Does Intel Sponsor H-1B Visas? Fab, Chip-Design and Software Roles for OPT and STEM OPT Candidates

USCIS made 2,551 first decisions on Intel H-1B petitions in FY2024. Here is what a sponsor in a layoff year can still file, and what it means for your offer.

Part of our guide to companies that sponsor H-1B visas.

Yes, Intel sponsors H-1B visas, and the federal data shows it at scale. In fiscal year 2024, USCIS made 2,551 first decisions on Intel Corporation H-1B petitions: 842 initial-employment approvals, 1,678 continuing-employment approvals and only 31 denials, a 98.8% approval rate, according to the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub. As of November 1, 2026, no rule or order bars an employer that has had layoffs from sponsoring H-1B or green cards, though one new executive order now tells agencies to weigh those layoffs.

Status line, November 1, 2026. In effect: EO 14431 (signed 2026-09-18) as a directive to weigh a sponsor's layoffs, with no implementing guidance and no automatic denial; wage-weighted H-1B selection (since 2026-02-27); the worker 60-day grace period. Proposed only: eliminating that grace period (RIN 1615-AD22, comments close 2026-11-10) and removing deference on extensions (RIN 1615-AD26, comments close 2026-11-13; check the Federal Register for the outcome after 2026-11-13). Blocked: collection of the $100,000 H-1B payment, after Global Nurse Force vacated the implementing agency policies on 2026-09-30; Proclamation 11069 still runs on paper to 2027-09-21. Not announced: FY2028 H-1B registration.

Does Intel sponsor H-1B? The short answer

Yes. Intel Corporation is an established H-1B sponsor. USCIS's Employer Data Hub shows 842 initial-employment approvals and 1,678 continuing-employment approvals for fiscal year 2024, a 98.8% approval rate across 2,551 first decisions. Layoffs do not stop an employer from filing. Whether your role is sponsored depends on the team, the job's degree requirement and the requisition.

Intel's H-1B numbers, read correctly

USCIS says the Hub "has data on the first decisions USCIS makes on petitions for initial and continuing employment." Company-level numbers show a working immigration program, not that the posting in front of you is funded for sponsorship this cycle.

Intel Corporation, USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, fiscal year 2024 (as of 2026-11)

Three details change how you read this. First, 1,700 of the 2,551 decisions (about two in three, our arithmetic) were continuing employment: much of a large employer's H-1B work is keeping people it already employs, and layoffs do not switch that off. Second, USCIS's guide to the Hub lists transfers (change of employer) and amended petitions as separate categories without mapping them to either bucket, so do not read 842 as a count of new graduates. Third, the Hub "identifies employers by the last four digits of their tax identification," so an affiliate with its own tax ID appears separately; look up the legal entity on your offer letter. Our Intel Corporation employer page shows the figures by year.

FY2024 (October 2023 to September 2024) cannot show any 2025 or 2026 change in Intel's hiring. The Hub says it now covers fiscal years through 2026 (quarter 4), so check it for later years rather than a third-party ranking. It counts first decisions only: "Subsequent decisions, such as on an appeal or revocation, are excluded," as are petitions pending when USCIS generated the data.

Fab, chip-design and software: how sponsorship differs by track

All three tracks can be sponsored, because each usually requires a specific degree, the core of the H-1B specialty-occupation test. They differ in where the work happens and how you research them.

Intel's three hiring tracks for visa holders (as of 2026-11)

Market demand differs too. In Indeed Hiring Lab's October 2026 snapshot, the engineering postings index stood around 145 and software development around 78-79, the lowest of the five sectors charted (100 = February 1, 2020). That is national data, not Intel's, but engineering demand has held up better than software demand.

Two points are specific to chip work.

• Wage level and the lottery. Under weighted selection, in effect since 2026-02-27, a registration lists "the highest Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) wage level that the beneficiary's proffered wage equals or exceeds" for the SOC code and area, per the USCIS registration page. Under the final rule, a Level IV registration is entered four times and a Level I registration once. Because OEWS wages are set by area, the same salary can reach a different level in Chandler than in Santa Clara.
• Export controls. Chip and process technology can be controlled. The Commerce Department treats releasing controlled technology to a foreign person inside the US as a deemed export, and the I-129 asks the employer to certify whether a license is needed. If an application asks about this, our guide to the "are you a US person" export-control question explains how to answer honestly.

To compare Intel with other chipmakers, see our list of semiconductor and chip-design companies that sponsor H-1B.

What does Intel pay H-1B workers?

We do not quote a single Intel salary, because the source is public: DOL's disclosure data, whose latest files cover determinations through 2026-06-30 (FY2026 Q3). Filter the LCA file for Intel Corporation and read the job title, SOC code, wage and worksite columns. The wage on an LCA is what Intel listed for the positions that filing covers, not your offer. To compare it with the area's prevailing wage levels, use DOL's prevailing wage resources.

