H1B Approval Rates by Company 2025: What the Data Actually Shows

The H1B lottery is already brutal. Roughly a 1-in-4 shot for most applicants in a typical year. But here is the part most people miss: even if you win the lottery, your petition can still get denied. And that denial rate varies dramatically depending on which company is sponsoring you.

In FY2025, the overall H1B petition denial rate was approximately 4-5% for cap-subject cases, but individual company rates ranged from under 1% to over 20%. Choosing the right employer is not just about salary and growth. It is one of the most consequential variables in whether your H1B actually gets approved.

This article breaks down H1B approval rates by employer using US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data (FY2024-2025), explains what drives those rates, and gives you a framework for evaluating companies before you accept an offer.

Note: We cover FY2024-2025 data here. We are actively expanding our database to cover FY2015-2025 (over 6 million filings). Check H1BSignal for updated, real-time figures.

What "Approval Rate" Actually Means (Most Sites Get This Wrong)

Before diving into the numbers, you need to understand a critical distinction that most H1B sites blur or ignore entirely.

LCA Approval vs. H1B Petition Approval — These Are Not the Same Thing

LCA (Labor Condition Application) is the first step. A company files an LCA with the Department of Labor before filing the actual H1B petition with USCIS. LCA approval rates are nearly 100% across the board; the DOL rarely rejects them. When you see a company with "10,000 LCAs approved," that tells you almost nothing about whether your H1B will actually get approved.

H1B Petition Approval is what actually matters. This is the USCIS adjudication, where your case can be approved, denied, or hit with a Request for Evidence (RFE). This is the number you care about.

Understanding the Three Outcomes

Every H1B petition ends in one of three outcomes:

• Approved — USCIS grants the petition. Your H1B is valid.
• Denied — USCIS rejects the petition. You cannot work on H1B status at that company (you can refile or appeal).
• RFE (Request for Evidence) — USCIS has questions and needs more documentation. Around 50-60% of RFEs ultimately result in approval, but they add months to processing and cost thousands in attorney fees.

Top 25 Companies by H1B Approval Rate (FY2024-2025)

Data source: US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data, FY2024-2025. Petition approval and denial figures based on USCIS employer-level data for the same period.

What Drives a High Approval Rate

The gap between Google (98%) and Capgemini (75%) is not random. Several structural factors determine whether a company's petitions sail through or get scrutinized.

1. Company Reputation with USCIS

USCIS adjudicators have discretion. Companies with long track records of approved petitions, well-documented job descriptions, and legitimate H1B use face less friction. Google and Microsoft have been sponsoring H1Bs for decades. Their internal immigration teams know exactly what USCIS expects.

2. Specialty Occupation Clarity

H1B is specifically for "specialty occupations" that require a bachelor's degree or higher in a specific field. Tech companies sponsoring software engineers have clear specialty occupation cases. Consulting and staffing firms often struggle because roles like "IT consultant" are harder to defend as specialty occupations when the actual daily work shifts client-to-client.

3. Wage Level Signals

Companies paying Level III or Level IV prevailing wages signal to USCIS that the role is genuinely specialized. Most Big Tech companies pay Level III-IV. Companies filing large volumes at Level I attract scrutiny. USCIS interprets Level I wages as a potential sign that the role does not actually require specialized expertise.

4. RFE Rate Correlation

A high RFE rate is a leading indicator of denial risk. Companies that get RFEs frequently tend to have borderline specialty occupation arguments, Level I wage filings, or third-party placement patterns. A company with a 15% denial rate almost certainly has a 30%+ RFE rate.

Staffing Firms vs. Direct Employers: The Distinction Most Immigrants Miss

Direct employer: The company that hires you is also the company where you actually work every day. Google hires you, you work at Google. This is the standard model with the lowest H1B risk.

Staffing/consulting firm: The company that sponsors your H1B is not where you actually work. Infosys sponsors your H1B, but you spend every day at a Bank of America project site.

Why this matters for H1B risk:

• Specialty occupation is harder to prove when the role changes with each client engagement
• Employer-employee relationship is harder to document when the client directs your daily work
• End-client letters are now required — and clients sometimes refuse to provide them
• USCIS scrutiny has increased dramatically under the 2025 H1B Modernization Rule

How to Use This Data When Evaluating Job Offers

Step 1: Look up the company's approval rate before accepting

Before you sign an offer letter, check the company's H1B track record on H1BSignal. Look at both the approval rate and the trend. A company at 90% approval is good. A company that was at 90% two years ago and is now at 80% is concerning.

Step 2: Ask the right questions during the offer stage

It is completely reasonable to ask HR:

• "Can you tell me about your H1B approval rate?"
• "Do you use an in-house immigration team or an outside law firm?"
• "What wage level do you typically file at for this role?"
• "Do you cover premium processing?"

Step 3: Check if the role is cap-exempt

Universities, nonprofits, and government research organizations file H1Bs exempt from the annual cap entirely. No lottery, no wait. Check our cap-exempt employer database →

FY2027 Lottery Implications

Starting with FY2027 registration (which opened March 4, 2026), the H1B lottery uses a wage-weighted selection system. Petitions filed at higher prevailing wage levels receive more lottery entries: Level I gets 1 entry, Level II gets 2, Level III gets 3, Level IV gets 4.

Companies that file at Level III-IV wages, predominantly Big Tech firms at the top of our approval rate table, now also give you 3-4x better lottery odds. The same employers with the best historical approval rates are the ones giving you the best lottery odds.

Use the FY2027 Lottery Odds Calculator →

See all related guides on H1BSignal Research →

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a 90% approval rate good?

Yes, 90% is solid. The nationwide average for H1B cap-subject petitions has hovered around 93-96% in recent years. A company at 90% is slightly below average but not alarming. A company below 80% warrants real scrutiny.

Why do staffing firms have lower approval rates?

Staffing and consulting firms place H1B workers at client sites rather than employing them directly. USCIS scrutinizes these arrangements more aggressively because the specialty occupation argument is harder to make, the employer-employee relationship is harder to document, and the H1B Modernization Rule (2025) explicitly tightened requirements for third-party placement.

Does approval rate vary by job title?

Yes, significantly. Software Engineer roles typically have the highest approval rates. Roles like "Business Analyst," "IT Consultant," or "Project Manager" face more scrutiny. Even within the same company, a Software Engineer petition is more likely to be approved than a Business Operations Analyst petition.