Does Lockheed Martin Sponsor H-1B Visas? Why Most Roles Require US Persons and Where Exceptions Exist

Three in four Lockheed Martin postings we read require a security clearance, and many of the rest require citizenship. Here is how to find the few that do not.

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

Does Lockheed Martin sponsor H-1B? For almost every US job it posts, no. The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract F1Jobs uses shows no FY2024 H-1B decisions under a Lockheed Martin or Sikorsky name. Of 191 US postings we read on Lockheed's job board on 2026-11-02, 144 required a security clearance, which in practice means US citizenship, and many of the rest required citizenship outright. The exceptions are postings with no clearance and no citizenship line, and even then export-control rules decide whether an F-1, OPT, STEM OPT or H-1B candidate can do the work.

Status line (as of 2026-11-01). In effect: the export-control definition of "U.S. person" (22 CFR 120.62) and the NISPOM rule reserving clearances for US citizens, with one narrow exception (32 CFR 117.10(k)). In effect since 2026-02-27: wage-weighted H-1B cap selection. Not announced: FY2028 H-1B registration; USCIS must give at least 30 days' notice.

Does Lockheed Martin sponsor H-1B? The short answer

Lockheed Martin rarely, if ever, sponsors H-1B visas for US roles. USCIS data show no FY2024 H-1B decisions under its name, three in four US postings we read require a security clearance, and many others require citizenship for facility or system access. A green card clears the export-control gate but not the clearance gate.

What the USCIS data actually show

The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub records "the first decisions USCIS makes on petitions for initial and continuing employment," searchable by employer name and identifying each employer by the last four digits of its tax ID. In FY2024, the latest full fiscal year F1Jobs reports for individual employers, there are no rows for Lockheed Martin Corporation or for its Sikorsky business. The only FY2024 "Lockheed" match is an unrelated architectural business in Rhode Island. Lockheed is also not among the 1,024 employers with 100 or more decisions across FY2024 to FY2026, so F1Jobs has no company data page for it. Our guide to the USCIS Employer Data Hub shows how to run the same search yourself.

Common misconception, then correction. "Lockheed Martin files around 1,800 H-1B petitions a year." Sponsor-data sites that rank for this question disagree wildly, by our check of the search results: one prints a figure of that size, while others built on Department of Labor files show single-digit Labor Condition Application counts. USCIS's own Hub shows no FY2024 decisions under a Lockheed Martin name. Treat any large number as unreliable until you can match it to a named petitioner and tax-ID suffix in the Hub, or to DOL's files on the OFLC performance data page. An LCA is not a petition or an approval.

What Lockheed Martin's job postings say (read 2026-11-02)

Every Lockheed posting carries two labelled fields, "Final Clearance for the Role" and "Clearance Required to Start," and states any citizenship rule in its qualifications. We pulled the US postings returned by 20 role searches (software, systems, cyber, data, mechanical, electrical, finance, supply chain, interns and others) and read 191 of them. It is a convenience sample tilted toward engineering and IT, not a census.

What 191 Lockheed Martin US postings said (read 2026-11-02; as of 2026-11)

The citizenship lines are blunt. An Electrical Engineer Intern posting in Orlando reads: "MUST BE A U.S. CITIZEN - This position is located at a facility that requires special access." A fully remote Enterprise IT data-analyst posting with no clearance says "US Citizenship is required due to system access." Some King of Prussia IT roles add "(No dual citizenship)."

Common misconception, then correction. "The posting mentions a Sponsor, so Lockheed sponsors visas for this team." In two Herndon, Virginia cyber software postings (TS/SCI with polygraph), "the Sponsor's networks" means the government customer, an intelligence-community usage. It has nothing to do with immigration.

Same-titled postings differ, so read each one. An "A/AI Machine Learning Engineering Staff" posting (virtual, Wisconsin) had no clearance and no citizenship sentence; an "AI Machine Learning Engineering Staff" posting (virtual, Texas) said "US Citizenship required due to program requirements and system access."

