Indiana H-1B Jobs: Elevance and Lilly in Indianapolis, Purdue, IU, Notre Dame and the Warsaw Medtech Cluster

Elevance and Lilly top Indiana's sponsor list, but a mailing address, a wage table and a cap exemption decide what those numbers mean for you.

Part of our guide to H-1B jobs by state and city.

Indiana H-1B jobs cluster in a few places: health insurance and pharma in Indianapolis, three research universities, an engineering hub in Columbus and an orthopedic-device cluster in Warsaw. In the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract F1Jobs uses (FY2024 through FY2026, with FY2026 partial), the 27 employers on our Indiana page account for 4,383 petitions. Elevance Health (1,188) and Eli Lilly (597) lead, followed by Purdue, Indiana University, IU Indianapolis, Zimmer in Warsaw and Notre Dame. Those are past filings under an Indiana mailing address, not open jobs, and the universities can sponsor without the lottery.

Status as of 2026-11-01.

• Wage-weighted H-1B selection is in effect (since 2026-02-27). FY2028 registration is not announced; USCIS must give at least 30 days' notice.
• Proclamation 11069 is in effect on paper, but courts have blocked the $100,000 payment, with appeals pending. USCIS's Form I-129 page says, "If this order is later lifted, DHS still plans to collect the payment." Its H-1B page says the proclamation does not apply to a change of status USCIS grants inside the US, the usual OPT-to-H-1B route, unless that change is denied.
• OPT unemployment stays at 90 days, or 150 in aggregate on STEM OPT (SEVIS Help Hub). The F-1 60-day grace period still applies because the Duration of Status rule has been blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14 (summary judgment briefed; DHS's appeal pending).
• Proposed, not law: school-paid OPT fees ($70,000 initial, $30,000 for each later recommendation; comments close 2026-11-09), ending the worker 60-day grace period (H-1B and other workers, not F-1; closes 2026-11-10) and removing deference on extensions (closes 2026-11-13). Current rules apply.

Which companies sponsor H-1B in Indiana?

The Indiana employers with the most H-1B petitions in FY2024-FY2026 Hub data (FY2026 partial) are Elevance Health (1,188), Eli Lilly (597), Purdue (501), Indiana University (310), IU Indianapolis (292), Zimmer (202), Notre Dame (160), LER TechForce (153), IU Health Care Associates (123) and Corteva (120). Four of the ten are universities, which are cap-exempt and can sponsor without a lottery.

Indiana H-1B sponsors, USCIS Employer Data Hub extract, petitions FY2024-FY2026 (first decisions, initial and continuing, approvals and denials; FY2026 partial), as of 2026-11

Four things to know before you build a list from this table:

• The city is a mailing address, not your desk. The USCIS glossary on Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub says the state field "is the State indicated in the mailing address of the employer and is not necessarily the beneficiary(ies) work location." Indiana University, for example, files from Indianapolis although its flagship campus is in Bloomington.
• Initial and continuing approvals tell different stories. A first H-1B, including a change of status from OPT, is filed as "new employment" on Form I-129, which our extract counts as initial. Continuing approvals cover extensions, employer changes and other petitions for people already on H-1B.
• Names split across rows. IU Indianapolis appears as its own petitioner only from FY2025, so read it with the IU row, not as a trend.
• The page stops at 25 petitions, and it is a snapshot. The Indiana sponsor page lists 27 employers; out-of-state filers and smaller ones are missing. Our extract predates the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub's FY2026 quarter 4 update, so search the Hub for current figures.

Our walkthrough on building a target company list from LCA and USCIS Employer Data Hub records shows how to read both sources side by side.

Indianapolis H-1B sponsors: Elevance Health, Eli Lilly and Corteva

Indianapolis holds Indiana's cap-subject core: health insurance, pharma and agriscience, all private employers that need a lottery selection for a first H-1B. BLS's OEWS area definitions put Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson, Boone and six other counties in one Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN area, so a suburban office is measured against the same wage data as downtown.

