Does Morgan Stanley Sponsor H-1B Visas? Analyst, Tech and Quant Paths for OPT and STEM OPT Candidates

Morgan Stanley logged 240 initial-employment H-1B approvals across two US entities in FY2024, so here is which entity would hire you and how OPT and STEM OPT get you to the lottery.

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

Yes, Morgan Stanley sponsors H-1B visas, and USCIS data shows it filing through two US legal entities. In FY2024 the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub recorded 147 initial-employment approvals for Morgan Stanley Services Group Inc., typically the technology and operations employer, and 93 for Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the broker-dealer. That is 240 initial-employment approvals combined, plus 308 continuing approvals. The record shows the firm sponsors; whether your role is sponsored is decided offer by offer, starting with the entity named on your offer letter.

Status as of November 1, 2026: 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. The $100,000 H-1B payment is blocked by court orders, on appeal. Ending the 60-day grace period for H-1B workers is only proposed, with comments closing 2026-11-10.

Does Morgan Stanley sponsor H-1B? The short answer

Yes. In FY2024, USCIS recorded 548 H-1B approvals and 7 denials across Morgan Stanley Services Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, including 240 initial-employment approvals, the category where a first H-1B after F-1 OPT usually appears. Sponsorship is still decided role by role, so get the entity and the commitment in writing.

These are first decisions, counted in workers. USCIS's Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub page says: "The approval and denial data in the data hub reflects USCIS' first decision." This guide uses FY2024 figures. The USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub now says it covers fiscal years 2009 through 2026 (quarter 4), so check newer years there, and never compare a partial year with a full one.

Which Morgan Stanley entity sponsors which division?

Our extract of the Hub shows two Morgan Stanley petitioners. Services Group is typically the employer for technology and operations roles, and Co. LLC is the US broker-dealer. Treat both as starting assumptions: the entity on your offer letter is the one that registers you, files your Labor Condition Application and petition, and appears as petitioner on your I-797.

Morgan Stanley H-1B approvals by entity, FY2024

Source: USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, FY2024 first decisions. Approval rate is approvals divided by approvals plus denials (our arithmetic).

How to read these numbers

• Initial approvals are your column if you are on OPT. The Hub's new-employment count includes a worker who "will work for the same employer but in a different nonimmigrant classification," which is how a first H-1B after F-1 OPT is typically filed (our reading; the Hub does not identify former students). Continuing approvals generally cover extensions, amendments and transfers.
• The two entities hire differently. About a third of Services Group's approvals were initial (147 of 413), against about two-thirds at Co. LLC (93 of 135). That is our arithmetic, not a statement from the firm.
• Small counts are not forecasts. Four initial denials in 97 initial decisions says little about your case. Any other Morgan Stanley entity that filed is not in our extract, so search the Hub by name.

The same entity signs your Form I-983 for STEM OPT (so it must be enrolled in E-Verify), and the wage level it claims for your offered salary when it registers you sets how heavily your registration is weighted. H-1B status is employer-specific, so moving later to a Morgan Stanley entity with a different tax ID is a question for the firm's immigration counsel first.

Does Morgan Stanley sponsor H-1B for analysts?

Yes, for qualifying roles, and the binding constraint is usually the lottery rather than the firm. Full-time analysts typically start on post-completion OPT, and the firm must enter you in a cap registration and be selected before it can file a petition.

Under the weighted selection final rule, in effect since 2026-02-27, a registration gets from four entries at wage Level IV down to one at Level I. USCIS's H-1B electronic registration page says: "If a random selection process is necessary, USCIS will conduct a weighted selection among properly submitted registrations for unique beneficiaries based generally on the highest OEWS wage level that the beneficiary's proffered wage will equal or exceed." The same salary can land at different levels by occupation code and city, so ask HR which level your registration will claim.

Seats are also tighter across the industry. Revelio Labs (2026-10-13, updated 10-22) found that "junior roles in US banks have been shrinking and are now 4.7% below their October 2022 level," and its authors read that as banks restructuring around AI rather than being automated by it. That is an industry measure, not a Morgan Stanley number.

Technology, banking and quant paths compared (as of 2026-11)

Seasons assume a summer 2026 OPT start and that registrations keep the recent March pattern; none after FY2027 has been announced.

• Banking, markets and research analysts with a general finance or business degree are often not on the STEM list, though some quantitative economics and financial engineering programs are. Ask what the firm does for analysts who are not selected. Our guide to investment banking H-1B sponsorship covers the sector, and how Goldman Sachs approaches sponsorship for international candidates is the closest peer comparison.
• Quant and strats roles generally recruit STEM master's and PhD graduates. A higher wage level can mean more lottery entries, but it depends on the occupation code the firm files under. Our quant finance H-1B sponsorship guide goes desk by desk; whether an O-1 is worth exploring is a question for a licensed immigration attorney.

Is Morgan Stanley's technology analyst program STEM OPT eligible?

The program is not what qualifies; you, your degree and the employing entity are. You need a degree whose CIP code is on the DHS STEM list, an employer enrolled in E-Verify, a Form I-983 training plan, and a job directly related to that degree.

