Everyone argues about the H-1B; far fewer look at who actually receives one. The government publishes detailed data on approved petitions, and the profile it paints answers the question in our title: who gets the H-1B, which employers sponsor, which degrees dominate, and what these workers really earn. If you are plotting your own path to a U.S. work visa, this is the map.
The employers: big tech, big consulting, big everything
H-1B sponsorship is concentrated but far from exclusive. In recent years the top approval lists have been led by a familiar mix:
- Technology giants: Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple each sponsoring thousands of approvals annually in peak years.
- IT services and consulting firms: Infosys, TCS, Cognizant, HCL, Wipro, Accenture, and Deloitte, historically among the very largest users.
- Chipmakers, banks, and healthcare systems: Nvidia, Intel, JPMorgan, and major hospital networks round out the picture.
Yet the long tail matters: tens of thousands of employers, including startups, universities, and small businesses, file for just one or two workers a year. Universities and nonprofit research institutions enjoy a structural advantage, cap exemption, meaning no lottery at all.
The degrees: STEM rules
The degree data is lopsided. Computer-related occupations consistently account for roughly 60 to 65 percent of approved petitions, with engineering, mathematics, and physical sciences adding a large share more. Medicine, finance, education, and business fill most of the rest. Advanced degrees are common: roughly 60 percent of approved beneficiaries hold a master's or higher, and the separate 20,000-visa cap for U.S. advanced-degree graduates gives them a second bite at the lottery. By nationality, India dominates with roughly 70 percent of approvals, China follows at roughly 10 to 12 percent, and no other country reaches mid single digits.
The salaries: better than the caricature
Critics picture the H-1B as a cheap-labor program; the recent data undercuts the caricature. Median salaries for approved H-1B workers have climbed steadily, reaching roughly 120,000 to 130,000 dollars in recent years, well above the U.S. median wage, with top-tier tech and finance roles far higher. The law requires paying at least the prevailing wage for the role and location. The fair criticism lives at the margins: a meaningful minority of petitions sit at the lowest permissible wage levels, concentrated in the outsourcing segment, and that is precisely where reform energy, wage-weighted selection proposals and the 2025 fee, is aimed. A merit tilt that rewards higher-paid, higher-skill petitions strengthens the program's case, and the data suggests the center of gravity is already there.
What the profile predicts about your odds
Selection remains a lottery, but everything after selection favors a recognizable profile: a degree tightly matched to the job, a wage at or above market, a substantial employer or a well-documented small one, and duties that are unmistakably specialized. Cases far from that profile draw the RFEs and denials.
What this means for you
- If you are choosing a degree, choose deliberately. Computer science, engineering, and quantitative fields dominate approvals; a U.S. master's adds a second lottery chance.
- Target employers with sponsorship track records, which are searchable in public disclosure data, but do not ignore cap-exempt universities and research nonprofits.
- Negotiate wage level with your visa in mind: a higher wage level strengthens the petition and future green card steps.
- Atypical fields can still win with careful documentation tying the degree to the duties; that is where professional preparation earns its fee.
- Plan beyond the lottery: O-1, L-1, TN, and E-3 routes serve strong candidates who do not get picked.
The H-1B data describes a program that, at its core, imports exactly what America says it wants: educated, well-paid specialists. Position yourself inside that profile, and the statistics start working for you.
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