Cincinnati H-1B Jobs: Cincinnati Children's, Kroger, Fifth Third, Medpace and the Consumer-Goods Giants

Cincinnati's H-1B filers run from a children's hospital and a public university to banks, a CRO and IT firms, and how your offer is filed decides whether the lottery or your OPT clock is the real risk.

Part of our guide to H-1B jobs by state and city.

As of 2026-11-01, Cincinnati H-1B jobs sit mostly with a nonprofit children's hospital, a public university, IT services firms, banks and payments companies, a contract research organization and a few consumer-goods and aerospace headquarters. In the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract behind our Cincinnati sponsor page, 17 employers account for 1,573 petitions decided from FY2024 through part of FY2026, led by SLK America (395), Cincinnati Children's (250), the University of Cincinnati (140), Worldpay (109), Health Carousel (105) and Medpace (74). Kroger (137) is filed under suburban Blue Ash. Procter & Gamble is not on the list at all, and the reason changes how you should search.

Status as of 2026-11-01 (the rules that touch a Cincinnati offer)

• In effect: wage-weighted H-1B selection (since 2026-02-27); the current cap-exemption rules at 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F) (since 2025-01-17); the 90-day OPT and 150-day STEM OPT unemployment limits.
• Not announced: FY2028 H-1B registration. USCIS must give at least 30 days' notice, and its registration page still shows FY2027.
• Blocked: collection of the $100,000 H-1B payment (Proclamation 11069 stays in effect on paper until 2027-09-21; the court orders are on appeal).
• Under White House (OIRA) review, no text: "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program" (RIN 1615-AD00), received 2026-08-24.
• Proposed, not law: OPT fees charged to schools (comments close 2026-11-09) and ending the 60-day grace period for H-1B and other workers (comments close 2026-11-10; not the F-1 grace period after OPT).

Cincinnati H-1B jobs: the short answer

Cincinnati's H-1B filers are a nonprofit children's hospital, a public university, IT consultancies, banks, insurers, payments firms, a contract research organization and corporate headquarters such as Kroger and GE Aerospace. The university can file outside the lottery, the hospital may qualify through a university-affiliation test, and most corporate and consulting roles go through the wage-weighted lottery.

That mix sets Cincinnati apart from Columbus, which leans on Ohio State, Huntington and OhioHealth (see our Columbus H-1B jobs guide); the statewide Ohio H-1B guide adds Cleveland. On our directory's metro pages, Cincinnati (17 employers, 1,573 petitions decided) is about the size of Columbus (16, 1,638).

The student pipeline is shrinking faster here than nationally: active F-1 and M-1 records in Ohio were 13.3% lower in October 2026 than in October 2025, against 7.1% nationwide, in our sums of the October 2026 SEVIS data. That measures students, not employer demand.

Which companies in Cincinnati sponsor H-1B?

"Petitions decided" counts USCIS's first decisions (approvals and denials) on new and continuing employment, so a large number can be mostly extensions. The directory label shows the split: actively hiring means more than half the petitions were for new employment, mostly renewals means fewer than one in ten, and mixed is everything between.

Cincinnati H-1B employers, as of 2026-11 (USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract used by our directory; FY2024 to FY2026 combined, FY2026 partial)

Two quirks change how you read that table. First, the city is not where you would work. USCIS's glossary for the Data Hub says: "This is the City indicated in the mailing address of the employer and is not necessarily the beneficiary(ies) work location." That is why Kroger, which describes itself as "Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio," sits under Blue Ash. Second, one employer can appear under two spellings: Fifth Third shows up at 73 and 38, or 111 together (our arithmetic).

The new-employment check: who actually hires from F-1?

A first H-1B for someone changing from F-1 status is a "new employment" petition in the USCIS glossary, so the useful number for an OPT graduate is new-employment ("initial") approvals in a full year. FY2024 is the latest full year in our extract.

FY2024 approvals for Cincinnati-area employers with company pages, as of 2026-11 (initial = new employment; continuing = same employer, same classification)

The hospital and the university show the strongest new-hire signal among the large names; Kroger and Worldpay mostly extend people already in H-1B status. The data does not show job titles or whether new hires came from OPT or from abroad. The live USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub now says it covers fiscal year 2009 through FY2026 quarter 4 (checked 2026-11-02), so pull fresher figures there.

