Brazil Ranks 7th Among Countries Receiving the Most U.S. H-1B Visas

When Elon Musk and members of Donald Trump’s inner circle opened a public debate about the need for the American technology sector to hire more foreign professionals, the H-1B visa returned to the center of the U.S. immigration discussion. What few commentators noted is that Brazil holds a significant position in this landscape: Brazilians are the seventh nationality receiving the most of this type of work authorization. That ranking is not symbolic. It reflects a growing pipeline of engineers, data scientists, physicians, dentists, and researchers who see the United States as a viable destination for their careers.

What the H-1B Visa Is

The H-1B is a temporary work visa for professionals with higher education degrees hired in specialty occupations. It generally requires a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent, verified through a credential evaluation in the field of the offered position. The American employer sponsors the petition, pays the fees, and assumes labor obligations tied to the prevailing wage for that role and region.

The initial period is up to three years, renewable for an additional three. In specific cases tied to an approved I-140 petition with retrogression in the green card queue, the worker may extend status indefinitely in one- or three-year increments under AC21 sections 104(c) and 106(a) and (b).

The Annual Cap and the Lottery

U.S. law sets an annual ceiling of 85,000 new H-1B visas outside cap-exempt employers, such as universities, university-affiliated hospitals, and nonprofit research centers. Those 85,000 slots are divided into two pools:

• 65,000 for professionals with a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, known as the regular cap;
• 20,000 reserved for those who earned a master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. institution, known as the master’s cap.

Demand has exceeded the cap for over a decade. In 2024, USCIS received more than 780,000 electronic registrations for the H-1B season, and the outcome is decided by random lottery. Only selected registrations may submit the full I-129 petition. The selection rate runs around 25% in the initial draws, with possible additional lotteries when USCIS detects that some selectees failed to submit their petition within the deadline.

Brazil Among the Top Ten Nationalities

Data compiled from the Department of State covering January through October 2024 shows the following distribution among the countries receiving the most H-1B visas:

India accounts for roughly 70% of global issuances, a phenomenon explained by the strong presence of Indian IT firms operating in the U.S. through outsourcing models. China appears a distant second, and from there the distribution becomes more evenly spread among nations with strong academic and technical sectors.

Sectors That Employ the Most H-1B Workers

The visa primarily supports positions in information technology, with Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and consulting firms among the top sponsors. Fields such as artificial intelligence, data science, software engineering, cybersecurity, and cloud architecture lead in volume.

The healthcare sector also relies heavily on the H-1B. American hospitals hire specialist physicians in radiology, anesthesia, oncology, and general surgery, especially in regions officially designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas. Dentists, pharmacists, and physical therapists with state licensure round out the picture.

Universities and research centers hire scientists and professors outside the regulatory cap, making the academic cap-exempt H-1B a common route for Brazilian postdoctoral researchers and scholars.

Why the Debate Gained Momentum

The debate that erupted in late 2024 reflects two opposing views on the H-1B’s impact on the American economy. On one side, Silicon Valley executives advocate expanding or eliminating the cap for positions in critical fields, arguing that the U.S. innovation ecosystem depends on talent trained abroad. On the other, part of the political spectrum contends that the program suppresses wages and reduces opportunities for American workers in entry-level and mid-level IT occupations.

Labor market data helps contextualize the discussion. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports at the end of 2024 indicated more than seven million open positions and roughly seven million unemployed workers, but the skills overlap between available jobs and available professionals is not always direct, particularly in highly specialized STEM occupations.

What Changes in 2025 and 2026

For the FY2026 H-1B cap, with positions starting in October 2025, USCIS adopted a new lottery method called beneficiary-centric selection. Instead of drawing registrations, the system draws unique beneficiaries. Each person enters the lottery once, even if multiple employers are sponsoring them. This adjustment reduced fraud involving inflated registrations submitted by the same individual across multiple companies.

Another key change is the registration fee. For FY2026, USCIS raised the registration fee from $10 to $215 per beneficiary, a change published in the final rule that took effect in 2025. The full I-129 petition fees and the additional ACWIA and fraud prevention charges remained stable at the current rate.

Brazil’s Trajectory and Brain Drain

Brazil’s position among the top ten reflects a broader trend. In 2023, more than 28,000 Brazilians received green cards, a record figure in U.S. statistics. The country also ranks among the top five for international students enrolled at American universities and among the leaders in exchange researchers on J-1 status.

Factors cited in academic research and sector reports include higher dollar-denominated compensation, research infrastructure, exposure to global markets, domestic institutional instability, and the perception of lower career risk in science and engineering.

Alternatives When H-1B Does Not Work Out

Professionals who are not selected in the lottery turn to other legal pathways. Among the most commonly used are:

• O-1A: extraordinary ability in sciences, business, education, and athletics, with no annual cap and no lottery;
• L-1A/L-1B: intracompany transfer for managers, executives, and employees with specialized knowledge;
• EB-2 NIW: green card based on national interest, with a self-petition that does not require an employer;
• E-2: treaty investor, available to nationals of countries with an applicable bilateral treaty;
• TN: professionals eligible under USMCA, restricted to Canadian and Mexican nationals.

The right choice depends on the professional’s profile, desired stability, available timeline, and appetite for regulatory risk. Each pathway has its own evidentiary requirements, processing timelines, and implications for dependents.

How to Position Yourself for the Lottery

Anyone seeking registration in the next cap must be employed by an American company willing to sponsor them and pay the Department of Labor prevailing wage for the role and region. The registration window typically opens in March, with selections in April and an effective start date in October of the same federal fiscal year. Companies set internal deadlines to collect diplomas, transcripts, evidence of experience, and detailed job descriptions that support classification as a specialty occupation.

Professionals holding a master’s or doctoral degree from an accredited U.S. institution have a statistical advantage by entering two lotteries — first the master’s cap draw and then, if not selected, the regular cap draw.

Victoria Harper

Editor-in-Chief

Meet the author

Leading journalism and editorial content at Visto n’ Visa, Victoria helps make immigration topics clear, trustworthy, and easy to understand. Her focus is on delivering useful, human, and relevant content for people exploring new paths abroad.