Is Intel E-Verify enrolled for STEM OPT?

STEM OPT requires the employer to be enrolled in E-Verify and to remain "a participant in good standing," according to USCIS's STEM OPT page. Check it yourself: the E-Verify Employer Search warns that an enrolled listing "does not necessarily mean that all of the hiring sites are enrolled in E-Verify."

1. Search "Intel Corporation" (and the exact entity on your offer letter) in the E-Verify Employer Search on e-verify.gov.
2. Confirm the account status reads enrolled and that the hiring-site states include the state where you will work.
3. Ask Intel HR for the E-Verify company identification number that goes on your Form I-983 training plan.
4. Review the I-983 with your manager so the duties and worksite match the real job, then send it to your DSO for the SEVIS recommendation.
5. File the STEM OPT I-765 with USCIS. USCIS's page allows filing "up to 90 days before your current OPT employment authorization expires" and requires it "within 60 days of the date your designated school official (DSO) enters the recommendation." A filing made before the EAD expires gets the 180-day automatic extension, which the 2026-10-14 EAD rule did not change.

Our E-Verify employer lookup walkthrough shows each screen. One timing risk for a start date after mid-December: E-Verify runs under the stopgap funding law through 2026-12-11 and lapses with it unless Congress passes funding by 2026-12-11. In the 2025 shutdown it went offline on 2025-10-01 and returned about a week later. If your start falls after 2026-12-11, ask HR how a lapse would be handled.

Do Intel's layoffs affect new H-1B offers and extensions?

Layoffs do not block Intel from filing new H-1B petitions, transfers or extensions. What changed in 2026 is that agencies are told to consider them. Intel has been widely reported to be restructuring and cutting jobs since 2024, and WARN-notice aggregators reported a notice covering 67 roles at Intel's Folsom site effective 2026-10-31. Across the sector, technology companies announced 165,925 job cuts through September 2026, up 54% from a year earlier, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas's September report.

EO 14431 section 3(a) tells State, DOL and DHS to take into account, "in any labor condition application, petition, visa, and entry," "whether the employer sponsor directly or indirectly engaged in layoffs within the previous year," or plans layoffs that hurt similarly situated US workers (text on govinfo). On our reading, "any ... petition" reaches extensions and transfers too. It defines neither "layoffs" nor "similarly situated" and creates no automatic denial. DOL had to begin reviewing past LCAs within 30 days (about 2026-10-18); as of 2026-11-01 DOL has not said publicly whether that review began, and no DOL or USCIS guidance exists. Our explainer on how EO 14431 treats employer layoffs covers each section.

What a sponsor in a layoff year can still file

Common misconception, then the correction (as of 2026-11-01)

Comparing an Intel offer with others? Our guide to whether employers with 2026 layoffs still sponsor H-1B lists the signals worth checking.

If you are laid off at Intel

• On H-1B: the discretionary 60-day grace period (8 CFR 214.1(l)(2)) still applies. DHS has proposed eliminating it; comments close 2026-11-10 at 11:59 p.m. ET (check the Federal Register for the outcome after 2026-11-10). Nothing changes unless a final rule is published.
• On STEM OPT: Intel must report your termination to your DSO "within 5 business days," per USCIS. You may accrue up to 150 days of unemployment in total across OPT and STEM OPT (90 on post-completion OPT alone), and a new employer needs its own E-Verify enrollment and I-983.
• With a pending or approved I-140: AC21 extension options may matter. Our guide to a layoff with a pending I-140 explains them.

Talk to your DSO about anything touching SEVIS or OPT, and to a licensed immigration attorney about H-1B status.

Does Intel sponsor green cards?

Intel can. As of 2026-11-01 it is not among the eight employers named on 2026-10-08, when it was announced that DOL would stop accepting and processing their PERM cases (an action that, as Mayer Brown notes, "does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program"), and it is not on DOL's H-1B debarment list effective as of October 1, 2026. When Intel starts your PERM is company policy, so ask; its certified cases are in the PERM file on the same DOL disclosure page.

Layoffs matter here through an existing recruitment rule. Under 20 CFR 656.17(k), if an employer had a layoff in the area of intended employment within six months of filing, in your occupation or a related one, it must show it notified and considered the laid-off US workers. The rule defines a layoff as "any involuntary separation of one or more employees without cause or prejudice." That is one reason green-card timing can slow after cuts in your job family. DOL's PERM labor-market-test NPRM (RIN 1205-AC29) cleared White House review on 2026-10-23 but has not been published, so it has no public text or comment period yet and the current 20 CFR 656.17 still applies.

