Does Kforce Sponsor H-1B Visas? What Its FY2024 Extension Denials Mean for Contract IT Workers

Kforce had one new-employment H-1B denial in FY2024, but 47 of its 415 continuing cases, such as extensions, were denied. What to check before a transfer.

Part of our guide to H-1B transfers.

Yes, Kforce sponsors H-1B visas. It files H-1B petitions, and the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub shows 94 initial approvals and 1 initial denial for KFORCE INC in fiscal year 2024. The weak spot comes later: of its 415 continuing decisions, the column for workers already in H-1B status such as extensions, 47 were denials (11.3%).

F1Jobs sells a job-search service to international candidates, so we have a stake in how you weigh employers. Everything below comes from public USCIS, DOL and DHS records, and FY2024 is one year of data, not a verdict on Kforce.

Status as of 2026-11-01: PA-2026-05 (denial without an RFE when required initial evidence is missing) has been in effect since 2026-08-05 and is challenged in court. Removing deference to prior approvals (RIN 1615-AD26) is proposed; comments close 2026-11-13, and current deference still applies.

Does Kforce sponsor H-1B visas? The short answer

Kforce files H-1B petitions. In fiscal year 2024, USCIS approved 94 of its 95 new-employment cases (98.9%) but denied 47 of its 415 continuing cases (11.3%), the column for workers already in H-1B status. If you expect Kforce to extend your H-1B or transfer you in, ask how it documents each client assignment, because that is where its denials sat.

Kforce's FY2024 H-1B numbers, initial vs continuing

USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, KFORCE INC, fiscal year 2024, first decisions (our extract)

Most of Kforce's H-1B work concerns people who already hold the visa: 415 of 510 decisions (81%, our arithmetic) were continuing, and 47 of its 48 denials sat there. That is the reverse of our Insight Global FY2024 breakdown, where denials clustered in new-employment cases, so "staffing firm" is not one risk profile. Our Kforce employer page shows every year from the same extract.

What the Hub cannot tell you

USCIS's Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub page sets the limits. "The approval and denial data in the data hub reflects USCIS' first decision," so a denial later reversed on appeal still counts. It gives no reasons, omits pending petitions, and its Tampa address "is not necessarily the beneficiary(ies) work location."

"Continuing" is also wider than extensions. The Hub's 2019 glossary (AILA's copy) said it "includes, for example, continuing employment, change of employer, and amended petitions." If that still holds, some of the 47 may be transfers in or amendments for client moves, so check how the live Hub splits KFORCE INC's figures.

Why are staffing-firm H-1B extensions denied?

The Hub gives no reasons, so any explanation of Kforce's 47 is a guess. The regulations show where a contract worker's extension is exposed.

The client's requirements decide specialty occupation

Under 8 CFR 214.2(h), you are "staffed to a third party" when you fill a position inside the client's own hierarchy rather than merely providing services to it. Then "it is the requirements of that third party, and not the petitioner, that are most relevant when determining whether the position is a specialty occupation." Our reading: a new client whose job description does not require a specific degree can weaken the next filing, whatever the old approval said.

The contract chain must show current work

USCIS "may request evidence such as contracts, work orders, or other similar evidence between all parties in a contractual relationship showing the bona fide nature of the beneficiary's position" (214.2(h)(4)(iv)(C)). For a consultant, that chain runs from Kforce to the client, sometimes through a vendor, often backed by a statement of work covering the requested dates and a client letter on your duties. An extension filed as a project winds down is harder to document.

Bench time shows up in your pay records

The employer must keep paying the LCA wage when "the H-1B nonimmigrant is not performing work and is in a nonproductive status due to a decision by the employer" (20 CFR 655.731(c)(7)(i)). At extension, USCIS looks backward: under 8 CFR 214.1(c)(4), an extension "may not be approved for an applicant or beneficiary who failed to maintain" prior status, and 214.1(c)(6) lists the proof: "paystubs, W-2 forms, quarterly wage reports, tax returns, contracts, and work orders." Our reading: unpaid gaps between assignments, or pay below the LCA wage, are what those records expose. Our comparison of in-house versus staffing-agency H-1B sponsorship covers bench time in depth.

Worksite moves need matching filings

A move to an area that needs a new certified LCA "is considered a material change and requires an amended or new petition to be filed with USCIS before the H-1B worker may begin work at the new place of employment" (8 CFR 214.2(h)(2)(i)(E)(2)). A move within the same area of intended employment generally does not. Ask whether each past client move had the right filing.