Common misconception: "Morgan Stanley's technology analyst program is STEM OPT eligible, so I'm covered." Correction: eligibility follows each analyst's degree CIP code, so a computer science graduate may qualify while a finance graduate in the next seat does not.

• The list. ICE's DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List "enumerates the fields of study" DHS designates as STEM. Match it against the CIP code on your I-20.
• The employer. The USCIS STEM OPT page requires the employer to "Be enrolled in E-Verify." Look up the exact entity on E-Verify Employer Search, which lists employers under the name they gave at enrollment; multi-site employers can choose which sites participate.
• The window. You can file Form I-765 "up to 90 days before your current OPT employment authorization expires," per the same page. A timely filing gets the 180-day automatic extension, in effect and untouched by the 2026-10-14 EAD final rule. A STEM I-765 filed after your OPT EAD expires gets no 180 days.
• The fee. Under USCIS's fee schedule (G-1055, edition 10/26/26), the I-765 costs $520 on paper or $470 online.
• The cushion. Unemployment limits are 90 days on post-completion OPT and 150 days in aggregate on STEM OPT, per the SEVIS Help Hub.

Worked timeline: a technology analyst from OPT to the FY2028 lottery

A hypothetical: a May 2026 computer science master's graduate whose OPT EAD runs 2026-07-15 to 2027-07-14, hired into the technology analyst class.

Cap-gap ends automatically if the petition is denied, withdrawn, revoked or rejected, per the USCIS cap-gap page, and it covers only cap-subject petitions, which a bank's petition for a first-time H-1B worker normally is (our reading). Our FY2028 H-1B registration dates guide tracks the announcement.

What does the $100,000 H-1B fee mean for a Morgan Stanley offer?

Nothing is being collected as of 2026-11-01. Proclamation 11069 extends the restriction on paper to 2027-09-21, but courts blocked the agency policies that implement it, and both cases are on appeal: the states' brief in California v. Mullin is due 2026-11-04 and the opening brief in the Global Nurse Force appeal on 2026-11-06 (check the dockets for later filings and any ruling). The USCIS I-129 page (updated 2026-10-30) adds: "If this order is later lifted, DHS still plans to collect the payment."

Scope matters more for most OPT hires: USCIS said on 2026-09-21 that the payment did not cover change-of-status, amendment or extension requests it grants inside the United States, though a denied change of status or a consular-notification petition would be covered. A separate $103,265 fee on certain cap-subject petitions (RIN 1615-AD20) is still proposed; comments closed 2026-09-24 and no final rule exists.

Is Morgan Stanley laying off in 2026? What its filings say

Morgan Stanley's third-quarter 2026 earnings release, filed with the SEC on Form 8-K and dated 2026-10-14, reports 83,728 worldwide employees at 2026-09-30, up from 82,398 a year earlier. It also discloses a March 2026 "workforce management action" that "impacted approximately 2% of our global workforce at that time," with $178 million in severance, "related to an effort to improve operational efficiency and manage performance." The release describes no workforce action in the third quarter.

A global headcount says nothing about your team; for New York sites, search the state's WARN Dashboard. If a job ends:

• On OPT or STEM OPT, the unemployment counter runs (90 days, or 150 in aggregate). Our guide to being laid off on STEM OPT covers the reporting steps; call your DSO that week.
• On H-1B, the discretionary grace period of up to 60 days (8 CFR 214.1(l)(2)) still applies. DHS has proposed eliminating it (RIN 1615-AD22); comments close 2026-11-10 at 11:59 p.m. ET, and after that it stays a proposal until DHS publishes a final rule. Talk to a licensed immigration attorney.
• Executive Order 14431 (signed 2026-09-18), in effect as a directive, makes employer layoffs a factor in H-1B oversight. As of 2026-11-01 it has no public implementing guidance and no automatic denial.

How to confirm Morgan Stanley will sponsor your role

1. Read the work-authorization question on the Morgan Stanley application and answer it truthfully; postings carry their own sponsorship language by program and office.
2. Search the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub for both entity names, including FY2025 and later years.
3. Check the DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification disclosure files on the DOL performance data page for the entity, job title and worksite to see which wage levels it files at (latest LCA files: FY2026 Q3, through 2026-06-30).
4. Ask your recruiter in writing which entity employs you, whether the firm will enter you in the FY2028 registration, at what wage level, and whether it will sign a Form I-983.
5. Confirm the entity on E-Verify Employer Search before your STEM OPT I-765 window opens.
6. Take OPT and STEM OPT timing to your DSO, and petition questions to the firm's immigration counsel or your own licensed immigration attorney.

Does Morgan Stanley hire international students?

Its US entities file first H-1B petitions in volume: 240 initial-employment approvals in FY2024. The Hub does not show how many went to former F-1 students, and work-authorization language differs by program and office, so read the question on the application and ask the recruiter about your program.

