LinkedIn (a Microsoft subsidiary) sponsors approximately 870 H1B petitions annually for its feed ranking, recommendation systems, economic graph, and platform engineering teams. With 77% at L3 or L4 and a median wage of $158,000, LinkedIn offers strong lottery odds and FAANG-adjacent compensation for engineers at the intersection of social networking and AI.
Under the FY2021 rule, USCIS selects H1B registrants by wage tier first. Level III and Level IV petitions are prioritized. LinkedIn's filing mix shows 77% at L3 or L4 — giving candidates significantly above-average lottery odds.
Bar height = filing volume. Number above bar = average approved wage for that year. Source: DOL LCA database.
| Job Title | Avg Wage |
|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $158,000 |
| Senior Software Engineer | $182,000 |
| Staff Software Engineer | $215,000 |
| Data Scientist | $162,000 |
| ML Research Scientist | $178,000 |
| Site Reliability Engineer | $162,000 |
Source: DOL H-1B LCA disclosure data, FY2024. Filings count and wages are from approved LCAs.
| State | Share |
|---|---|
| California | 62% |
| Washington | 14% |
| New York | 9% |
| Texas | 6% |
| Illinois | 5% |
| Other | 4% |
With 77% of filings at L3/L4, LinkedIn candidates have estimated 43–61% lottery selection odds under USCIS's wage-based selection system — compared to 15–28% for L1–L2 filers at IT services firms.
Our complete guide covers the entire process — from finding sponsors to lottery strategy to green card timelines.
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