Deference rarely carries a contract worker

Current 8 CFR 214.1(c)(5) gives deference only for requests "involving the same parties and the same underlying facts," and not after a material error, material change or new adverse information. DHS's own analysis says it "is generally applied to petitions requesting an extension of stay" with the same employer, and it uses change-of-employer petitions as a comparison group outside deference. Our reading: a contractor whose client, worksite or duties changed often falls outside it already. The October 14 proposal would delete 214.1(c)(5); DHS estimates about 6,044 more RFEs a year on an estimated 208,429 affected petitions. See our explainer on the deference proposal for H-1B extensions.

Missing initial evidence can now end a case

PA-2026-05 lets officers deny without an RFE or NOID when required initial evidence is missing; the previous policy instructed them to issue one. It is challenged in AAUP v. Mullin (D. Mass., filed 2026-10-05), with no ruling as of 2026-11-01. Kforce's FY2024 decisions all predate it.

What changed for H-1B extensions since FY2024?

Rules that touch a staffing-firm H-1B extension or transfer, as of 2026-11-01

The agenda entry for RIN 1615-AD00, "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program," lists "increasing oversight over third party placements" among its aims. The grace-period proposal would leave only the 214.1(l)(1) window of up to 10 days after the validity period, which runs from the petition's end date, not from a layoff.

Does Kforce accept H-1B transfers?

A "transfer" is a new Form I-129 from the new employer with a request to extend your stay, so Kforce can file one; public data cannot show its transfer policy. Under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(2)(i)(H), an eligible H-1B worker may start new employment "upon the filing" of a nonfrivolous petition, or on the requested start date if later. Eligibility turns on having been lawfully admitted in (or given) H-1B status, filing before your authorized stay expires, and no unauthorized work since; have an immigration attorney confirm it before you resign.

A new petitioner is not "the same parties," so deference will not carry your old approval. The $100,000 payment under Proclamation 11069 is not the issue for an in-country transfer: USCIS has said change-of-status, amendment and extension requests it grants inside the US were never covered (a consular-notification petition, or a denied change of status, would be), and courts have blocked the agency policies that implement it. It is not being collected as of 2026-11-01.

A worked transfer timeline

Say you are on H-1B with a mid-size consultancy, your I-94 runs to 2027-03-31, and Kforce offers a 12-month contract at a Tampa client starting 2026-12-07.

If the petition is denied, portability work authorization ends, so read what happens after an H-1B transfer denial before you resign. Live times are on the USCIS processing-times tool, and fees on the G-1055.

Can a Kforce contract-to-hire role convert my H-1B?

Not by itself. When the client hires you directly, it becomes your new employer and files its own I-129; Kforce's approval does not move with you. If you were already counted against the cap, that petition generally skips the lottery. Our guide to converting from contractor to full-time on H-1B covers the gap between the two jobs.

On OPT or STEM OPT, conversion is a change of OPT employer, and a first H-1B still needs a lottery selection unless the employer is cap-exempt (FY2028 registration is not announced; wage-weighted selection is in effect):

• Report the change as your school directs. The SEVIS unemployment counter counts each day "without employer information," up to 90 on post-completion OPT and 150 in aggregate with STEM OPT.
• STEM OPT. USCIS's STEM OPT page lets staffing firms employ students only if they provide the training; an employer "may not assign, or otherwise delegate, its training responsibilities to a non-employer third party" and must use E-Verify. A move to the client means a new Form I-983; ask your DSO about timing.
• Cap-gap covers only a timely, cap-subject change-of-status petition and ends if it is denied, withdrawn, revoked or rejected (USCIS).

Does Kforce sponsor green cards?

The Data Hub does not cover green cards. The public signal is PERM: search DOL's OFLC disclosure data (latest PERM file FY2026 Q3) for the legal entity name, using our guide to checking a company's PERM history, and ask Kforce for its policy in writing. DOL's FLAG showed PERM analyst review at January 2026 priority dates as of 2026-10-21.

Kforce is not among the eight employers in DOL's PERM suspension announced 2026-10-08 (Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini, as listed by Wolfsdorf), which Mayer Brown notes "does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program." Nor is it on DOL's H-1B debarment list, "effective as of October 1, 2026," which names six willful violators. Neither fact means Kforce will file for you.

