Does Mayo Clinic Sponsor H-1B Visas? Research, Clinical and IT Roles and the Cap-Exempt Question
Mayo Clinic had 393 H-1B petition decisions in FY2024, but cap-exempt treatment, cap-gap and a later move to industry work differently than most OPT holders expect.
Part of our guide to cap-exempt H-1B employers.
Does Mayo Clinic sponsor H-1B visas? Yes. The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub records 231 initial-employment approvals and 159 continuing approvals for the petitioner "Mayo Clinic" (Rochester, Minnesota) in fiscal year 2024, against 3 denials. Whether a particular Mayo petition is cap-exempt, meaning it is filed outside the H-1B lottery, is a legal determination under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F), and the Mayo immigration pages we read on 2026-11-01 do not state its cap status. Confirm it for your exact role before you build your OPT timeline around it.
Status as of 2026-11-01: cap-gap does not cover cap-exempt petitions (in effect). The $100,000 H-1B payment is blocked by court orders and not being collected, although Proclamation 11069 stays in effect on paper through 2027-09-21. USCIS's unpublished "Reforming the H-1B" draft proposed rule (RIN 1615-AD00), whose agenda abstract mentions cap exemptions, is under OIRA review with no public text. The FY2028 H-1B registration has not been announced.
Does Mayo Clinic sponsor H-1B? The short answer
Mayo Clinic does sponsor H-1B workers: USCIS recorded 393 first decisions on its H-1B petitions in FY2024, 99.2% of them approvals. Mayo's College of Medicine and Science says Mayo "may also sponsor clinical residents and fellows in H-1B status if all eligibility requirements are met." Cap-exempt treatment is not stated on its public pages, so confirm it with Mayo's Legal Department.
| FY2024, petitioner "Mayo Clinic", Rochester, MN | Count |
|---|---|
| Initial-employment approvals | 231 |
| Initial-employment denials | 1 |
| Continuing-employment approvals | 159 |
| Continuing-employment denials | 2 |
| Total first decisions | 393 |
| Approval rate, approvals / all decisions | 99.2% |
Source: USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, FY2024, the latest full year in the extract behind our Mayo Clinic H-1B sponsor page.
Three cautions when you read these numbers:
- They count petitions, not people or hires. The Hub covers "the first decisions USCIS makes on petitions for initial and continuing employment," and one person can generate several petitions.
- Large systems can file under several legal entities. The Hub identifies employers by name and the last four digits of their tax ID, so search every Mayo name your offer letter might use.
- A high initial share is a hint, not proof. Initial approvals were 231 of 390, about 59% (our arithmetic). That fits an employer filing new H-1Bs year-round, which cap-exempt employers can do, but cap-subject employers also file initial petitions after lottery selection.
Is Mayo Clinic cap-exempt for H-1B?
Possibly, but no public Mayo or USCIS page we found says so, and you should not assume it. USCIS decides cap exemption petition by petition, based on the employing entity and, for workers placed there by another employer, the job duties. Mayo's immigration and visas pages say its Legal Department provides immigration services for its international community; that office can tell you which basis, if any, applies to your petition.
| Route under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F) | What the regulation requires | What to ask Mayo |
|---|---|---|
| Institution of higher education | Meets the Higher Education Act definition, 20 U.S.C. 1001(a) | Is the petitioning entity the degree-granting institution? |
| Nonprofit related to or affiliated with one | Shared board; operated by the institution; attached as a member, branch or subsidiary; or a written affiliation agreement where "a fundamental activity" directly contributes to its research or education mission | Which test does my employing entity rely on? |
| Nonprofit research organization | A 501(c)(3), (c)(4) or (c)(6) nonprofit with basic or applied research as a fundamental activity | Is my petition filed on this basis? |
| Governmental research organization | A federal, state or local government entity with basic or applied research as a fundamental activity | Applies to government bodies only |
| Worker employed by someone else | At least half of work time on duties at the qualifying entity that "directly further an activity that supports or advances" its higher education or research purpose; telework can count | Does this apply because a vendor employs me? |
Rules as of 2026-11, effective since 2025-01-17. Full text: 8 CFR 214.2 on Cornell LII.
Common misconception: "Mayo Clinic is on every cap-exempt list, so my H-1B there skips the lottery." Correction: third-party lists are not USCIS determinations. Ask Mayo's Legal Department, through your recruiter if you have no offer yet, which entity will petition and on what basis, and keep the answer in writing.
One item to watch, without overreading it: USCIS's draft proposed rule "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program" (RIN 1615-AD00) has been under OIRA review since 2026-08-24. Its agenda abstract lists "revising eligibility for cap exemptions", but no text is public. Until something is published, the table above is the rule. For academic medical centers as a group, see our guide to cap-exempt healthcare and university hospitals.
