When applying for a US visa, getting a visa sponsor in the USA is one of the easiest ways to buy the trust of the immigration authorities.
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The embassy will trust you more because they know you have someone backing you up.
With a sponsor, you are seen as less risky because you are not travelling alone without help.
If the embassy sees that your sponsor is reliable, they will process your visa faster.
In the USA, a visa sponsor is usually a company or employer who files a petition with the U.S. government on your behalf, saying:
“Hey, we want this person to work for us, and we’ll handle the legal paperwork.”
Everything about having a visa sponsor sounds great but not many find it easy to get one.
If you need a sponsor in the USA for your visa application, here’s how to get one.
How to find a visa sponsor in USA
To get a visa sponsor in the USA, you should:
1. Target employers who are already sponsoring foreigners
If I ask you to apply for a fishing job in a desert, will you do it? No.
The same thing applies here. Not all companies or individuals sponsor visas. Therefore, you should focus on those that do.
If you are looking for a book, you go to the bookstore, not to a bakery.
Where to look:
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- H1BGrader.com: Lists companies that filed H-1B petitions.
- MyVisaJobs.com: Public data on employers who sponsor.
- LinkedIn: Filter jobs by “Visa Sponsorship Available.”
- Glassdoor: Some companies disclose visa sponsorship in job listings.
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Top visa sponsors in the USA
The top visa sponsors in the USA last year are:
| Company | Petitions Filed | Website Link |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 6,396 | amazon.com |
| Infosys | 5,558 | infosys.com |
| Tata Consultancy Services | 4,923 | tcs.com |
| Microsoft | 2,826 | microsoft.com |
| 2,744 | google.com | |
| Meta (Facebook) | – | meta.com |
| Apple | – | apple.com |
| Deloitte | – | deloitte.com |
| Accenture | – | accenture.com |
| Wipro | – | wipro.com |
| Cognizant Technology | – | cognizant.com |
| HCL Technologies | – | hcltech.com |
| IBM | – | ibm.com |
| Capgemini | – | capgemini.com |
| Ernst & Young (EY) | – | ey.com |
| PwC | – | pwc.com |
| KPMG | – | kpmg.com |
| Oracle | – | oracle.com |
| Cisco Systems | – | cisco.com |
| Bloomberg | – | bloomberg.com |
| Uber | – | uber.com |
| – | linkedin.com | |
| Tesla | – | tesla.com |
| Palantir Technologies | – | palantir.com |
| Salesforce | – | salesforce.com |
| Stripe | – | stripe.com |
| Snap Inc. | – | snap.com |
| Twitter (X Corp.) | – | twitter.com |
| Adobe | – | adobe.com |
| VMware | – | vmware.com |
| ServiceNow | – | servicenow.com |
| Square (Block, Inc.) | – | block.xyz |
| Shopify | – | shopify.com |
| NVIDIA | – | nvidia.com |
| Red Hat | – | redhat.com |
Key tip:
If you want to apply, you should apply directly to these firms or similar ones in your field, don’t go through agents or other persons unless it’s necessary.
2. Find a U.S. company’s branch in your country and transfer
If you look around, you will see that many big U.S. companies have offices worldwide.
You can take advantage of this. For example, you can first work in your home country and later transfer to the U.S. under an L-1 visa (intra-company transfer).
Companies like Microsoft and the rest have offices in Nigeria, India, and many other countries.
What you should do is, get a job at Microsoft in your country, work there for like one year or more, then transfer to the U.S. branch.
With this, you won’t even look for a new employer or start from scratch.
Plus, many companies prefer transferring employees that they already know instead of getting a new one entirely.
3. You should join professional associations and groups
Another way to find a visa sponsor in the USA is by joining an active professional association in your field.
As a member, you can meet employers that offer visa sponsorship.
For example, if you are an engineer, you can join the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
These groups have members who are licensed sponsors. You can meet them during one of their conferences, connect with them and build viable relationships that will lead to visa sponsorship in the future.
Imagine that you attend a conference and meet a recruiter who mentions their company sponsors foreign engineers.
This is a smart way to meet serious employers face-to-face. Plus, you will know about most job openings.
4. You can use online job boards that focus on visa sponsorship to connect with sponsors
Many websites focus on listing jobs in the USA with visa sponsorship.
Some good examples are myvisajobs.com, h1bdata.info, and jobsinusa.io.
With these sites, your job search will be easier because you don’t have to guess which companies are willing to sponsor.
Once you go to the sites, you will find these companies and agencies that sponsor visas.
This saves you a lot of time and disappointment.
5. You can apply for internship programs that lead to visa sponsorship
Many internships turn into full-time jobs with visa sponsorship.
How it works is that you will first start as an intern and after you complete the internship, you can later turn it into a full-time job with visa sponsorship.
For example, if you get an internship at IBM, they can sponsor your H-1B visa after graduation.
Imagine being a business student who does a summer internship, works hard, impresses the managers, and then gets a job offer.
