H1B Visa Sponsorship in 2026: What You Need to Know
The H1B visa allows US employers to hire foreign nationals in specialty occupations — and tech jobs dominate the program. If you're an international engineer or data scientist looking for a US-based role with visa sponsorship, understanding which companies sponsor, what they pay, and how to target them will significantly improve your odds.
The Largest H1B Sponsors in Tech (2025–2026)
Based on DOL LCA filings, these companies consistently file the largest volumes of H1B petitions:
Tier 1: FAANG + Major Cloud Companies
- Amazon: 20,000–30,000 H1B applications per year, median salary $165,000
- Google / Alphabet: 15,000–20,000 per year, median salary $185,000
- Microsoft: 15,000–20,000 per year, median salary $170,000
- Meta: 8,000–12,000 per year, median salary $195,000
- Apple: 5,000–8,000 per year, median salary $175,000
Tier 2: High-Growth Tech Companies
Beyond FAANG, these companies actively sponsor H1B and are known for competitive compensation:
- Salesforce, Oracle, Intel, Nvidia, AMD — all active H1B sponsors with strong compensation
- Stripe, Databricks, Airbnb, Lyft, Uber — unicorns and late-stage startups with significant H1B programs
- Snowflake, Confluent, HashiCorp, Elastic — cloud/data infrastructure companies with tech-heavy workforces
Tier 3: IT Services & Staffing (High Volume, Lower Pay)
Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, and HCL Tech collectively file more H1B petitions than FAANG combined — but at significantly lower salary levels ($75,000–$110,000). If maximizing salary is your priority, target product companies, not IT services firms.
How H1B Prevailing Wage Rules Protect Your Salary
One underappreciated aspect of H1B employment: the Department of Labor requires employers to pay the higher of the actual wage they pay to similar employees, or the prevailing wage for the role in that geographic area. This means:
- H1B workers cannot legally be paid below market rate
- Level I (entry) prevailing wages are often around $95,000–$120,000 for software engineering in major cities
- Level III (experienced) prevailing wages can exceed $170,000 in San Francisco and Seattle
The practical implication: sponsored roles at legitimate tech companies often pay at or above market rate because the DOL data is public and scrutinized.
How to Find and Apply for H1B-Sponsored Roles
Step 1: Target companies with established H1B programs. Large, well-funded companies have immigration lawyers and HR processes in place. Early-stage startups often want to sponsor but don't have the infrastructure or budget for the $5,000–$15,000+ legal fees per petition.
Step 2: Look for explicit sponsorship mentions. Search for listings that say "visa sponsorship available," "we are an equal opportunity employer and will sponsor," or similar. This pre-screens for companies that have budget and process.
Step 3: Use the DOL disclosure data. The Department of Labor publishes quarterly H1B disclosure data at dol.gov. You can search by employer to see exactly what they paid and how many petitions they filed. This is public record and is a powerful research tool.
Step 4: Be transparent in applications. Most companies ask about sponsorship needs early in the process. Being upfront saves time for both parties. At large tech companies, H1B sponsorship is routine and will not disqualify you from consideration.
Browse all $100k+ visa-sponsored tech jobs on Six Figure Jobs. Every listing shows the salary range upfront and applies directly to the company — no recruiter middleman.