Research, clinical and IT roles at Mayo Clinic
Research roles
For a direct Mayo hire, a research title does not by itself decide cap status; the petitioning entity does (our reading of the categories above). If you are on OPT in biostatistics, bioinformatics, a lab science or data science, your real questions are visa type, timing (next section) and appointment type. Mayo uses J-1 for some research visitors (for visiting graduate students it says it "would most likely sponsor you using the J-1 Research Scholar category"), so ask whether a research offer comes with H-1B or J-1 sponsorship; J-1 has its own time limits and, in some cases, the 212(e) home-residency rule. Mayo also separates training-based appointments (students, residents and fellows) from employment-based positions, and that split decides green card eligibility later, so ask whether a "research fellow" title counts as training-based before you accept.
Clinical roles
Mayo says it may sponsor clinical residents and fellows in H-1B status, and its pages also describe J-1 sponsorship, including a J-1 ECFMG section. The choice matters: J-1 graduate medical training triggers the two-year home-residency requirement under INA 212(e), and the Conrad 30 waiver program runs only through 2026-12-11 under the current continuing resolution (P.L. 119-103) unless Congress passes funding or another extension by then; our Conrad 30 deadline explainer has the details. Choosing between J-1 and H-1B is a question for an immigration attorney.
Does Mayo Clinic sponsor H-1B for IT roles?
Mayo does not publish which job families it sponsors, and the Data Hub shows no job titles. Every H-1B petition needs a certified Labor Condition Application, and DOL's Office of Foreign Labor Certification posts LCA disclosure files with employer, job title, SOC code, worksite and wage; the latest cover FY2026 Q3 (through 2026-06-30). Filter for Mayo entities and look for software, data and informatics titles; an LCA is not a hire, but it shows what Mayo has filed for.
Who employs you matters more than the title. If a qualifying Mayo entity employs you directly, the regulation's tests look at the employer, not the job, so an IT analyst there is generally in the same position as a researcher (our reading). If an IT staffing vendor places you at Mayo, the vendor petitions, and an exemption needs both a qualifying Mayo entity and the "at least half" duties test above. Supporting billing or general hospital operations may not meet that test (our reading). The vendor's immigration counsel makes that call.
Does cap-gap apply to a Mayo Clinic H-1B?
No, if the petition is cap-exempt. The cap-gap rule at 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(vii) covers only "an F-1 student who is the beneficiary of an H-1B petition subject to section 214(g)(1)(A)," meaning the cap, and extends status and OPT work only to April 1 of the fiscal year requested or the petition start date, whichever is earlier. USCIS's cap-gap page states the same limits. With a cap-exempt Mayo petition, your work authorization ends when your OPT or STEM OPT EAD does (or when a STEM OPT 180-day automatic extension ends, if one applies), unless the H-1B has started by then.
A worked example: your post-completion OPT EAD (Form I-766) ends 2027-06-30, and you accept an offer on 2027-02-01.
| Date | Mayo files a cap-exempt petition | A cap-subject employer files instead |
|---|---|---|
| February 2027 | Mayo can file once DOL certifies the LCA; no registration | Waits for the FY2028 registration, which USCIS must announce at least 30 days ahead |
| Spring 2027 | Premium processing is currently 15 business days for most I-129s | Files only if selected; the filing period is at least 90 days |
| 2027-06-30 | EAD ends; no cap-gap; work stops unless the H-1B has started | Cap-gap continues status and OPT work if a selected, timely change-of-status petition is pending or approved |
| 2027-10-01 | Already on H-1B if approved with an earlier start date | Earliest FY2028 H-1B start date |
Rules in effect as of 2026-11. Premium timeframes: USCIS premium processing page. An unpublished USCIS draft titled "Amending the Premium Processing Timeframe" (RIN 1615-AD25) has been under OIRA review since 2026-10-13; its direction is unknown.
Our explainer on whether cap-gap applies to cap-exempt H-1Bs covers any university or nonprofit. For a Mayo offer:
- Ask Mayo's Legal Department, through your recruiter or hiring manager, which Mayo entity will file Form I-129 and whether the petition will be cap-exempt.
- Send Mayo the end date on your EAD (Form I-766) and your I-20 in writing the day you accept.
- Confirm whether Mayo will add Form I-907 for premium processing. Mayo's H-1B page says its Legal Department decides the processing method and that premium processing "is generally the only practical filing method in most cases"; on 2026-11-01 the USCIS processing-times tool showed 10 months for 80% of H-1B change-of-status cases.
- Tell your DSO about the offer and the planned start date, since your SEVIS record and travel questions run through the DSO.
- Read the approval notice (Form I-797A for a change of status) for the validity dates and the I-94 printed on it.
