Does LinkedIn Sponsor H-1B Visas? The Microsoft PERM Question and What OPT Engineers Should Ask

LinkedIn files its own H-1B petitions, but DOL's October PERM suspension named Microsoft without saying whether subsidiaries count, so here is what to ask in writing.

Part of our guide to PERM labor certification.

Does LinkedIn sponsor H-1B? Yes. LinkedIn files H-1B petitions under its own legal name, LinkedIn Corporation, and USCIS recorded 166 initial-employment approvals and 804 continuing-employment approvals for it in FY2024, against 5 denials. The open question is green cards. On 2026-10-08 the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a PERM suspension of eight employers, Microsoft among them, and as of 2026-11-01 no public text says whether Microsoft subsidiaries such as LinkedIn are included. That suspension reaches PERM labor certifications, not H-1B. If you hold a LinkedIn offer or interview, get LinkedIn's answer in writing.

Status as of November 1, 2026. DOL's PERM suspension of Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini is in effect as announced, with no written notice, stated basis or end date. The action "does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program," according to Mayer Brown's 2026-10-15 summary. Microsoft's 2026-10-26 offer to about 60,000 employees is a voluntary buyout, not layoffs. The FY2028 H-1B registration is not announced.

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

LinkedIn sponsors H-1B workers under its own legal name, LinkedIn Corporation. In FY2024, USCIS recorded 975 first decisions on its petitions: 166 initial-employment approvals with no initial denials, and 804 continuing approvals with 5 denials, about 99.5% approved (our arithmetic). That marks an active sponsor. It does not tell you whether a specific role will sponsor you.

The year-by-year record is on our LinkedIn Corporation H-1B employer page, built from the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, which lists LinkedIn Corporation in Sunnyvale, California. LinkedIn is its own petitioner, not a line inside Microsoft's filings. That is exactly why the PERM question below is open rather than obvious.

What the initial and continuing numbers mean for you

USCIS's guide to the Data Hub says: "The approval and denial data in the data hub reflects USCIS' first decision." Its definition of New Employment includes a worker who "Will work for the same employer but in a different nonimmigrant classification," which is the F-1 OPT employee whose own employer files a change of status. Continuation, Change of Employer and Amended petitions are listed as separate types. So 166 is the closest public signal of how many workers LinkedIn moved into H-1B employment for the first time in FY2024, while the 804 continuing approvals are mostly extensions, amendments and transfers from other H-1B employers (our reading; the guide does not map each type to the initial and continuing columns).

The figures cannot tell you which teams sponsor, and 99.5% is not your lottery odds: it is the approved share of petitions USCIS decided, most of them continuing-employment petitions that never went through the lottery. For newer quarters, search the Hub directly (it now says it covers through FY2026 quarter 4), and never read a partial year as a full one. Our guide on how to check if a company sponsors H-1B applies the same method to any employer.

Does LinkedIn sponsor H-1B for new grads?

LinkedIn files first-time H-1B petitions, the category a new grad's petition lands in. But no employer sponsors every role, and a new grad on OPT still needs a cap lottery selection no employer can promise. Ask the recruiter in writing whether your role is eligible.

• The lottery is wage-weighted. Weighted selection has been in effect since 2026-02-27: a Level IV wage gets four entries, Level I gets one. Ask what wage level your role would be registered at.
• FY2028 registration is not announced. The USCIS registration page still shows FY2027 (March 4-19, $215); USCIS must give at least 30 days' notice. The FY2027 cap was reached on 2026-07-17 with no second round.
• The $100,000 fee is blocked. Proclamation 11069 is in effect on paper until 2027-09-21, but courts vacated the agency policies implementing the payment, and USCIS's I-129 page says "If this order is later lifted, DHS still plans to collect the payment." Change-of-status petitions USCIS grants inside the US, the usual OPT-to-H-1B route, were never covered; a denied change of status or a consular-notification petition would be if collection resumed.

If you are not selected and your degree qualifies, the 24-month STEM OPT extension gives you more registration seasons, but only with an employer enrolled in E-Verify that signs your Form I-983 training plan.

Is LinkedIn affected by the Microsoft PERM suspension?

As of 2026-11-01, nobody outside DOL can tell you. DOL's announcement named Microsoft, and no public text defines whether it reaches Microsoft's subsidiaries. Because LinkedIn files under its own name, this is a real open question. We do not say LinkedIn is covered, and we do not say it is not.

What is on the record: Mayer Brown's 2026-10-15 summary reports that DOL "will not accept any new or process any pending permanent labor certification applications" for the eight employers, and that the action "does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program." It says nothing about subsidiaries. As of 2026-11-01 there is no notice from DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification, no Federal Register notice, no stated basis, no end date and no lawsuit. 20 CFR 656.31 permits a suspension of up to 180 days during a fraud probe, but DOL has not said publicly that it invoked it.

Microsoft has said about 80% of its roughly 6,000 H-1B filings were extensions or changes of status: H-1B work, which the suspension does not reach.