Internships are a separate question, because a summer analyst role during your degree usually runs on CPT, not OPT, and CPT is tighter this year. SEVP's BCM 2608-01 (2026-08-12) allows CPT only "if its absence would make the attainment of a degree an impossibility," and some schools have paused CPT their degrees do not require. That broadcast and BCM 2608-02 are in effect as guidance and challenged in AAU v. DHS, with a preliminary-injunction hearing set for 2026-11-06 at 3:00 p.m. (check the docket for any ruling after that date). Your DSO decides what your school authorizes, so ask before you accept a summer offer. Our guide to summer analyst internships on CPT covers the timing.

Does Morgan Stanley sponsor green cards?

We could not verify a published Morgan Stanley green-card policy, and this guide does not count its PERM filings. Employment-based sponsorship starts with a DOL PERM labor certification, then Form I-140, and DOL's PERM disclosure files (latest public file FY2026 Q3, on the same DOL performance page) can be searched by employer name. Morgan Stanley is not among the eight employers (Microsoft, Adobe, Cognizant, Infosys, TCS, Wipro, HCL and Capgemini) whose PERM filings DOL said on 2026-10-08 it would stop processing; Mayer Brown notes that the action "does not suspend any employer from the H-1B program."

When a bank starts PERM is internal policy, so ask HR. DOL's FLAG processing page put PERM analyst review at January 2026 priority dates, averaging 303 days (as of 2026-10-21). In the November 2026 Visa Bulletin, the EB-2 Final Action Date is 2013-11-01 for India and 2025-04-01 for the rest of the world; USCIS requires the Dates for Filing chart for November I-485s, per its adjustment filing charts page, and consular cases always use Final Action Dates. The December bulletin is not out as of 2026-11-01.

What changed for a Morgan Stanley H-1B in 2026

Common mistakes

• Searching one entity. Checking only Co. LLC misses the larger technology filer, and the reverse.
• Trusting the program name for STEM OPT. Your CIP code and the entity's E-Verify enrollment decide it.
• Assuming three lottery tries on a non-STEM degree. Twelve months of OPT usually covers one season.
• Filing STEM OPT late. A STEM I-765 filed after the OPT EAD expires gets no 180-day extension.
• Applying the $100,000 headline to a change of status. Those approvals were never covered, and collection is blocked.

Frequently asked questions

Does Morgan Stanley sponsor H-1B for analysts?

Yes, for qualifying roles. In FY2024 Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC received 93 initial-employment approvals with 4 denials, and Services Group received 147 with 1 denial, per the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub. The harder limit is the lottery, and FY2028 registration is not announced as of 2026-11-01, so confirm in writing that the firm will register you.

Does Morgan Stanley hire international students?

Its record shows 240 initial-employment H-1B approvals across its two US entities in the Hub in FY2024, the category where a first H-1B after F-1 OPT usually appears. The Hub does not show how many were former F-1 students, and postings vary by program and office. Ask the recruiter about your program, and your DSO about CPT for an internship.

Which Morgan Stanley entity sponsors technology hires?

Usually Morgan Stanley Services Group Inc., typically the technology and operations employer, with 147 initial and 266 continuing approvals in FY2024. The entity on your offer letter is the one that files your petition, signs your Form I-983 for STEM OPT and must be enrolled in E-Verify.

Does Morgan Stanley sponsor green cards?

We could not verify a published Morgan Stanley green-card policy. Employment green cards start with a DOL PERM labor certification, and DOL's PERM disclosure files (latest FY2026 Q3) can be searched by employer name. Morgan Stanley is not among the eight employers whose PERM filings DOL said on 2026-10-08 it would stop processing. Ask HR when the firm starts PERM; your country of birth drives the wait.

Is Morgan Stanley's technology analyst program STEM OPT eligible?

The program name does not decide it. You need a degree whose CIP code is on the DHS STEM list, an E-Verify-enrolled employer, a signed Form I-983 and a related job; the I-765 can be filed up to 90 days before your OPT EAD expires. Confirm your own case with your DSO.

Sources

• USCIS, H-1B Employer Data Hub and Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub
• USCIS, H-1B Electronic Registration Process, Form I-129, STEM OPT and cap-gap
• ICE, DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List; DHS, SEVIS Help Hub unemployment counter; E-Verify Employer Search
• Federal Register, weighted selection final rule and grace-period NPRM
• DOL, OFLC performance data and FLAG processing times; New York State DOL, WARN Dashboard
• CourtListener, AAU v. DHS docket; Mayer Brown, DOL enforcement summary (2026-10-15)
• Morgan Stanley, Q3 2026 earnings release, Form 8-K (2026-10-14); Revelio Labs, junior bankers hiring data (2026-10-13, updated 10-22)

How we checked this: entity figures come from our extract of the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub (FY2024); rules come from the USCIS, ICE, DHS, DOL and Federal Register pages above; headcount and severance come from Morgan Stanley's SEC filing. All were read on 2026-11-01.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-20, I-94 and notices govern, and your DSO (for F-1 and OPT) or a licensed immigration attorney (for petitions) should guide your decisions.

If you are on OPT or STEM OPT and want a focused search among employers with a real sponsorship record, F1Jobs can help you plan it.