- Stop working when your OPT work authorization ends if the H-1B has not started. The 60-day F-1 grace period still applies while the D/S rule is blocked (since 2026-09-14), but it does not authorize work, so ask Mayo's attorneys and your DSO what it means for your stay.
Do not travel abroad while the change of status is pending without clearing it with Mayo's attorneys and your DSO first; leaving the United States generally abandons a pending change-of-status request.
The $100,000 fee and Mayo hires from abroad
As of 2026-11-01, the fee is blocked and not being collected. The USCIS I-129 page (updated 2026-10-30) says a court "vacated agency guidance implementing the $100,000 payment requirement" and that "If this order is later lifted, DHS still plans to collect the payment." Change-of-status and extension requests granted inside the US were never covered; a consular-notification petition for someone abroad, or a denied change of status, would be if collection resumed.
Cap-exempt employers felt the fee anyway. The Congressional Research Service reported on 2026-10-14 that initial consular H-1B petitions from cap-exempt employers fell 91% in the fee's first eight months. On appeal, the states' brief in California v. Mullin (1st Cir. 26-1699) is due 2026-11-04 and the government's opening brief in Global Nurse Force (9th Cir. 26-6667) is due 2026-11-06 (check the dockets after those dates). Our $100K fee edge cases for research hospitals covers the details.
Can I move from Mayo Clinic to a private company on H-1B?
Yes, but usually through the lottery. The regulation says: "If cap-exempt employment ceases, and if the alien is not the beneficiary of a new cap-exempt petition, then the alien will be subject to the cap if not previously counted within the 6-year period of authorized admission to which the cap-exempt employment applied." Your options:
- Another cap-exempt employer. A university or qualifying nonprofit can file a new cap-exempt petition, with no lottery.
- A cap-subject employer. It must register you and be selected, unless you were already counted against the cap in the same six-year period. Selection has been wage-weighted since 2026-02-27, and the FY2028 registration is not yet announced. A $103,265 fee on certain cap-subject petitions is only proposed (RIN 1615-AD20; no final rule).
- Concurrent employment. You keep the Mayo job and add a cap-subject role, which is not counted against the cap while the Mayo job continues; if the Mayo job ends, you become cap-subject and USCIS "may revoke" the concurrent petition.
If your Mayo employment ends, the current discretionary worker grace period of up to 60 days applies. DHS has proposed eliminating it (RIN 1615-AD22), with comments closing 2026-11-10 (check the Federal Register for the outcome after 2026-11-10). The full sequence is in our guide to moving from a cap-exempt employer to a cap-subject one.
Does Mayo Clinic sponsor green cards?
For some staff, not for trainees. Mayo's immigration FAQ says: "If you hold a training-based appointment as a student, resident, or fellow, you are not eligible for Mayo Clinic Green Card Sponsorship. Only individuals in employment-based positions may be considered for sponsorship when certain conditions exist." It does not publish the conditions.
For staff, the employer route usually runs through PERM labor certification at DOL, then Form I-140, then adjustment (Form I-485) or consular processing. As of 2026-10-21, DOL's FLAG processing page showed PERM analyst review at January 2026 priority dates, and PERM rules are unchanged (DOL's labor-market-test proposal cleared OIRA on 2026-10-23 but is unpublished). Researchers may also hear about EB-1B, an employer-filed category with no PERM; see our EB-1B outstanding researcher guide. Trainees can look at self-petitions such as the national interest waiver or EB-1A, which need no employer, with their own immigration attorney.
Mayo's H-1B page notes that extensions beyond six years are possible "while moving through the U.S. Legal Permanent Residence Process." Under AC21, a PERM or I-140 filed 365 or more days earlier generally supports one-year extensions, and an approved I-140 supports three-year extensions when per-country limits are what hold up the green card. Your wait depends on category and country of birth; for November 2026 USCIS requires the Dates for Filing chart for I-485s, while consular cases always use Final Action Dates.
Common mistakes
- Treating a third-party "cap-exempt list" as a USCIS ruling. Ask Mayo which entity petitions and on what basis.
- Counting on cap-gap for a Mayo petition. It covers cap-subject petitions only; plan around the end of your OPT work authorization.
- Assuming a vendor placement at Mayo is cap-exempt. The duties test applies.
- Accepting a fellowship expecting Mayo green card sponsorship. Mayo's FAQ rules out training-based appointments.
- Leaving for industry without checking your cap history. Unless you were counted before, the new employer needs a lottery selection.
- Reading 393 decisions as 393 hires. The Hub counts first decisions on petitions, including extensions.
- Travelling while a change of status is pending. Clear any trip with Mayo's attorneys, and with your DSO while you are on F-1.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mayo Clinic cap-exempt for H-1B?