Past the six-year limit, a PERM or I-140 filed 365+ days earlier allows one-year AC21 extensions under section 106(a), and "The H-1B petitioner need not be the employer that filed" it (8 CFR 214.2(h)(13)(iii)(D)(6)); an approved I-140 supports three-year extensions under section 104(c). Have an attorney confirm your case.

How to check Kforce before you transfer

1. Ask for the exact legal employer on your offer letter, LCA notice and Form I-129.
2. Search the Data Hub for KFORCE INC in every fiscal year, reading initial and continuing columns separately.
3. Check the DOL H-1B debarment list for the same legal name.
4. Download the DOL LCA disclosure file (latest FY2026 Q3) and search for the firm, your title and the client's city to see the wage levels it files.
5. Request in writing the client name, contract chain, a client letter on duties and degree requirements, the statement-of-work end date, pay between assignments, and the plan for amended petitions if you change clients. Our questions to ask an OPT placement consultancy before you sign adapt well here.
6. Gather every I-797, your latest I-94, and pay stubs and W-2s for the whole H-1B period.
7. Book an immigration attorney on your transfer and extension; see your DSO first if you are on OPT or STEM OPT.

Common mistakes

• Quoting one blended rate. The 90.6% overall approval rate hides a 98.9% initial rate and an 11.3% continuing-denial share.
• Treating FY2024 as a verdict. It is one year of first decisions with no reasons attached.
• Assuming your old approval protects the next one. A new employer, client or worksite often changes the parties or the facts that deference requires.
• Resigning on an offer letter. Portability starts when the new petition is filed. If your job ends first, the current 60-day grace period (its elimination is only proposed) is the window, and you generally may not work during it.

Frequently asked questions

Does Kforce sponsor H-1B visas?

Yes. For fiscal year 2024 the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub shows KFORCE INC with 94 initial approvals, 1 initial denial, 368 continuing approvals and 47 continuing denials: new-employment cases almost always succeeded, while 11.3% of continuing cases, such as extensions, were denied (our arithmetic). Sponsorship is decided role by role, so get it in writing.

Does Kforce accept H-1B transfers?

Kforce can file a change-of-employer petition for someone already in H-1B status, but public data cannot show its transfer policy. A transfer is a new petition, and DHS ties deference to prior approvals to same-employer extension filings, so your old approval does not carry over. Since 2026-08-05, PA-2026-05 also lets USCIS deny without an RFE when required initial evidence is missing.

Why are staffing-firm H-1B extensions denied?

The Hub gives no reasons, but the rules show the pressure points. When you are staffed into a client's organization, the client's requirements matter most for specialty occupation; USCIS may request contracts and work orders showing the job is bona fide; and an extension may not be approved for someone who failed to maintain status, which unpaid bench time can put at issue.

Does Kforce sponsor green cards?

The H-1B Data Hub does not cover green cards, so search DOL's PERM disclosure data (latest file FY2026 Q3) under the employer's legal name and ask Kforce for its policy in writing. As of 2026-11-01, Kforce is not among the eight employers in DOL's announced PERM suspension, and it is not on DOL's H-1B debarment list (effective as of October 1, 2026; six willful violators).

Can a contract-to-hire role convert my H-1B?

Not automatically. A client that hires you directly becomes your new employer and must file its own Form I-129; Kforce's approval does not move with you. If you were already counted against the H-1B cap, that petition generally skips the lottery; on OPT or STEM OPT, a cap-subject client would need to register you in a future lottery. Talk to your DSO and an immigration attorney before the switch.

Sources

• USCIS: H-1B Employer Data Hub, Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub, PA-2026-05, Form I-129, G-1055, premium processing, processing times, STEM OPT, cap-gap
• Federal Register: deference NPRM (2026-10-14; govinfo text), grace-period NPRM (2026-09-11); RIN 1615-AD00 agenda entry
• Regulations (Cornell LII): 8 CFR 214.1, 8 CFR 214.2, 20 CFR 655.731
• DOL: H-1B debarment list, OFLC disclosure data, FLAG processing times
• Other: SEVIS unemployment counter; the Hub's 2019 glossary via AILA; PERM suspension coverage by Mayer Brown and Wolfsdorf

How we checked this: Kforce's FY2024 figures come from our extract of the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, the data behind our employer pages; rules were checked against USCIS, DOL, Federal Register, govinfo and CFR text on 2026-11-01.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-797, I-94 and notices, your DSO and your immigration attorney govern your case.

A Kforce contract can be a solid next step once the client letter, contract chain and pay records line up. If you want help weighing a staffing offer against direct-hire options, talk to F1Jobs.