6. Search for sponsors on LinkedIn
Let me tell you a secret, LinkedIn is a powerful tool for finding visa sponsors.
Through the platform, you can connect with people that are already working in the U.S.
These people can help connect you with companies or agencies that offer visa sponsorship.
For example, you can search for employees at Amazon or Microsoft and politely message them asking for advice.
Something like, “Hi, I’m interested in working at your company. Could you please guide me on how to apply for roles that offer sponsorship?”
People are often willing to help if you are polite and respectful.
7. Polish your resume to U.S. standards
Let’s be real to ourselves here, if you are the one on the other side of the table, you are willing to spend $5,000–$10,000 sponsoring someone’s visa, would you sponsor someone with a messy, confusing resume?
Certainly, No. Your excellent resume is what will attract sponsors. It will make them want to spend the money to bring you into their team.
For the U.S., your resume should be:
- 1 page (2 max) for most industries.
- Bullet points showing measurable results (e.g., “Increased sales by 30%”).
- No photo (unlike some countries).
- U.S. spelling (e.g., “specialized” not “specialised”).
Make sure that you attach a cover letter mentioning you’re “open to visa sponsorship and available for relocation.” It saves HR teams from guessing.
8. Use staffing agencies that sponsor
Sometimes, you don’t necessarily have to go directly to a company. Some staffing agencies sponsor foreign talent and place them at client companies.
Search for these staffing agencies and work with them.
Examples include:
- Robert Half International: www.roberthalf.com
- Kforce: www.kforce.com
- Randstad Technologies: www.randstadusa.com
- Modis: www.modis.com
- TCS America (Tata Consultancy Services): www.tcs.com
Do you know that staffing agencies account for 20% of visa filings yearly, especially for IT, healthcare, and engineering roles?
Now you do. Look for a staffing agency to work with. When you start looking, go for “E-verified” staffing agencies.
It increases your chance of a fast visa process.
9. Attend career fairs focused on international students and foreign workers
When you want something, you owe it to yourself to give it your best.
If you’re already in the U.S. (on a student visa or visiting) when you start looking for a sponsor, then attend career fairs.
They are gold mines for meeting sponsoring employers face-to-face.
When you attend, look for employers that have sponsored foreign workers in the past, they are likely to listen to you if you have the skills they need.
Top career fairs:
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- Global Talent Job Fair
- National Career Fairs (held in major cities)
- GoinGlobal Virtual Fairs
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If you doubt what a career fair can do, then you should know that a NAFSA 2024 survey found that 74% of international students who secured H-1B sponsorships attended a career fair before getting an offer!
Before you attend, prepare a 60-second elevator pitch about yourself.
If you can convince an employer that you will be a great addition to their team within the shortest time, you are in for a great result.
10. Network like your future depends on it (Because it does)
Do you know that according to statistics, 85% of U.S. jobs are filled through networking (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
This simply means that you can’t do this without networking. You have to network like it’s all you have got.
Best ways to network:
- LinkedIn: This is a great platform for anyone who is looking for a sponsor. You can connect with recruiters and HR managers there.
- Alumni Associations: Contact alumni from your university working in the U.S.
- Professional Organizations: Join industry groups (e.g., IEEE, AMA, SHRM).
- Local Meetups: You can find people via Meetup.com.
Golden rule:
When you find a sponsor, don’t immediately ask for sponsorship. Build a relationship first – be polite, curious, and valuable.
Show the sponsor that you are worth spending money, time and resources on and you will eventually get noticed.
11. Understand Cap-Exempt Jobs
Here’s a hack most people miss: Some employers are cap-exempt.
What we mean by this is that they don’t have to compete in the H-1B lottery and can sponsor you any time of the year.
Cap-exempt employers include:
- Universities
- Non-profit research organizations
- Government research centres
Take for example:
Jobs at Harvard University or Mayo Clinic are usually cap-exempt.
Tip:
If you are searching, always search for “Cap Exempt H-1B jobs” on Google and job boards.
Which visa needs a sponsor in the USA?
The most common visas needing a sponsor are:
- H-1B: For speciality jobs (tech, engineering, finance).
- L-1: For company transfers (multinational companies).
- O-1: For people with extraordinary abilities (arts, sciences, sports).
- TN Visa: For Canadians and Mexicans under USMCA.
Final words
Finding a visa sponsor in the USA isn’t just about luck. It’s about being well-informed and putting in the work needed from you.
One thing you have to know is that most times, sponsors don’t come to you, you go to them.
Present yourself as someone very valuable and they will put their money, time and resources on you.
No one will sponsor someone who isn’t of any value to them, always remember that.
Here’s your action plan:
- Focus on companies that already sponsor.
- Customize your approach.
- Apply smartly, network actively, and attend fairs.
- Don’t ignore cap-exempt employers.
Do not forget: You don’t need 100 companies to say yes. You just need one.
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