Does KPMG Sponsor H-1B Visas? Audit, Tax and Advisory Paths for International Students

KPMG files H-1B petitions year after year, but an audit hire on 12-month OPT and an advisory hire on STEM OPT face very different odds of getting there.

Part of our guide to US taxes on F-1, OPT and H-1B.

Does KPMG sponsor H-1B visas? Yes. The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub records KPMG LLP with 183 initial (new-employment) approvals and 264 continuing approvals in fiscal year 2024, against six denials. What the data cannot tell you is whether your role will be sponsored, and at KPMG that usually turns on your service line and your degree. An audit hire with a non-STEM accounting degree typically gets 12 months of OPT and one lottery season. An advisory or technology hire with a STEM-designated degree can get 36 months and three.

Status as of 2026-11-01: wage-weighted H-1B selection is in effect (since 2026-02-27). FY2028 registration is not announced, and USCIS must give at least 30 days' notice. OPT unemployment limits are unchanged: 90 days on post-completion OPT, 150 in aggregate with STEM OPT. The $100,000 H-1B entry restriction is in effect on paper, but the fee is blocked by court orders and is not being collected.

Does KPMG sponsor H-1B? The short answer

KPMG LLP is a for-profit, cap-subject employer that files H-1B petitions year after year. USCIS recorded 183 new-employment approvals, 264 continuing approvals and six denials for it in fiscal year 2024. Sponsorship is still decided role by role, so an audit offer on 12-month OPT and an advisory or technology offer on STEM OPT carry very different odds.

Forum threads claiming KPMG "stopped sponsoring" are unverified: we found no primary source for any such policy as of 2026-11-01, and the same Hub extract records KPMG LLP approvals in fiscal 2026 too (a partial year, so not a trend). Put the question to KPMG campus recruiting for your specific role. To compare firms, see our side-by-side guide to H-1B sponsorship at all four Big Four firms; this page covers KPMG alone, like our look at EY's H-1B sponsorship record.

What the USCIS data shows for KPMG LLP

Source: USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, FY2024, from the extract behind our KPMG LLP sponsor profile.

• Initial approvals count petitions filed for new employment. USCIS's guide to the Data Hub defines a new-employment approval as "Initially approved H-1B petitions with 'New employment' selected on Part 2, Question 2 of the Form I-129." A first H-1B after OPT is usually filed this way, so this row is the closest public proxy for new H-1B hires. (The Hub's older two-column format also counted new concurrent employment here.)
• Continuing approvals cover the rest: extensions with the same employer, changes to approved employment, changes of employer and amended petitions.
• Each count is a first decision. In USCIS's words, "The approval and denial data in the data hub reflects USCIS' first decision." Appeals and revocations are not in it.
• The fiscal year is the decision year. FY2024 covers decisions first recorded from October 2023 through September 2024.
• The city is a mailing address. The extract lists KPMG LLP under Dallas, Texas, but USCIS warns that location "is not necessarily the beneficiary(ies) work location."

USCIS now says the Hub covers fiscal 2009 through fiscal 2026 (quarter 4). For newer years, pull the figures from the Hub yourself and search every spelling of the name; our guide on how to check whether a company sponsors H-1B walks through it.

One caution on the 98.7%: it measures how USCIS decided the petitions KPMG chose to file. It is not your chance of being sponsored or selected. Two filters come first, and neither appears in the Hub: whether the firm registers you, and whether the lottery picks you.

Which KPMG service lines sponsor: audit, tax or advisory?

USCIS does not publish H-1B counts by service line, so no one outside the firm can tell you how many of those 183 approvals were in audit versus advisory. What differs is the visa math, because it follows your degree, not the firm's name.

• Audit and assurance. Most associates hold accounting degrees. The general accounting code is not on the STEM list edition we checked, so the usual runway is 12 months of OPT.
• Tax. Traditional tax roles look like audit on the visa side; data- or technology-focused tax roles may recruit from STEM-coded programs.
• Advisory. Technology, data, risk and deal teams often hire from computer science, engineering, statistics and analytics programs, many of them STEM-designated, so 36 months of OPT is often within reach.

A CPA license is a state-board matter: it can strengthen your candidacy, but it does not change your OPT length or your lottery entries. Our guide to H-1B sponsorship for accounting and CPA-track roles covers how licensure and the visa timeline fit together.

Why a STEM degree changes the KPMG math

Post-completion OPT lasts 12 months. If your degree's Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code is on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List, and your employer meets the STEM OPT rules, you can apply for a 24-month extension under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C). That is the difference between one H-1B registration season and three.

