International Professionals Hired in the US: Profile, Universities and Fields

The United States remains the world’s largest net importer of skilled talent. Employer-sponsored hirings move hundreds of thousands of foreign professionals each year, distributed across temporary visas such as H-1B, L-1, O-1 and TN, and permanent residence categories such as EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3. Public data from USCIS and the Department of Labor, combined with employer reports, paint a consistent picture: the international professional hired in the US tends to have a STEM background, come from a relatively short list of countries and universities, and be absorbed by a concentrated group of employers.

This profile matters to any professional considering employer-sponsored immigration, regardless of country of origin. Understanding which backgrounds have the most traction, which companies sponsor at scale, and what salaries they offer helps calibrate expectations and map out a realistic trajectory.

Volume and countries of origin

The H-1B is the most relevant program at scale. The annual cap is 85,000 new visas (65,000 regular cap plus 20,000 for holders of master’s or doctoral degrees from US universities), and renewals add hundreds of thousands more approved petitions per year. The O-1, aimed at extraordinary ability, is smaller in volume but growing, with annual approvals in the tens of thousands. The EB categories have a combined annual quota of approximately 140,000 green cards.

The most frequent countries of origin in these hirings are, in order of volume: India, China, Philippines, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, Nigeria and Vietnam. India alone accounts for over 70% of H-1B approvals in some recent years, a phenomenon explained by the combination of an abundant supply of engineers trained at technical institutes, English fluency and a strong presence of Indian IT companies in the US market. China leads in academic research and EB-1B. Brazil, South Korea, Mexico and the Philippines appear in smaller volumes but with a consistent presence in engineering, healthcare and finance.

Most common fields

STEM dominates by a wide margin. Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Information Systems account for the largest share of H-1B hirings. Business and finance fields follow: Business Administration, Economics, Accounting and MBAs carry significant weight, especially in management positions and at strategy consulting firms.

Outside STEM, there is a strong presence in Medicine (foreign residents via J-1 and H-1B at university hospitals), Law (international lawyers at Wall Street firms), Architecture, Communications, Advertising and Academic Research in the humanities. The STEM designation matters because it unlocks concrete benefits: a 24-month OPT extension for F-1 holders, and analytical priority in EB-2 NIW petitions invoking national interest in science, technology or economic security.

Universities that produce the most hired professionals

In the US, the universities that produce the most international professionals absorbed by the domestic market are MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, Caltech, Columbia, University of Michigan, Georgia Tech and UT Austin. These students typically enter on F-1, complete OPT after graduation and transition to H-1B with sponsorship from one of the large technology employers.

Abroad, the institutions with the highest presence in US hirings include the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and IISc Bangalore in India; Tsinghua, Peking University and Fudan in China; Seoul National University and KAIST in South Korea; Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Unicamp and ITA in Brazil; UNAM and Tec de Monterrey in Mexico; National Taiwan University; and University of the Philippines. In English-speaking countries, Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College, University of Toronto and McGill feed a steady flow of talent, partly benefited by agreements such as TN for Canadians.

Employers that sponsor the most

The sponsorship ranking is dominated by a concentrated group. Big tech companies (Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Nvidia) lead in H-1B volume, with Amazon historically in first place, with over 10,000 annual approvals in recent peak years. Indian IT firms (Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, HCL, Cognizant) also appear at the top, though their hiring profile differs: consulting and development positions allocated to US corporate clients.

Big consulting firms (Deloitte, McKinsey, Accenture, EY, PwC, KPMG) sponsor high volumes in finance, strategy and audit. Wall Street banks (Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Citi) absorb international analysts and associates. University hospitals and biomedical research centers such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins and MD Anderson sponsor physicians and researchers via H-1B and O-1. Universities such as Harvard, Stanford, MIT and the UC system sponsor professors and researchers, who often transition to EB-1B or EB-2 NIW.

Salary ranges

The prevailing wage determined by the Department of Labor is the mandatory floor in H-1B and PERM petitions. In computer science and software engineering in markets such as San Francisco, New York and Seattle, entry-level positions start at $110,000 to $140,000 per year; mid-career levels range from $180,000 to $250,000; and senior positions at big tech companies reach $350,000 to $600,000 in total package (base, bonus, equity).

In strategy consulting and investment banking, analysts start in the $100,000 to $130,000 range, associates between $200,000 and $350,000, and partners or managing directors exceed $1 million. Medicine varies by specialty: residents in the $60,000 to $75,000 range, attendings between $250,000 and $600,000. Academic research offers the lowest relative compensation: postdoctoral researchers earn $60,000 to $80,000, professors between $100,000 and $250,000 depending on institution and field.

Typical paths to permanent residence

The most common flow is F-1 with OPT, then employer-sponsored H-1B, then EB-2 or EB-3 via PERM. EB-3 is the third employment-based preference and covers Skilled Workers (minimum two years of experience), Professionals (bachelor’s degree) and Other Workers. It requires a Labor Certification (PERM) conducted by the employer, who must demonstrate the unavailability of a qualified US worker for the position, plus the I-140 petition to USCIS with a current filing fee of $715. Premium processing costs $2,805 and reduces the review period to 15 business days.

The EB-2 NIW (National Interest Waiver) waives the job offer and PERM requirement but requires demonstrating substantial national-level impact; it is a frequent path for researchers and entrepreneurs with demonstrated traction. EB-1 covers extraordinary ability (EB-1A, with self-petition), outstanding researchers or professors (EB-1B) and multinational executives (EB-1C), and has priority dates that are generally current for most countries, with the exception of India and China.

Visa Bulletin and backlog

The State Department’s Visa Bulletin, updated monthly, shows the priority dates released for each category and country of birth. Indians face decade-long backlogs in EB-2 and EB-3; Chinese nationals face several years. For most other countries (including Brazil, South Korea, Philippines, Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom), queues tend to be current or with occasional retrogression. This country-level disparity is the most important factor in choosing a strategy: for Indians, EB-1 and EB-2 NIW become practically mandatory; for other countries, EB-3 with PERM remains viable.

Practical takeaway

The international professional hired in the US tends to combine three elements: recognized technical training, a sponsoring employer with the legal infrastructure to manage the process, and timing aligned with the Visa Bulletin for their country of birth. The choice of employer is as strategic as the choice of career. Companies with a consistent track record in PERM and specialized immigration HR are more predictable partners. Startups offer competitive salaries and equity, but do not always have the legal resources for complex processes.

The most robust path, for any country of origin, follows a clear pattern: STEM education or a high-demand field, a first job at a large employer capable of sponsoring, transition to H-1B, and initiation of PERM or EB-2 NIW as soon as seniority allows. Variations on this roadmap are possible, especially for extraordinary ability profiles that accelerate via O-1 and EB-1A, but the conventional path absorbs the largest share of volume and offers predictability.

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.