The three gates on every Lockheed Martin job

Three different rules can close a Lockheed role, and each asks a different question. Our broader guide to government contractor jobs and the citizenship barrier covers the whole contractor sector; here is how the gates show up on Lockheed's own postings.

Gate 1: a security clearance asks whether you are a US citizen

This is the gate printed on the posting. For contractor employees the rule is the NISPOM at 32 CFR 117.10, paragraph (k): "Contractors must make every effort to ensure that non-U.S. citizens are not employed in duties that may require access to classified information." The one exception, a Limited Access Authorization, is for "rare circumstances" when a non-citizen's expertise "is urgently needed" and no cleared or clearable citizen is readily available. Under paragraph (k)(2) it is never valid for Top Secret, COMSEC or intelligence information, among other categories. An LAA is not a clearance, and the rule offers it, rarely, to any non-citizen, not specially to green card holders.

Paragraph (l) adds: "Non-U.S. citizens are not eligible for access to classified information on a temporary basis." So the 35 "Interim Secret" postings are closed to every non-citizen, green card holders included.

Gate 2: company and program policy can require citizenship anyway

Twenty-four of the no-clearance postings we read still required citizenship, citing a special-access facility, the program or the customer's IT systems. Federal law allows a citizenship requirement that a law or a government contract imposes: 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(2)(C) exempts citizenship discrimination "otherwise required in order to comply with law, regulation, or executive order, or required by Federal, State, or local government contract." F-1 and H-1B holders are not "protected individuals" under 1324b(a)(3), so that protection never reached them (our reading). No interview answer gets you past this gate.

Gate 3: export control asks whether you are a "U.S. person"

This gate is invisible on Lockheed's postings (none used "U.S. person" wording), but it still applies. The ITAR definition in 22 CFR 120.62 on the eCFR reads: "U.S. person means a person who is a lawful permanent resident as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20) or who is a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)." Protected individuals include citizens, nationals, refugees and asylees. F-1 students (including CPT, OPT and STEM OPT) and H-1B holders are foreign persons, and under 22 CFR 120.50 releasing technical data to a foreign person in the United States is "a deemed export." The Commerce rules do the same for dual-use technology at 15 CFR 734.13.

The gate is built into the H-1B petition. Part 6 of Form I-129 (edition 09/09/26, the only one USCIS accepts from 2026-11-09) makes the employer certify either that no license is needed or that it "will prevent access to the controlled technology or technical data by the beneficiary" until one arrives. The instructions say this will "affect only a small percentage of petitioners because most types of technology are not controlled for export or release to foreign persons." A defense prime is far more likely than most employers to fall in that small percentage. Our explainer on answering "Are you a U.S. person?" covers the application question itself.

The three gates at a glance (as of 2026-11)

Does Lockheed Martin hire international students?

Rarely on F-1 status. Of the 29 internship and college-student postings we read, 20 needed a clearance and 7 more had no clearance but still required US citizenship, such as three GN&C Engineer Intern postings in Littleton, Colorado ("Must be a US Citizen"). Only 2 showed neither line: a College Student Intern posting in structural engineering in Fort Worth and a Subcontract Management Intern posting there.

Those are the only internships worth a question. SEVP's CPT guidance (BCM 2608-01 and 2608-02) is in effect but challenged, with a preliminary-injunction hearing set for 2026-11-06 at 3:00 p.m. in AAU v. DHS (docket; check the docket for the outcome after 2026-11-06). Your DSO authorizes CPT and recommends OPT, and USCIS approves the OPT EAD; Lockheed decides neither.

Can a green card holder work at Lockheed Martin?

Yes, for roles where export control is the only barrier, because a lawful permanent resident is a US person under 22 CFR 120.62. No, for roles that need a clearance or state a citizenship requirement, which were most of what we read. A green card is not a path to a clearance; an approved I-140 or a pending I-485 does not even clear the export gate, because the definition counts only granted permanent residence.

