H-1B Transfer Data 2026
Employers filed 289,369 certified H-1B change-of-employer petitions (FY2021–2026) — 17.5% of all filings where DOL recorded whether the petition was a transfer. Median offered wage on a transfer is $128K/year. Transfers are exempt from the annual cap and the lottery.
H-1B Transfers by Fiscal Year
| Fiscal Year | Certified Transfers | Share of Filings |
|---|---|---|
| FY2022 | 40,378 | 18.6% |
| FY2023 | 45,316 | 22.1% |
| FY2024 | 99,897 | 16.8% |
| FY2025 | 81,929 | 15.7% |
| FY2026 | 21,849 | 19.5% |
FY2026 is a partial year — DOL publishes quarterly, so it is not directly comparable to the full years above.
Top H-1B Transfer Sponsors
Ranked by certified transfer volume. Share is that employer's own transfer rate — a high share means the company routinely hires people already on an H-1B rather than filing fresh cap cases.
Top 30 of 272 employers with at least 100 certified transfers — each has a full transfer profile.
H-1B Transfers by State
| State | Certified Transfers | Share of Filings | Median Wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 59,179 | 19.2% | $167K |
| Texas | 49,230 | 20% | $117K |
| New York | 20,820 | 15.5% | $145K |
| Washington | 20,233 | 19.5% | $160K |
| New Jersey | 15,537 | 17.9% | $124K |
| North Carolina | 11,829 | 19.1% | $120K |
| Georgia | 11,541 | 18% | $118K |
| Illinois | 10,918 | 15.5% | $115K |
| Massachusetts | 9,351 | 15.6% | $130K |
| Florida | 8,486 | 15.9% | $115K |
| Michigan | 8,048 | 19.2% | $110K |
| Virginia | 7,456 | 16.8% | $120K |
| Pennsylvania | 7,113 | 16% | $112K |
| Ohio | 5,648 | 16.5% | $110K |
| Arizona | 5,327 | 18.6% | $115K |
| Tennessee | 3,186 | 16.8% | $110K |
| Maryland | 3,036 | 15.1% | $119K |
| Colorado | 2,793 | 15.8% | $119K |
| Minnesota | 2,667 | 13.9% | $111K |
| Missouri | 2,627 | 15.3% | $104K |
| Connecticut | 2,583 | 14.2% | $120K |
| Indiana | 2,261 | 14.4% | $105K |
| Arkansas | 1,907 | 18.2% | $118K |
| Wisconsin | 1,635 | 13.6% | $110K |
| Oregon | 1,577 | 11.4% | $130K |
| South Carolina | 1,469 | 16.1% | $110K |
| Delaware | 1,356 | 17.3% | $121K |
| Utah | 1,238 | 13.2% | $115K |
| Kentucky | 1,054 | 15.5% | $105K |
| Kansas | 963 | 15% | $97K |
| Washington DC | 920 | 11.8% | $120K |
| Nevada | 888 | 17.8% | $115K |
| Iowa | 843 | 12.6% | $105K |
| New Hampshire | 795 | 19% | $120K |
| Nebraska | 720 | 14.5% | $105K |
| Rhode Island | 705 | 17.2% | $115K |
| Alabama | 542 | 11.5% | $98K |
| Oklahoma | 484 | 11.6% | $94K |
| Louisiana | 439 | 9.6% | $100K |
| Idaho | 340 | 13.8% | $115K |
Most Common Occupations on H-1B Transfers
| Occupation | Certified Transfers | Median Wage |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 95,729 | $133K |
| Software Developers, Applications | 13,673 | $133K |
| Computer Systems Engineers/Architects | 12,519 | $124K |
| Information Technology Project Managers | 11,014 | $135K |
| Data Scientists | 9,553 | $144K |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 8,723 | $109K |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 7,835 | $110K |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 7,155 | $195K |
| Business Intelligence Analysts | 6,769 | $126K |
| Computer Programmers | 6,546 | $99K |
| Mechanical Engineers | 5,134 | $110K |
| Accountants and Auditors | 4,466 | $85K |
| Operations Research Analysts | 4,266 | $130K |
| Electrical Engineers | 3,820 | $130K |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 3,614 | $157K |
What Counts as an H-1B Transfer
An H-1B "transfer" is a new employer filing an H-1B petition for someone already holding H-1B status. On the underlying Labor Condition Application, DOL records it as a change of employer — that flag is what these figures count.
Transfers are not subject to the annual H-1B cap or the lottery, which is why they can be filed at any point in the year. Under H-1B portability you can generally begin work once USCIS receives the petition, rather than waiting for approval.
Related
H1B Visa Jobs Research Team
Counted from US Department of Labor LCA disclosure files (FY2021–2026), filtered to certified petitions with annual wages between $30K and $1M, using DOL's change-of-employer flag. Transfer share is measured against filings where DOL actually recorded that field — older disclosure schema generations omit it, and including those would understate every share shown here. A certified LCA is a step toward an H-1B petition, not an approved transfer.