LinkedIn and the PERM suspension: known, unknown, what to ask (as of 2026-11)

Common misconception: "Microsoft can't sponsor H-1B anymore, so LinkedIn can't either." Correction: The 2026-10-08 action suspends PERM (green-card) processing. According to Mayer Brown, it "does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program," Microsoft included, whatever the answer on LinkedIn's PERM filings turns out to be.

Our explainer on what DOL's PERM suspension of Microsoft, TCS and Infosys actually does covers all eight employers; the decision table for an offer from a PERM-suspended employer shows how much it matters at each career stage; and our guide to Microsoft H-1B sponsorship for international candidates covers the parent.

Does LinkedIn sponsor green cards?

For most engineers, an employment green card starts with a PERM labor certification filed with DOL, then a Form I-140 with USCIS. Any PERM determinations for LinkedIn Corporation are public record; your timeline, and whether the suspension touches it, only LinkedIn can tell you.

To check history, open DOL's OFLC performance data page, download the PERM disclosure file and filter the employer column for LinkedIn Corporation. The latest file covers determinations through 2026-06-30 (FY2026 Q3), before the suspension, so it cannot show whether filings stopped in October. Our guide on whether a company sponsors green cards explains how to read the counts.

Two dated snapshots set expectations. DOL's FLAG processing times page showed PERM analyst review at January 2026 priority dates, averaging 303 days, as of 2026-10-21. For India-born applicants, the November 2026 Visa Bulletin holds the EB-2 India Final Action Date at 2013-11-01, with a Dates for Filing cutoff of 2015-01-15, the chart USCIS requires for November I-485s; the December bulletin was not out as of 2026-11-01 (check the State Department's Visa Bulletin page monthly). An approved I-140 still supports three-year H-1B extensions under AC21 s.104(c).

Does the Microsoft buyout reach LinkedIn employees?

CNBC's report does not say whether LinkedIn teams are among the participating teams, so ask your manager or HR. CNBC reported on 2026-10-26 that Microsoft offered voluntary exits to about 60,000 people (about 27%) at level 70 and below on participating teams in the US, Canada, India and the UK, with decisions due by early December and leavers exiting on 2026-12-31. It is an offer you can decline, not a layoff.

If you hold H-1B status and accept any exit offer, the current discretionary grace period of up to 60 days is still the rule. DHS has proposed removing it for H-1B and other workers (not F-1 or OPT); comments close 2026-11-10 at 11:59 p.m. ET (Federal Register notice; check the Federal Register for the outcome after 2026-11-10). The proposal would leave only the 10-day window after a petition's validity period, which runs from the petition's end date, not from your last day of work. Our guide to the Microsoft voluntary buyout on H-1B works through the dates.

Is LinkedIn E-Verify enrolled? What STEM OPT needs

The STEM OPT extension depends on it. Under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(5), "The student's employer is enrolled in E-Verify, as evidenced by either a valid E-Verify Company Identification number" or a client company ID when an agent creates its cases. That number goes on your Form I-983.

We did not confirm LinkedIn's listing for this article. Use the E-Verify Employer Search, updated daily at about 2 a.m. ET; employers appear under their enrollment name (a legal name, trade name or abbreviation), and not every listed employer's site is necessarily enrolled. Then ask HR for the company ID. Our E-Verify employer lookup guide walks through it.

Two STEM OPT rules, both in effect and unchanged:

• The 180-day automatic extension still applies to a timely filed STEM I-765; the 2026-10-14 EAD rule did not change it. File after the OPT EAD expires and you get no 180 days.
• Unemployment is capped at 90 days on post-completion OPT and 150 in total with STEM OPT, per the SEVIS Help Hub.

E-Verify's authorization runs with the stopgap funding law through 2026-12-11 and lapses with it unless Congress passes funding by then; E-Verify went offline during the October 2025 shutdown.

Does LinkedIn hire OPT students and interns?

OPT is your own work authorization, so no employer sponsors it. LinkedIn Careers lists "Internship Opportunities," "Entry-Level Roles" and "Apprenticeships"; the page does not mention visa sponsorship. For a CPT internship, note that SEVP's CPT guidance (BCM 2608-01 and 2608-02) is in effect and challenged, with a preliminary-injunction hearing set for 2026-11-06 at 3:00 p.m. (check the court docket for the outcome after 2026-11-06). Some schools have paused parts of CPT, so ask your DSO, who authorizes it, before you accept an internship that depends on it.

What to ask LinkedIn, step by step

1. Email the recruiter: is the role eligible for H-1B sponsorship, and which legal entity files the I-129?
2. Search LinkedIn Corporation in the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub and note initial approvals by year.
3. Search the E-Verify Employer Search, then ask HR for the E-Verify company ID for Form I-983.
4. Ask the immigration team, in writing, whether DOL's 2026-10-08 PERM suspension applies to LinkedIn Corporation's labor certifications.
5. Ask when LinkedIn starts PERM for your level, and whether filings are proceeding now.
6. Download DOL's OFLC PERM disclosure file and filter for LinkedIn Corporation.
7. Bring the answers to your DSO for OPT, STEM OPT, cap-gap or I-983 questions, and to a licensed immigration attorney for PERM, AC21 or status strategy.