Green-card queue snapshot, Final Action Date / Dates for Filing (as of 2026-11)

These come from the November 2026 Visa Bulletin. USCIS requires the Dates for Filing chart for November I-485s (USCIS chart page), and consular cases always use Final Action Dates. The December bulletin is not out. Before any of this, PERM itself takes time: as of 2026-10-21, DOL FLAG processing times showed analyst review at January 2026 priority dates, with an average analyst review of 303 days. Check that page for the live figure.

A worked timeline: joining Intel on OPT in 2026

A hypothetical MS electrical engineering graduate, process-engineer offer in Chandler. Your own EAD, I-20 and notices govern your dates.

Hypothetical OPT to H-1B path (rules as of 2026-11)

For comparison, the FY2027 registration ran March 4 to 19, 2026, at $215 per registration.

Common mistakes

• Concluding "layoffs, so no sponsorship." Intel's continuing-employment work alone was 1,700 FY2024 decisions. Ask about your requisition instead.
• Assuming you are safe because Intel is large. EO 14431 has no guidance yet. Keep your I-797s and I-94, and ask counsel about timing.
• Searching the wrong entity. Match the employer name and tax ID on your offer letter to the Hub and E-Verify listings.
• Moving sites or teams without telling your DSO. USCIS says employers must report material changes on STEM OPT with a modified I-983 and that it is important to report "any change in a student's employment address." Ask your DSO before a move between Intel campuses.
• Confusing the two grace periods. The worker 60-day period is the one proposed for elimination; the F-1 60-day period is separate.

Frequently asked questions

Does Intel sponsor H-1B for new grads?

Yes, it has at scale. In fiscal year 2024 USCIS approved 842 initial-employment H-1B petitions for Intel Corporation, the category that includes new H-1B employment such as an F-1 graduate's first H-1B after OPT, with 9 initial denials. Whether a particular new-grad requisition includes sponsorship is a team and budget decision, so confirm it with the recruiter before you accept.

Does Intel hire OPT and STEM OPT students, and is it E-Verify enrolled?

Intel's 842 initial-employment approvals in FY2024 include new H-1B employment, the route F-1 graduates on OPT or STEM OPT take, though the Hub does not say how many were students. STEM OPT requires E-Verify enrollment, so search Intel Corporation in the E-Verify Employer Search and confirm the hiring-site state where you will work; a listing does not prove every site is enrolled. Rules are as of 2026-11-01.

Does Intel sponsor green cards?

Intel is not one of the eight employers named on 2026-10-08, when it was announced that DOL would stop accepting and processing their PERM cases, and it is not on DOL's H-1B debarment list effective as of October 1, 2026. When it starts a green card for you is company policy, so ask HR, and check its certified PERM cases in DOL's disclosure files (latest FY2026 Q3). Recent layoffs in your occupation can complicate PERM recruitment under 20 CFR 656.17(k).

Will Intel layoffs affect my H-1B extension?

No rule makes layoffs an automatic bar. EO 14431, signed 2026-09-18, tells agencies to take a sponsor's layoffs into account in any H-1B petition, which on our reading includes extensions, but as of 2026-11-01 no DOL or USCIS guidance explains how. Removing deference to prior approvals on extensions is only proposed, with comments closing 2026-11-13. Ask Intel's immigration counsel how they are planning your filing.

Which Intel roles are most often sponsored?

The Hub does not break sponsorship down by role. DOL's LCA disclosure files list Intel's job titles, SOC codes and worksites, so you can see where it files most often, but an LCA is not a petition. Process, chip-design and software roles all fit the specialty-occupation test when the job requires a specific engineering or computer science degree.

Sources

• USCIS, H-1B Employer Data Hub
• USCIS, Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub
• USCIS, STEM OPT extension
• USCIS, H-1B electronic registration process
• Weighted selection final rule, 2025-12-29 (govinfo)
• USCIS, Form I-129 page ($100,000 payment status)
• E-Verify Employer Search
• Executive Order 14431, 91 FR 60501 (govinfo)
• Federal Register, proposal to eliminate the 60-day grace period
• Federal Register, proposal to remove deference to prior determinations
• DOL OFLC, performance and disclosure data
• DOL WHD, H-1B debarment list
• 20 CFR 656.17 (Cornell LII)
• USCIS, adjustment of status filing charts
• Mayer Brown, DOL PERM enforcement actions (2026-10)

How we checked this: we took the FY2024 Employer Data Hub figures from the extract behind our company pages and re-read the USCIS, DOL, E-Verify, BIS, govinfo and Federal Register pages above between 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-02. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-20, I-94 and notices, and your DSO or immigration attorney, govern your case.

If you are on OPT or STEM OPT and want help building a target list of employers like Intel that actively sponsor, F1Jobs can help you run a focused search.