H-1B Cap-Exempt Employers Finder

1Filter by your job title

Pick your title — Registered Nurse, Assistant Professor, Software Engineer, Physical Therapist — and the list narrows to cap-exempt employers that filed H-1Bs for that exact role across FY2024–FY2026, covering 561 distinct titles. Sort by “Highest salary for this title” to see who pays your role best.

2Compare the three numbers that matter

Filing volume shows how active the H-1B program is; the median salary is your negotiation benchmark; and the DOL LCA certification rate shows how cleanly the employer files. A big, high-paying, high-certification employer is the strongest target.

3Open the full sponsor profile, then apply

Every card links to the employer's full page in our sponsor database — year-by-year filings, wage trends and worksite states. Then apply on the employer's own careers page; cap-exempt hiring runs all year, so there is no deadline to wait for.

Who is exempt from the H-1B visa cap?

Four kinds of employers can file H-1B petitions that are not counted against the annual 85,000 cap: (1) institutions of higher education, (2) nonprofit organizations affiliated with a higher-education institution, (3) nonprofit research organizations, and (4) government research organizations. Their petitions skip the lottery entirely and can be filed at any time of year.

How do I know if an employer is cap-exempt?

Ask what kind of organization it is. Universities and colleges always qualify. Hospitals and other nonprofits qualify only if they are formally affiliated with a university (most teaching hospitals are) or are primarily engaged in research. For-profit companies almost never qualify on their own. The finder above is a research starting point — always confirm with the employer's HR team or an immigration attorney before relying on cap-exempt status.

How can I find cap-exempt H-1B jobs?

Start with the finder above: enter your job title to see which cap-exempt employers actually file H-1Bs for that role, and what they pay. Then go to those employers' own career pages — cap-exempt hiring happens year-round, so openings appear outside the March lottery window. Universities, academic medical centers and national research institutes are the richest hunting grounds.

Are hospitals cap-exempt for H-1B?

Many are, but not all. A hospital qualifies if it is a nonprofit formally affiliated with an institution of higher education (a teaching hospital) or is a nonprofit research organization. Large academic medical centers — Mayo Clinic, Mass General Brigham, Johns Hopkins — file thousands of cap-exempt H-1Bs. A standalone for-profit hospital does not qualify.

Are all nonprofits exempt from the H-1B cap?

No — this is the most common misconception. Ordinary nonprofits (charities, NGOs, community organizations) are cap-subject like any company. A nonprofit is cap-exempt only if it is affiliated with a college or university, or if it is primarily engaged in basic or applied research. Filing data alone cannot prove the legal category, which is why our list labels these employers as cap-exempt candidates.

Does the $100,000 H-1B fee apply to cap-exempt employees?

Cap-exempt status concerns the lottery cap, not fees — the $100,000 payment never turned on whether an employer was cap-exempt. As of October 2026 the payment is not being collected at all: two federal courts have blocked its enforcement while litigation continues. Even before those rulings, USCIS guidance limited it to new petitions for beneficiaries outside the United States; change-of-status, extension and amendment petitions for workers already in the U.S. were outside its scope. The situation is changing quickly — check the current guidance on the USCIS H-1B page before filing.

Can a cap-exempt employer sponsor me at any time of year?

Yes. There is no registration window and no lottery for cap-exempt petitions. A qualifying employer can file an H-1B petition for you whenever it wants to hire you, and you can start as soon as the petition is approved — unlike cap-subject cases, which are tied to the March registration and an October 1 start.

If I work for a cap-exempt employer, can I later move to a regular company?

Usually not directly. Time spent in cap-exempt employment does not count you against the cap, so before a cap-subject employer can hire you, you generally must first be selected in the lottery — unless you were previously counted against the cap (for example, an earlier cap-subject H-1B). One exception: you may work for a cap-exempt and a cap-subject employer concurrently, once the cap-subject petition has been approved through the lottery. Plan the sequence with an immigration attorney.