AI Labs Are Filing More H-1Bs While Amazon, Google, and Microsoft Pull Back: The FY 2026 Split

The biggest names in H-1B sponsorship are not all moving in the same direction anymore. A Business Insider analysis of Department of Labor data for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 (January through March 2026) found that artificial-intelligence companies increased their certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) compared with the same quarter a year earlier, while most of Big Tech filed significantly fewer.

The numbers: Q2 FY 2025 vs. Q2 FY 2026 certified LCAs

• Anthropic — 10 → 59 (up about 490%)
• OpenAI — 20 → 63 (up about 215%)
• Nvidia — 641 → 765 (up about 19%)
• Meta — down about 3%
• Microsoft — down about 20%
• Amazon — down about 30%
• Google — down about 64%

Why the split?

The quarter in question fell squarely inside the period when Proclamation 10973's $100,000 fee on certain new H-1B petitions was being enforced, before a federal court vacated it in June 2026. For an employer that sponsors thousands of H-1B workers a year, a six-figure surcharge on each affected hire is a major budget line. For an AI lab recruiting a few dozen or a few hundred researchers — often at pay well above $200,000 — it is a much smaller share of total cost, and the talent is scarce enough that the companies appear willing to pay it. Broader Big Tech layoffs and hiring freezes over the same period also pushed filings down independently of the fee.

How to read LCA data (and how not to)

• An LCA is the Department of Labor step an employer completes before filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. It is a leading indicator of sponsorship intent, not a count of visas approved.
• Companies routinely file more LCAs than they end up using — one worker can have several LCAs for different worksites or amendments — so raw LCA counts overstate headcount.
• A drop in LCAs does not mean a company has stopped sponsoring. Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta remained among the largest H-1B filers in the country even after their declines.
• Percent changes on small bases swing hard: OpenAI's and Anthropic's totals are still in the dozens per quarter, compared with thousands for Amazon.

What this means if you are on OPT or STEM OPT

• Big Tech is still sponsoring, but the bar is higher and the volume is lower than in FY 2025. Expect more competition for fewer sponsored roles at Amazon, Google, and Microsoft.
• AI and semiconductor companies are a growing share of new sponsorship. If your background is in machine learning, systems, or chip design, Nvidia and the AI labs are actively filing — but they hire in small numbers and at a very high bar.
• Mid-size companies with a consistent year-over-year sponsorship record are often the best odds. Check a company's history before you apply rather than assuming a famous name will or will not sponsor.
• Keep an eye on the $100,000 fee. It is currently vacated by a federal court but has been renewed by proclamation through September 2027 — see our policy coverage for the latest status, since it directly shapes employer filing behavior.

Bottom line

FY 2026 is shaping up as the year H-1B sponsorship began to diversify away from a handful of tech giants. Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Google are still sponsoring at scale, but AI companies like OpenAI and Nvidia are the ones growing. For international students, the practical takeaway is the same as ever: verify each employer's real sponsorship history, and cast a wider net than the most famous names.