demographic diversity and becoming more actively anti-racist. Uber received approval for 374 H-1B visas in 2023.
How to Obtain an H-1B Visa
Like other U.S. visas, obtaining an H-1B visa requires meeting stipulations for both the job applicant and the organization with the open job role.
H-1B Visa Requirements for Employees
H-1B Visa Employee Eligibility Requirements
- Must be a nonimmigrant job applicant.
- Must hold a valid job offer from a U.S. employer requiring specialty knowledge or skills.
- Must hold a U.S. bachelor’s degree, equivalent education or certification required by the specialty job role.
To be eligible for an H-1B visa, a nonimmigrant applicant must hold a valid job offer from a U.S. employer for a role requiring speciality knowledge, as well as a U.S. bachelor’s degree required by the area of specialty from an accredited college or university.
Applicants without a U.S. bachelor’s degree may also be eligible by holding a foreign degree equivalent at the same education level or an unrestricted state license, registration or certification authorizing full practice of the specialty role.
Once a prospective employee receives a job offer from an eligible employer, the employer will prepare a labor condition application (LCA) to submit to the U.S. Department of Labor for certification. Following LCA certification, the employer will file a Form I-129 with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). If the Form I-129 is approved, the prospective employee may apply with the U.S. Department of State to obtain an H-1B visa.
H-1B Visa Requirements for Employers
H-1B Visa Employer Eligibility Requirements
- Must hold an open job role requiring the application of specialty knowledge or skills.
- Open job role must require a U.S. bachelor’s degree, equivalent education or certification for entry.
- Must show that the open role normally requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, or that the degree requirement is common among parallel industry roles.
For an employer to be eligible to provide an H-1B visa, the open role must require a practical application of an area of specialized knowledge, plus an attainment of a U.S. bachelor’s degree or equivalent for entry in comparison to roles in similar fields. The employer must also be able to show that it normally requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level for the role, or that the degree requirement is common in its industry among similar roles and organizations.
How Do I Get a Company to Sponsor My Visa?
Job candidates seeking to be sponsored for an H-1B visa must meet the general requirements for obtaining an H-1B visa and ensure the prospective employer is able and willing to sponsor them. It’s important that candidates express throughout the job interview process with a U.S. employer that they would require H-1B sponsorship to begin work. It may also be helpful to communicate with an immigration attorney before interviewing for a certain role to prepare an explanation of your work eligibility to the employer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an H-1B visa?
An H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign employees for the purpose of fulfilling a specialty job occupation.
The H-1B visa allows approved employees to stay in the United States for work for up to three years, with possible extension to a total of six years. It also has an issue limit of 65,000 per fiscal year.
What are the requirements for an H-1B visa?
To be eligible for an H-1B visa, a candidate must:
- Be a nonimmigrant job applicant.
- Hold a valid job offer from a U.S. employer that is requiring specialty knowledge or skills for the position.
- Hold at least a U.S. bachelor's degree or equivalent required by the specialty position, or hold an unrestricted state license, registration or certification that authorizes full practice for the position.