A short email that gets a usable answer:

"Could you confirm in writing whether DOL's October 8, 2026 announcement suspending PERM processing for Microsoft applies to labor certifications filed by LinkedIn Corporation? If it does, how would it affect my green-card timing, and will my H-1B filing proceed as normal?"

A worked timeline: a December 2026 graduate with a LinkedIn offer

Say you finish a STEM master's in December 2026 and join LinkedIn on post-completion OPT, with an EAD (in this example) valid 2027-01-15 to 2028-01-14. Your own EAD dates govern.

Dates that matter for this example (as of 2026-11)

Not selected for FY2028? STEM OPT keeps you working into later seasons if the hiring entity is in E-Verify and signs your I-983. At that step, watch the OPT-fee proposal: as proposed, the school would pay $70,000 before an initial OPT recommendation and $30,000 before each later one, and could pass the cost on. It would reach only DSO recommendations dated 60 or more days after a final rule (none exists as of 2026-11-01), and the text leaves open which amount applies when a student's first OPT was fee-free. Ask your DSO. PERM runs on a separate track, so ask about it now, not in year three.

Common mistakes

• Reading the PERM suspension as an H-1B ban. It is a green-card labor-certification action.
• Deciding LinkedIn is covered, or safe, because Microsoft owns it. Neither is confirmed in public.
• Calling the Microsoft buyout "60,000 layoffs." It is a voluntary exit offer.
• Treating 99.5% as your odds. It is the approved share of decided petitions, most of them extensions and transfers, not a lottery rate.
• Searching E-Verify only for the brand name. Listings use the enrollment name, and enrollment is no promise of H-1B sponsorship.

Frequently asked questions

Does LinkedIn sponsor H-1B for new grads?

LinkedIn files H-1B petitions under its own name, LinkedIn Corporation, and USCIS recorded 166 initial-employment approvals and no initial denials for it in FY2024, the bucket where a first H-1B after OPT usually lands. Whether a specific role sponsors is decided offer by offer, so ask the recruiter in writing. A new grad also needs a cap lottery selection, and the FY2028 registration was not announced as of 2026-11-01.

Is LinkedIn affected by the Microsoft PERM suspension?

Nobody outside DOL can say yet. DOL announced a PERM suspension of eight employers, Microsoft among them, on 2026-10-08, and as of 2026-11-01 no public text says whether subsidiaries such as LinkedIn are included. The suspension covers green-card labor certifications, and according to Mayer Brown it does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program. Ask LinkedIn's immigration team in writing.

Does LinkedIn sponsor green cards?

For most engineers an employment green card starts with a PERM labor certification and a Form I-140 filed by the employer. Any PERM determinations for LinkedIn Corporation appear in DOL's public disclosure files, the latest running through 2026-06-30, which predates the October 2026 suspension. Ask HR when it starts PERM for your role and whether filings are proceeding.

Does LinkedIn hire OPT students?

OPT is your own work authorization, so no employer sponsors it, and LinkedIn's careers site lists internships, entry-level roles and apprenticeships. What matters is whether the role will file an H-1B later and, for STEM OPT, whether the hiring entity is enrolled in E-Verify and will sign your Form I-983.

Is LinkedIn E-Verify enrolled?

Check the E-Verify Employer Search on e-verify.gov, which USCIS updates daily and which lists employers by their enrollment name, then ask HR for the E-Verify company ID for your Form I-983. We did not confirm LinkedIn's listing for this article, so treat the tool and HR's written answer as the source of truth.

Sources

• USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub and its data definitions
• Mayer Brown, DOL enforcement actions (2026-10-15)
• DOL OFLC performance data and FLAG processing times
• USCIS H-1B registration, Form I-129 and STEM OPT pages
• 8 CFR 214.2 (Cornell LII) and the E-Verify Employer Search
• Federal Register, proposed removal of the 60-day grace period and the proposed OPT fees
• State Department Visa Bulletin and the SEVIS Help Hub unemployment counter
• CNBC, Microsoft voluntary buyouts (2026-10-26), LinkedIn Careers and the AAU v. DHS CPT docket

How we checked this: official USCIS, DOL, E-Verify, eCFR and Federal Register pages, the Mayer Brown summary, CNBC and LinkedIn's careers page, read 2026-11-01 to 2026-11-02; employer figures from the FY2024 USCIS Data Hub extract our company pages use.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-20, EAD, I-797 and I-94 govern, and your DSO or immigration attorney should confirm anything that affects your status.

If you are on OPT or STEM OPT and building a list of employers that sponsor, F1Jobs can help you run a focused, visa-aware search.