Mayo's public immigration pages, read on 2026-11-01, do not state its cap status, and no USCIS page we found does either. USCIS decides it petition by petition under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F). Mayo's FY2024 filing pattern fits a cap-exempt employer but is not proof, so ask Mayo's Legal Department.
Does Mayo Clinic sponsor H-1B for IT roles?
Mayo does not publish which job families it sponsors. DOL's LCA disclosure files (latest FY2026 Q3) list filings by employer, job title and SOC code. If a qualifying Mayo entity employs you directly, the employer rather than the job title drives cap status (our reading). If an IT vendor places you at Mayo, its petition can be cap-exempt only if Mayo qualifies and at least half your work time goes to duties that directly further Mayo's higher education or research.
Does cap-gap apply to a Mayo Clinic H-1B?
Not if Mayo files a cap-exempt petition. Cap-gap, which runs to April 1 of the fiscal year requested, covers only timely filed cap-subject change-of-status petitions. Your OPT or STEM OPT work authorization, including any STEM OPT 180-day automatic extension, ends on schedule unless the H-1B has started (rule as of 2026-11-01).
Can I move from Mayo Clinic to a private company on H-1B?
Yes, but if your Mayo H-1B was cap-exempt and you were never counted against the cap, the private employer generally needs a lottery selection first. The exceptions are a prior cap count in the same six-year period, another cap-exempt employer, or concurrent work while you keep the Mayo job. FY2028 registration was unannounced as of 2026-11-01.
Does Mayo Clinic sponsor green cards?
For some staff, not for trainees. Mayo's FAQ says students, residents and fellows in training-based appointments are not eligible for its green card sponsorship, and only people in employment-based positions may be considered when certain conditions exist. Trainees can explore self-petitions such as the national interest waiver with their own attorney.
Sources
- USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub
- Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Immigration and Visas, H-1B Visa and Frequently Asked Questions
- 8 CFR 214.2 (Cornell LII)
- USCIS, cap-gap extension of OPT and F-1 status
- USCIS Form I-129 page and H-1B electronic registration process
- USCIS premium processing timeframes and USCIS processing-times tool
- Federal Register, proposed rule eliminating the discretionary 60-day grace period (RIN 1615-AD22)
- CRS Insight IN12747 (2026-10-14)
- RIN 1615-AD00 agenda entry
- DOL OFLC performance data and disclosure files and FLAG processing times
- USCIS adjustment of status filing charts
How we checked this: we read Mayo's immigration pages, the regulation text, and USCIS, DOL and CRS pages, and pulled the FY2024 Data Hub extract, on 2026-11-01; employer figures are FY2024 first decisions only.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your own I-20, EAD, I-94 and approval notice govern, along with your DSO for F-1 and OPT questions and a licensed immigration attorney for petitions and status strategy.
If you are on OPT and weighing a Mayo offer against cap-subject roles, F1Jobs helps international candidates run a focused search for employers that sponsor.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mayo Clinic cap-exempt for H-1B?
Mayo's public immigration pages, read on 2026-11-01, do not state its cap status, and no USCIS page we found does either. USCIS decides it petition by petition under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F). Mayo's FY2024 filing pattern fits a cap-exempt employer but is not proof, so ask Mayo's Legal Department.
Does Mayo Clinic sponsor H-1B for IT roles?
Mayo does not publish which job families it sponsors. DOL's LCA disclosure files (latest FY2026 Q3) list filings by employer, job title and SOC code. If a qualifying Mayo entity employs you directly, the employer rather than the job title drives cap status (our reading). If an IT vendor places you at Mayo, its petition can be cap-exempt only if Mayo qualifies and at least half your work time goes to duties that directly further Mayo's higher education or research.
Does cap-gap apply to a Mayo Clinic H-1B?
Not if Mayo files a cap-exempt petition. Cap-gap, which runs to April 1 of the fiscal year requested, covers only timely filed cap-subject change-of-status petitions. Your OPT or STEM OPT work authorization, including any STEM OPT 180-day automatic extension, ends on schedule unless the H-1B has started (rule as of 2026-11-01).
Can I move from Mayo Clinic to a private company on H-1B?
Yes, but if your Mayo H-1B was cap-exempt and you were never counted against the cap, the private employer generally needs a lottery selection first. The exceptions are a prior cap count in the same six-year period, another cap-exempt employer, or concurrent work while you keep the Mayo job. FY2028 registration was unannounced as of 2026-11-01.
Does Mayo Clinic sponsor green cards?
For some staff, not for trainees. Mayo's FAQ says students, residents and fellows in training-based appointments are not eligible for its green card sponsorship, and only people in employment-based positions may be considered when certain conditions exist. Trainees can explore self-petitions such as the national interest waiver with their own attorney.