Do you need citizenship for a security clearance?

For a contractor employee, yes in nearly every case, under 32 CFR 117.10(k). Citizenship is necessary, not sufficient: the government decides each case under the SEAD 4 adjudicative guidelines that 117.10(a)(2) names, and some Lockheed postings also exclude dual citizens. Lockheed's hiring process page warns that "background checks and security clearances can take time, and vary by role."

Does Lockheed sponsor H-1B for any roles? A worked example

The public record says almost never, though we cannot rule out a petition filed under a subsidiary name we did not search. Here is how the gates play out for one candidate.

Say you finished an MS in computer engineering in May 2026, you are on post-completion OPT, and on 2026-11-02 you shortlist three Lockheed postings.

1. Electrical Engineer Intern, Orlando (pitched at "a recent graduate or early-career professional"). Final clearance Secret, plus "MUST BE A U.S. CITIZEN." Gates 1 and 2 both close it.
2. Data Analyst Sr, Enterprise IT (fully remote). Final clearance None, but "US Citizenship is required due to system access." Gate 2 closes it, even though the work is unclassified.
3. A/AI Machine Learning Engineering Staff (virtual, Wisconsin). Final clearance None, nothing to start, no citizenship sentence. It is the only one not closed on its face.

The third posting describes "developing, integrating, and deploying autonomy and artificial intelligence algorithms for mission systems," which is exactly the kind of work that can involve controlled technical data. Ask the recruiter in writing whether the role involves ITAR- or EAR-controlled data, and whether Lockheed would support STEM OPT and file an H-1B. If it would, the petition would be cap-subject: FY2028 registration is not announced (USCIS registration page), and wage-weighted selection, in effect since 2026-02-27, gives a Level IV registration four entries to Level I's one (final rule). If the answer is no, move on quickly; post-completion OPT allows 90 days of unemployment and STEM OPT 150 in total, per the SEVIS Help Hub.

Common misconception, then correction. "If a staffing firm sponsors my H-1B, I can work on a Lockheed program as a contractor." Export rules follow the technology, not the paycheck: a release to a foreign person in the US is a deemed export whoever employs that person, and clearance and citizenship requirements attach to the seat. A contractor badge on a citizen-only program carries the same requirement.

How to screen a Lockheed Martin posting in ten minutes

1. Open the posting on Lockheed's job board and read "Final Clearance for the Role" and "Clearance Required to Start." Anything other than None closes it to non-citizens in practice.
2. Search the qualifications for "citizen," "special access," "system access" and "dual." Any citizenship requirement closes it, green card holders included.
3. Ignore "Sponsor" when it refers to the government customer's networks.
4. Check the employer in the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub under its legal name, and treat third-party counts as unverified.
5. Answer any US-person or work-authorization question truthfully; an EAD is work authorization, not US-person status.
6. Ask the recruiter in writing about export-controlled data, STEM OPT support and H-1B sponsorship.
7. Talk to your DSO before accepting anything that depends on CPT or OPT, and to a licensed immigration attorney about H-1B or green card strategy.

What defense jobs can OPT students get?

The demand is real: Indeed Hiring Lab's October 2026 labor market snapshot (2026-10-22) put engineering postings near 145 on its index, while software development, around 78-79, was the lowest of the five sectors charted. At a defense prime, though, most engineering sits behind Gate 1 or Gate 2, and Gate 3 can close what is left.

A defense-sector role on OPT or STEM OPT is realistic only when all three of these hold:

• The posting is open on its face: "None" in both clearance fields and no citizenship sentence. At Lockheed that was 23 of 191 postings, mostly finance, ERP or business analysis, communications and AI or machine-learning roles.
• The work avoids controlled data, or the employer will seek an export license and keep you away from ITAR- or EAR-controlled technical data until it arrives, as Form I-129 Part 6 requires for an H-1B.
• For STEM OPT, the employer is enrolled in E-Verify and will sign your Form I-983 training plan, per USCIS's STEM OPT page. Lockheed's hiring page says it "uses E-Verify in its hiring practices."