Is Cincinnati Children's cap-exempt?

It depends on a legal test applied to the filing entity and the position, not on the hospital's name. Its petitions are labelled actively hiring (54% new employment across 250), but whether your role skips the lottery is a decision its immigration counsel makes, and you should ask for the answer in writing.

The test sits in 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F), whose current text took effect 2025-01-17. An institution of higher education, such as the University of Cincinnati, is a cap-exempt employer. A nonprofit can qualify through its relationship with one, including a written affiliation agreement where "a fundamental activity" of the nonprofit supports the university's research or education mission. A worker employed by someone else can also be exempt if they spend at least half their work time at a qualifying institution, telework included.

Cincinnati Children's calls itself "a nonprofit, comprehensive pediatric health system" and describes its UC link this way: "The University of Cincinnati Department of Pediatrics consists entirely of staff members from Cincinnati Children's." That is relevant evidence, not a ruling on your position; our explainer on cap-exempt university hospitals shows how academic medical centers are usually organized. TriHealth, the other hospital system on the list, needs the same question. Hospitals also file for non-clinical staff; our guide to hospital systems that sponsor H-1B for IT roles covers the technology side.

Two timing rules follow. Cap-exempt petitions get no cap-gap: per USCIS's cap-gap page, the extension of F-1 status and OPT work to April 1 of the fiscal year requested (or the petition start date, if earlier) covers only timely cap-subject change-of-status petitions, so a hospital or university petition has to be filed well before your OPT EAD ends. And RIN 1615-AD00, whose agenda abstract mentions "revising eligibility for cap exemptions," has no published text, so nothing about cap exemptions has changed as of 2026-11-01.

Leaving a cap-exempt job later

Cap-exempt employment is not counted against the cap. If Fifth Third or Kroger later hires you, you are cap-subject unless you were previously counted within your six-year period, which usually means a registration and a lottery selection. A cap-subject concurrent petition is not counted while the cap-exempt job continues, but if that job ends you become cap-subject and USCIS "may revoke" the concurrent petition. Take how this applies to you to a licensed immigration attorney.

Does Kroger sponsor H-1B?

Kroger files H-1B petitions, but mostly for people who already hold H-1B status. The Kroger Co. has 137 petitions decided from FY2024 through part of FY2026 in our extract, labelled mostly renewals, with 3 new-employment approvals in FY2024 against 52 continuing.

Search more than one name. 84.51°, Kroger's retail data-science subsidiary, files as 84 51 LLC in Cincinnati (41 petitions decided, also mostly renewals). A label describes past filings, not a policy, so ask the recruiter whether the specific requisition is open to sponsorship from OPT before the final round.

Does P&G sponsor H-1B for new graduates?

We cannot give you a number. Procter & Gamble does not appear among the 17 Cincinnati employers in our extract, and we did not find a P&G statement on sponsorship that we could verify as of 2026-11-01.

Absence from a city list is not proof either way: the mailing-address rule applies, and large companies can file through several legal entities. Third-party visa-data sites list more than one P&G entity, for example "The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company," according to their employer pages; we have not matched those against the Hub. Search every entity name in the Data Hub with no city filter, check DOL's disclosure files for Cincinnati-area worksites and read each posting's work-authorization line.

Fifth Third, Worldpay and Great American: finance in Cincinnati

Cincinnati's finance filers are usually cap-subject, so for an OPT graduate the lottery is the main hurdle. Fifth Third appears under two spellings (73 and 38 petitions decided, mixed), Worldpay has 109 (mostly renewals, 2 new-employment approvals in FY2024), Great American Insurance 71 (mixed) and Paycor 40 (mostly renewals).

Under the weighted selection rule in effect since 2026-02-27, a Level IV wage gets four entries and a Level I wage one, per the final rule. Levels are set by occupation and area, so look up the Cincinnati-area figure for your job code rather than borrowing a New York number. A DOL proposal to raise the percentiles behind each level (RIN 1205-AC30) is still only proposed as of 2026-11-01.