ICE's schools page labels the edition last updated July 22, 2024 as the current STEM list (checked 2026-11-01). It does not include the general accounting code (52.0301) or Management Information Systems (52.1201). It does include Business Analytics (30.7102), Data Analytics, General (30.7101), Financial Analytics (30.7104), Management Science (52.1301), Business Statistics (52.1302), Actuarial Science (52.1304), Econometrics and Quantitative Economics (45.0603) and Computer and Information Systems Security/Auditing/Information Assurance (11.1003), which is relevant to IT audit and cyber-risk teams. The code your school assigned decides it, not the program's name: find the CIP code next to your major on your I-20 and confirm it with your DSO.

Worked timeline: one shot versus three

Illustrative only, as of 2026-11. No registration season after FY2027 has been announced, the OPT start date must fall within 60 days after the program ends, and your real dates come from your EAD.

If the audit hire is not selected in March 2027, OPT ends in January 2028 and the F-1 60-day grace period follows (intact as of 2026-11-01, because a federal court has blocked the duration-of-status rule since 2026-09-14). A US master's degree also makes a registration eligible for the advanced-degree selection, which helps but adds no seasons. For planning around three attempts, see how to use three H-1B lottery shots on STEM OPT.

The cap-gap rule extends F-1 status and OPT work authorization to April 1 of the fiscal year requested, or the petition's start date if earlier, for a timely cap-subject change-of-status petition, and ends if the petition is denied, withdrawn, revoked or rejected.

How the wage-weighted lottery treats a KPMG registration

Since 2026-02-27, USCIS has run wage-weighted selection: a registration gets entries by the wage level of the offer, from four at Level IV down to one at Level I. The level comes from comparing the offered wage with OEWS wages for the occupation in the worksite area, so the same title can land at different levels in different offices. Entry-level roles often fall at lower levels, but only the filing for your role settles it.

The USCIS registration page still shows the FY2027 season (March 4-19, $215 fee). FY2028 is not announced, and under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(A)(3) USCIS must announce at least 30 calendar days ahead, so March 2027 is an expectation, not a date.

What is in effect for a KPMG candidate (as of 2026-11)

Sources: the USCIS I-129 page, the OPT fee proposal, the $103,265 fee proposal, TechCrunch on the eight employers (Microsoft, Adobe, Capgemini, Cognizant, HCL, Infosys, Tata, Wipro) and Mayer Brown, which notes the action "does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program."

Does KPMG hire on STEM OPT?

We found no public KPMG policy on STEM OPT hiring; eligibility turns on your degree and the employer, not the brand. Under the USCIS STEM OPT rules, the employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and complete a Form I-983 training plan with you. You file the I-765 up to 90 days before your current OPT EAD expires and within 60 days of your DSO's recommendation; only a timely filing gets the 180-day automatic extension while it is pending. Confirm both employer conditions with the KPMG hiring team for your role, in writing, before you accept.

Study in the States' unemployment counter guidance allows 90 days on post-completion OPT and 150 in aggregate with STEM OPT, counted from your actual OPT start date for each day without employer information. This bites when a start date sits months after graduation: if your OPT starts in June and your KPMG start date is in September, the summer days without employer information can count toward the 90. Before you sign an offer with a late start, ask your DSO about the OPT start date you request, which must fall within the 60 days after your program ends.

Does KPMG sponsor green cards?

We found no published KPMG green card policy, and green card sponsorship is a separate decision from H-1B sponsorship. Ask when the firm typically starts PERM labor certification for your level, and check its filing history in DOL's OFLC disclosure data (latest public file FY2026 Q3).

The process is unchanged: a prevailing wage determination, recruitment, Form ETA-9089, an I-140, then an I-485 or consular processing when your priority date is current. As of 2026-10-21, DOL's FLAG processing page showed PERM analyst review at January 2026 priority dates, averaging 303 days. In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin Final Action Dates, EB-2 India sits at 2013-11-01 and EB-3 India at 2014-01-22, while EB-2 for the rest of the world is 2025-04-01. For November, USCIS requires the Dates for Filing chart for I-485s; consular cases always use Final Action Dates. The December bulletin is not out.

DOL's PERM labor-market-test proposal (RIN 1205-AC29) cleared White House review on 2026-10-23 but is not published, so current PERM rules apply. And PERM timing matters for the H-1B six-year limit: under AC21 (8 CFR 214.2(h)(13)(iii)), a PERM or I-140 filed at least 365 days earlier supports one-year extensions, and an approved I-140 supports three-year extensions when per-country limits keep a visa number out of reach. Our guide to getting a green card while on H-1B covers each step. For your own case, a licensed immigration attorney is the right person to ask.

Is KPMG cutting new hires because of AI?

No public data we found shows KPMG specifically cutting new-hire classes because of AI. The closest primary source is the Federal Reserve's Beige Book of 2026-10-14. Its Dallas District report says: "One accounting contact noted that some large accounting firms are delaying new employment contracts because they may not need as many entry-level employees as initially anticipated, partly due to efficiency gains from AI." That is one anonymous contact, it names no firm, and it gives no counts: an anecdote, not a trend. The national summary adds that five Districts reported firms trimming staff through attrition, delaying hiring or expecting less job creation after investing in AI. Across all employers, Indeed Hiring Lab found entry-level postings down 7.5% and senior postings up 14.7% year over year in May 2026.