Better targets are commercial and dual-use employers. Start with our list of defense and aerospace tech companies that sponsor H-1B for non-ITAR roles, and if security is your field, our guide to cybersecurity jobs that sponsor H-1B separates commercial security work from cleared work. Weighing another airframer? Our Boeing sponsorship guide applies the same gate-by-gate reading.

Common mistakes

• Reading "Final Clearance: None" as open. Twenty-four of the 47 no-clearance postings we read still required citizenship.
• Trusting a big petition number from an aggregator. Match it to the Hub by legal name and tax-ID suffix first.
• Assuming a green card unlocks clearance roles. It clears the export gate only; 32 CFR 117.10(k) still applies.
• Treating "Sponsor" as visa sponsorship. On the cleared Herndon postings we read, it meant the government customer.
• Answering "yes" to a US-person question on F-1, OPT or H-1B. A false answer does far more harm than an honest no.
• Spending OPT unemployment days on a clearance-contingent offer. The 90-day and 150-day limits keep counting.

Frequently asked questions

Does Lockheed Martin sponsor H-1B for any roles?

Almost never, on the public record. The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract F1Jobs uses shows no FY2024 decisions under a Lockheed Martin or Sikorsky name, and 144 of the 191 US postings we read on 2026-11-02 required a security clearance. A posting with no clearance and no citizenship line is the only kind worth asking about.

Does Lockheed Martin hire international students?

Rarely on F-1 status. Of the 29 internship and college-student postings we read on 2026-11-02, 20 required a clearance and 7 more required US citizenship without one. Only 2 showed neither line; for those, ask the recruiter about export control and sponsorship, and ask your DSO whether CPT or OPT fits.

Can a green card holder work at Lockheed Martin?

Yes for roles where export control is the only barrier, because a lawful permanent resident is a US person under 22 CFR 120.62. No for roles that need a security clearance or state a US-citizenship requirement, which were the majority of the postings we read on 2026-11-02. A green card does not make you eligible for a clearance.

Do you need citizenship for a security clearance?

For a defense contractor employee, yes in nearly every case. The NISPOM rule at 32 CFR 117.10(k) tells contractors to keep non-US citizens out of classified duties, allowing only a rare Limited Access Authorization that never covers Top Secret, COMSEC or intelligence information. Green card holders count as non-US citizens, and citizenship alone does not guarantee approval.

What defense jobs can OPT students get?

Mostly unclassified work that does not involve controlled technical data, often at commercial or dual-use companies rather than defense primes. At Lockheed, 23 of the 191 postings we read on 2026-11-02 showed no clearance and no citizenship line, mostly finance, ERP or business-analysis, communications and AI or machine-learning roles. Confirm export-control status before you count on any offer.

Sources

• USCIS, H-1B Employer Data Hub
• USCIS, Form I-129 (form and instructions, edition 09/09/26)
• USCIS, H-1B electronic registration process and STEM OPT extension
• Federal Register, weighted selection final rule
• eCFR, 22 CFR 120.62 and 22 CFR 120.50; Cornell LII, 32 CFR 117.10, 15 CFR 734.13 and 8 U.S.C. 1324b
• DHS SEVIS Help Hub, unemployment counter
• DOL OFLC, performance data
• CourtListener, AAU v. DHS docket
• Indeed Hiring Lab, US labor market snapshot, October 2026
• Lockheed Martin, job board and hiring process

How we checked this: we searched the FY2024 to FY2026 USCIS Hub extract F1Jobs uses for every Lockheed and Sikorsky name, read the regulations above (eCFR current through 2026-10-29) and Form I-129 (09/09/26), and read 191 US Lockheed postings on its job board, all on 2026-11-02. Postings change daily, so re-read any role before you rely on it.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-20, EAD or I-797 and your DSO or immigration attorney govern your situation.

If you want help building a target list of employers whose roles clear all three gates, F1Jobs can talk it through with you.