Medpace, Health Carousel and research jobs

Medpace (74, actively hiring) is one of the few corporate filers on the Cincinnati list where more than half the petitions were for new employment. Contract research organizations run clinical trials for drug and device makers, and our guide to clinical data scientist jobs at pharma companies and CROs covers the data roles they hire for; DOL's disclosure files show which titles Medpace itself files for.

Health Carousel (105) is the most new-employment-heavy Cincinnati employer with a company page: 43 initial and 1 continuing approval in FY2024. It is filed under the administrative-and-support industry code, which includes staffing, and the data does not say which jobs those petitions were for. With any staffing employer, ask where you would work and who would supervise you.

Can international students work at GE Aerospace?

Often yes for roles that do not involve export-controlled technology, but some roles need government authorization before you can start. GE Aerospace's careers site says it is "Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio," and General Electric Company, the name in that site's copyright footer, appears in our Cincinnati extract with 58 petitions decided (mixed).

The issue is export control, not immigration. The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security explains that "A deemed export refers to the sharing or release of controlled technology or source code to a foreign person within the United States." Under the ITAR definition at 22 CFR 120.62, a U.S. person is a lawful permanent resident or a "protected individual" (a statutory category that covers citizens, nationals, refugees and asylees), so F-1, OPT, STEM OPT and H-1B holders are not U.S. persons. The employer may need a license before sharing controlled technology with you, and postings for such roles may say "U.S. person required."

Our defense and aerospace H-1B guide explains which job families tend to sit outside ITAR, and our guide to the "Are you a U.S. person?" question covers the application form. Answer it truthfully.

IT services firms and STEM OPT: what to check

SLK America is Cincinnati's largest filer (395, mixed; 41 initial against 160 continuing approvals in FY2024), alongside NTT Data Business Solutions (46, mostly renewals), AG Infotek (43, actively hiring) and CBTS (30, mixed). Consulting work raises three questions an in-house job does not:

• STEM OPT conditions. USCIS's STEM OPT page says the employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and "must attest to this fact by signing the Form I-983, Training Plan for STEM OPT Students," and must report your termination or departure to your DSO within 5 business days. Ask who signs the I-983 if you would sit at a client.
• The unemployment clock. SEVP counts each day "without employer information" against the 90-day OPT limit or the 150-day STEM OPT aggregate, per the SEVIS Help Hub. Ask your DSO how time between projects would be reported.
• Placement scrutiny. The RIN 1615-AD00 abstract also mentions "increasing oversight over third party placements." No text is public, so nothing has changed yet.

Your Cincinnati offer, decoded

What each Cincinnati employer type means for your first H-1B, as of 2026-11

No row carries a $100,000 payment as of 2026-11-01. USCIS's Form I-129 page says a court "vacated agency guidance implementing the $100,000 payment requirement" and "If this order is later lifted, DHS still plans to collect the payment." Even then, USCIS's H-1B page (last updated 2026-09-21) says a change of status it grants inside the US, the usual OPT-to-H-1B route, is not covered.

Common misconception: "Kroger and P&G are the biggest names in Cincinnati, so they are the best bets for sponsorship from OPT." Correction: Brand size and H-1B behavior are different measures. Kroger had 3 new-employment approvals in FY2024, against 44 at Cincinnati Children's and 31 at the University of Cincinnati, and P&G is not on the Cincinnati list at all. Keep the brands on your list, ask them directly, and put the employers whose data shows new hires beside them.

How to vet a Cincinnati sponsor before you apply

1. Open the Cincinnati metro page and the Ohio list, since suburban mailing addresses such as Blue Ash land outside the city page.
2. Search the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub by every legal-name spelling with no city filter, and compare initial with continuing approvals for FY2024.
3. Check DOL's OFLC disclosure data (latest files run through 2026-06-30) for the job titles and Cincinnati-area worksites the employer files Labor Condition Applications for.
4. Look up the prevailing wage for your occupation in the Cincinnati area with DOL's OFLC wage search, so you know which lottery level an offer maps to.
5. Ask the recruiter, before the final round, about the cap route, sponsorship from OPT, the E-Verify company ID for STEM OPT and, for aerospace, export authorization.
6. Confirm with your DSO how a new employer, a client-site placement or a gap between projects is reported in SEVIS.
7. Take cap-exempt basis, concurrent-employment and job-change questions to a licensed immigration attorney, usually the employer's counsel.

