The companies filing the most H-1B petitions in the US — with approval rates, average salaries, and hiring tips for international professionals.
The H-1B visa program is heavily concentrated among a relatively small number of large employers. The top 25 H-1B sponsors account for a significant share of all petitions filed annually, with large technology companies, consulting firms, and staffing agencies dominating the list. Understanding which companies sponsor the most H-1B workers helps international professionals target their job search effectively.
Amazon consistently ranks as the top H-1B sponsor, filing over 7,000 petitions annually across its e-commerce, cloud computing (AWS), advertising, and devices divisions. Google (Alphabet), Microsoft, Meta, and Apple round out the top five tech sponsors, collectively filing over 25,000 H-1B petitions per year.
Consulting firms are a major but often overlooked category of H-1B sponsors. Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Cognizant, Wipro, and HCL America collectively file tens of thousands of H-1B petitions annually, primarily for IT consultants placed at client sites. However, approval rates and wages at consulting firms can vary significantly from tech companies.
Healthcare systems are a growing category of H-1B sponsors. Kaiser Permanente, Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and large hospital networks actively sponsor H-1B workers for physicians, surgeons, nurses (in some specialties), and researchers. The healthcare sector's chronic talent shortage makes it one of the most accessible H-1B sponsoring industries outside of technology.
In the software and technology sector, the top H-1B sponsors by petition volume are: Amazon (~7,000+), Google (~6,000+), Microsoft (~5,000+), Meta (~4,000+), Apple (~3,500+), Salesforce (~2,500+), IBM (~3,000+), Intel (~2,000+), Uber (~1,500+), and Lyft (~800+). These figures fluctuate year to year based on hiring cycles and economic conditions.
Semiconductor and hardware companies are significant H-1B sponsors for engineering talent. Intel, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Texas Instruments, and Applied Materials all file substantial numbers of H-1B petitions annually for electrical engineers, computer architects, and semiconductor process engineers.
Financial technology (fintech) companies are increasingly active H-1B sponsors. Stripe, Square/Block, Robinhood, Coinbase, and PayPal regularly file H-1B petitions for software engineers and data scientists. Traditional financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Citigroup also sponsor H-1B workers for technology and quantitative finance roles.
Cloud and enterprise software companies including Salesforce, Oracle, SAP, ServiceNow, Workday, and Adobe actively sponsor H-1B workers. These companies offer strong total compensation packages and generally maintain above-average H-1B approval rates due to their experienced immigration teams.
Indian IT consulting firms file the highest raw volumes of H-1B petitions in the US. Infosys, TCS, Cognizant, Wipro, HCL, and Tech Mahindra collectively file over 50,000 H-1B petitions annually. These petitions are often for IT consultants placed at various client sites across the US, working on projects in banking, healthcare, insurance, and retail technology.
Working for a consulting firm on H-1B has both advantages and risks. The advantages include access to diverse project experience, relatively high petition volumes (and thus slightly better odds if you work there when lottery registration happens), and sometimes faster H-1B sponsorship without waiting for an October 1 start date if you are being transferred from abroad.
The risks of consulting firm H-1B include RFE vulnerability related to third-party placement (USCIS scrutinizes itinerary, employer-employee relationships, and specialty occupation), potential for benching (being paid below wage or not at all between projects, which violates H-1B wage rules), and lower salaries compared to direct tech company employment.
American management consulting firms including McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Deloitte, Accenture, PwC, EY, and KPMG also sponsor H-1B workers. These firms target MBA and advanced degree holders for strategy and technology consulting roles. Approval rates at these firms are generally high due to strong specialty occupation documentation.
Academic medical centers and research universities are uniquely valuable H-1B sponsors because many qualify as cap-exempt employers. Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, Mayo Clinic, and similar institutions can sponsor H-1B workers year-round without waiting for the lottery. This is a significant advantage for researchers, physicians, and advanced degree holders.
Hospital systems outside academic medicine also sponsor H-1B workers. HCA Healthcare, CommonSpirit Health, Ascension, and large regional health systems sponsor physicians (especially in shortage specialties), researchers, and healthcare IT professionals under H-1B. The Healthcare Worker Shortage designation means many hospital roles avoid some of the RFE scrutiny faced by IT consulting firms.
Federal contractors including Leidos, SAIC, Booz Allen Hamilton, General Dynamics, and Lockheed Martin sponsor H-1B workers for engineering, IT, and scientific roles. Security clearance requirements can complicate H-1B sponsorship at defense contractors, but unclassified roles are routinely sponsored.
Educational institutions at the K-12 level can also sponsor H-1B workers for teaching positions, particularly in shortage subjects like mathematics, science, and special education. This is governed by the cap-exempt category for nonprofit educational organizations, allowing year-round filings.
The USCIS H-1B employer data hub provides public data on which employers file H-1B petitions, how many, and the prevailing wages. Searching this database (available at uscis.gov) allows you to research whether a specific employer sponsors H-1B and at what wage levels. H-1B Grader, MyVisaJobs.com, and H1BGrader.com aggregate this data in user-friendly formats.
Job boards specifically focused on H-1B sponsoring employers can narrow your search. H1BVisaJobs.com, GreenCardJobs.com, and general job boards like LinkedIn and Indeed allow you to filter for roles offering visa sponsorship. Always confirm sponsorship directly with the recruiter, as job postings can be outdated.
Networking within your professional community is one of the most effective ways to identify H-1B sponsors. Professional associations, alumni networks, and industry conferences put you in contact with people who can refer you to employers actively sponsoring H-1B. Referrals significantly increase your chances of getting an interview at sponsoring companies.
When evaluating potential H-1B sponsors, consider not just whether they will file a petition but their track record. Look at USCIS data for approval rates, average wages paid, and whether the company has a history of RFEs in your occupation category. A company with many denials or very low wages may not be the most reliable sponsor despite filing high volumes.
Use our free calculators and checklists to navigate your H-1B journey.