Expect offers to arrive later and start dates to move. A delayed start burns OPT unemployment days, and a 12-month OPT window has room for one March registration, so ask whether the firm will still register you that season if your start date slips.

How to confirm sponsorship for your KPMG role

1. Check the CIP code next to your major on your I-20 against the current DHS STEM list on ICE's SEVIS schools page, and ask your DSO to confirm it.
2. Ask KPMG campus recruiting, in the first conversation, whether this service line and office register new hires in the H-1B lottery, in which season, and at which wage level and occupation code.
3. Confirm for STEM OPT that the hiring entity is enrolled in E-Verify and that the team will complete Form I-983 with you.
4. Search the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub for every spelling of KPMG, and DOL's OFLC disclosure files for past KPMG Labor Condition Applications in similar roles.
5. Review your OPT start date and unemployment count with your DSO before accepting a late start date.
6. Ask when the firm usually starts PERM for your level, and keep the answer with your offer papers.
7. Keep two or three other sponsors in your pipeline until a petition is approved.

Common mistakes

• Treating a forum thread as policy. "KPMG stopped sponsoring" posts are unverified. Ask recruiting about your role.
• Assuming an accounting master's earns STEM OPT. The CIP code on your I-20 decides it, and the general accounting code is not on the edition of the STEM list we checked.
• Ignoring the unemployment counter during a late start. The limit is 90 days (150 in aggregate with STEM OPT), not 60.
• Thinking the $100,000 fee applies to your OPT change of status. The fee is blocked, and changes of status granted inside the US were never covered.

Frequently asked questions

Does KPMG sponsor international students?

Yes, in the sense that KPMG LLP files H-1B petitions year after year. The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub shows 183 new-employment approvals and 264 continuing approvals for KPMG LLP in fiscal year 2024. Whether a particular campus role will sponsor is decided by service line and team, so ask KPMG campus recruiting directly before you rely on it.

Does KPMG sponsor H-1B for audit associates?

USCIS does not break its data out by service line, so no public number answers this for audit alone. The bigger issue is time. An audit associate with a non-STEM accounting degree usually has 12 months of OPT, which in most timelines covers one H-1B registration season, while a STEM-eligible degree adds 24 months and usually three seasons in total. Ask audit recruiting whether they register first-year associates in the lottery.

Does KPMG hire on STEM OPT?

STEM OPT depends on your degree and the employer, not the brand. Your program's CIP code must be on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List, and the employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and complete a Form I-983 training plan with you. Confirm both with your DSO and the KPMG hiring team before you accept. As of 2026-11-01, OPT unemployment limits remain 90 days, or 150 in aggregate with STEM OPT.

Does KPMG sponsor green cards?

We found no published KPMG green card policy, and green card sponsorship is a separate decision from H-1B sponsorship. KPMG is not among the eight employers DOL said on 2026-10-08 it had suspended from PERM. Ask when the firm typically starts PERM for your level, and check DOL's PERM disclosure files for its filing history.

Is KPMG cutting new hires because of AI?

No public data we found shows KPMG specifically cutting new-hire classes because of AI. The Federal Reserve's Beige Book of 2026-10-14 quoted one accounting contact in the Dallas Fed's district saying some large accounting firms are delaying new employment contracts, partly because of AI efficiency gains, but that is a single anecdote that names no firm. Plan for slower offers and protect your OPT unemployment days.

Sources

• USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub and Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub
• USCIS, H-1B electronic registration process
• Federal Register, weighted selection final rule
• ICE, DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List (last updated July 22, 2024)
• USCIS, STEM OPT extension and cap-gap extension
• Study in the States, unemployment counter
• USCIS, Form I-129
• Federal Register, OPT fees proposed rule
• DOL OFLC performance and disclosure data and FLAG processing times
• State Department Visa Bulletin and USCIS adjustment-of-status filing charts
• Federal Reserve, Beige Book, October 2026: Dallas District and national summary
• TechCrunch, the eight employers in DOL's PERM action and Mayer Brown's summary

How we checked this: we read the USCIS, ICE, Study in the States, DOL, Federal Register and Federal Reserve pages above on 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-02, took KPMG LLP's figures from the FY2024 Data Hub extract behind our company pages, and followed our November 2026 facts brief for every rule and date. F1Jobs sells job-search help to international candidates, which is why we track sponsor data; the numbers here come from USCIS, not from us.

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

If you are weighing a KPMG offer against your OPT clock and want help building a list of sponsors to run alongside it, F1Jobs can talk it through with you.