Common mistakes

• Filtering the Data Hub by "Cincinnati" only. The city is the petitioner's mailing address, so Blue Ash and other suburbs drop out.
• Searching one spelling. Fifth Third appears twice, and 84.51° files as 84 51 LLC.
• Reading 1,573 as job openings. The count includes renewals and denials across almost three fiscal years.
• Assuming every Cincinnati Children's job skips the lottery. The test can depend on the entity and the position.
• Leaving a cap-exempt filing to your EAD's last weeks. There is no cap-gap for cap-exempt petitions.
• Guessing at the U.S. person question. It is an export-control fact, not a sponsorship question.

Frequently asked questions

Which companies in Cincinnati sponsor H-1B?

In the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract behind our Cincinnati metro page, 17 employers account for 1,573 petitions decided from FY2024 through part of FY2026, led by SLK America (395), Cincinnati Children's (250), the University of Cincinnati (140), Worldpay (109), Health Carousel (105) and Medpace (74). Kroger (137) is filed under Blue Ash. The counts include renewals and denials, so compare new-employment approvals before treating an employer as a first-time sponsor.

Does P&G sponsor H-1B for new graduates?

We cannot give you a count. Procter & Gamble is not among the 17 Cincinnati employers in the Data Hub extract our directory uses, and we found no P&G sponsorship statement we could verify as of November 1, 2026. The Hub lists employers by mailing city, so search every P&G legal entity with no city filter and ask the recruiter early.

Does Kroger sponsor H-1B?

Kroger files H-1B petitions, mostly for people already in H-1B status. The Kroger Co. (filed under Blue Ash) has 137 petitions decided from FY2024 through part of FY2026 in our extract, with 3 new-employment and 52 continuing approvals in FY2024. Its data-science subsidiary 84.51° files separately as 84 51 LLC (41, also mostly renewals), so ask whether a specific role is open to sponsorship from OPT.

Is Cincinnati Children's cap-exempt?

It depends on a legal test applied to the filing entity and the position, not on the hospital's name. Under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F), in its current form since 2025-01-17, a nonprofit can be cap-exempt through a written affiliation agreement with a university where a fundamental activity of the nonprofit supports the university's mission. Only Cincinnati Children's immigration counsel can say how your position will be filed, so ask in writing.

Can international students work at GE Aerospace?

Often yes for roles without export-controlled technology, but some roles need government authorization first. GE Aerospace says it is headquartered in Cincinnati, and General Electric Company appears in our Cincinnati extract with 58 petitions decided from FY2024 through part of FY2026. F-1, OPT, STEM OPT and H-1B holders are not U.S. persons under export rules, so a controlled role may need an employer license first (as of November 2026).

Sources

• USCIS, H-1B Employer Data Hub and Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub
• USCIS, cap-gap extension page, STEM OPT page, Form I-129 page, H-1B specialty occupations page and H-1B registration page
• Federal Register, weighted selection final rule, OPT fees NPRM and grace-period NPRM
• OIRA, RIN 1615-AD00 agenda entry
• Study in the States, October 2026 SEVIS data and SEVIS Help Hub unemployment counter
• DOL, OFLC performance data and OFLC wage search
• Bureau of Industry and Security, deemed exports; 22 CFR 120.62
• Employer pages: About Cincinnati Children's, Cincinnati Children's UC affiliation, Kroger, our business, GE Aerospace careers

How we checked this: employer figures come from the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract behind our company directory (FY2024 to FY2026, FY2026 partial); rules and dates come from the USCIS, Federal Register, OIRA, DOL, Study in the States and BIS pages above and the employers' own pages, read 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-02.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-20, EAD, I-94 and notices, your DSO and a licensed immigration attorney govern your case.

If you want help turning this list into a Cincinnati target list that matches your degree, OPT dates and cap route, talk to F1Jobs.