Which employers seek H-1B visa workers in Washington state?
By: Teo Popescu
11:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 9, 2025
President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through the tech industry last month when he issued a proclamation restricting new H-1B visas to applicants whose petitions included a $100,000 payment. Here's what that could mean for Washington state.
What is an H-1B visa and who is eligible for it?
The H-1B visa program allows American companies to temporarily hire foreign workers in occupations that require a specialized skill they can't find locally. To be eligible, workers need to have at least a bachelors degree or equivalent. Workers on an H-1B visa can live and work in the United States (U.S.) for up to 3 years before needing to request an extension, or renewal.
Congress has capped the number of new H-1B visas per year to 65,000. An additional 20,000 H-1B visas are reserved for applicants with advanced degrees from U.S. institutions. Universities and organizations like nonprofits are typically exempt from the cap.
As part of the H-1B visa process, employers must submit a "Labor Condition Application" (LCA) to the Department of Labor declaring they will pay wages that are at least equal to the wages of the company's current U.S. workers, or the prevailing wage for the same work in the region where the job is located. Employers can request multiple positions under the same LCA if the job, pay, and region are consistent. For example, the staffing agency Insight Global, LLC requested 450 registered nurses in Tacoma, with the same pay, under a single application.
While LCAs do not reflect the final number of H-1B visas granted, they are a good indicator of the number of H-1B positions requested by companies within a region.
Top 10 Washington companies requesting H-1B visas
The following graph shows the number of positions requested by employers at Washington state worksites from Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024 based on LCA data.
Other prominent Washington employers requesting H-1B visas
The following graph shows the number of positions requested by employers at Washington state worksites from Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024 based on LCA data.
Source and notes
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, 2023-2024
Note: Note: "LCA" refers to "Labor Condition Application." An LCA is an early step in the H-1B visa process; LCA numbers do not represent an accurate count of H-1B visas granted. Graphic 1 does not include information on withdrawn or denied LCA applications, or applications related to H-1B1 or E-3 statuses.
Credits
Story: Teo Popescu
Design: Teo Popescu
Editor: Liz Brazile
Product Manager: Lisa Wang
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