Does Elevance Health sponsor H-1B?

Yes, on the record: 1,188 petitions, the most of any Indiana employer in the extract. Two cautions. Most of the count is continuing approvals, so first-time sponsorship is a much smaller slice. And because Elevance is headquartered in Indianapolis, its petitions can carry that mailing address wherever the employee works, so check worksite cities in DOL's LCA files before assuming a role is local.

Does Eli Lilly sponsor H-1B for new graduates?

Lilly has 597 petitions in the extract and a sizeable share of initial approvals, so it does file first-time petitions. For a new graduate on OPT the gate is the lottery: under weighted selection, an entry-level salary at a lower wage level gets fewer entries. See our single-company guide to Eli Lilly H-1B sponsorship, and our biotech and life sciences H-1B sponsorship guide for how the sector's research, manufacturing and data roles are classified.

Corteva Agriscience files from Indianapolis with 120 petitions and a larger initial share than Elevance or Zimmer; it is cap-subject, like Lilly.

Purdue, IU and Notre Dame: the cap-exempt side

Universities are exempt from the annual H-1B cap, so Purdue, Indiana University, IU Indianapolis and Notre Dame can file at any time of year without a registration. The catch: cap-exempt petitions get no cap-gap, so the H-1B has to be approved and starting before your OPT or STEM OPT ends. Our explainer on whether cap-gap applies to cap-exempt H-1Bs works through the dates.

Each campus sits in its own wage area (table below); Notre Dame's South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI area even takes in Cass County, Michigan. Our Purdue and West Lafayette jobs guide covers that campus town in detail.

• Affiliates are not automatically exempt. Under 8 CFR 214.2(h)(8)(iii)(F), one route for a nonprofit is a written affiliation agreement with the university, where "a fundamental activity" of the nonprofit supports the university's research or education mission. Whether an entity such as IU Health Care Associates qualifies for a given role is its counsel's call.
• Leaving a university changes your math. If cap-exempt employment ends, you become cap-subject unless previously counted against the cap. "Reforming the H-1B Nonimmigrant Visa Classification Program" (RIN 1615-AD00), whose agenda abstract mentions "revising eligibility for cap exemptions", has been under OIRA review since 2026-08-24; its text is not public and nothing has changed.

Campus context, not a forecast: according to Higher Ed Dive's roundup of fall 2026 campus reports (2026-09-25), Indiana University's international enrollment fell 15.6% year over year. A smaller cohort does not change which employers sponsor.

Does Zimmer Biomet in Warsaw sponsor H-1B?

Yes. Zimmer Inc., the Zimmer Biomet company listed in Warsaw, has 202 petitions in the extract, but most are continuing approvals, so first-time sponsorship is a smaller part of its record, and it is cap-subject. Our medical device industry H-1B sponsorship guide explains how quality, regulatory and design-engineering roles are framed as specialty occupations.

Warsaw also differs on wages. BLS places Kosciusko County in the Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area for OEWS data, so a Warsaw job is measured against different wage data than an Indianapolis job, and the same salary can land at a different level.

In Columbus, LER TechForce (listed under professional, scientific and technical services) has 153 petitions; if a services employer places you at a client site, the Labor Condition Application has to cover that site.

Indiana H-1B jobs by wage area: why the city matters in the lottery

Where Indiana's largest sponsors sit in BLS OEWS wage areas (as of 2026-11)

Source: BLS OEWS area definitions. Look up the four wage levels for your occupation in each area with DOL's FLAG wage search.

The area matters for the lottery. Under the weighted selection final rule, in effect since 2026-02-27, a Level IV registration enters the pool four times and a Level I registration once. The rule adds that "if the beneficiary will work in multiple locations ... the petitioner must select the lowest corresponding OEWS wage level that the beneficiary's proffered wage will equal or exceed." Its own example: a job split between two metro areas, where the salary equals Level I in one and Level II in the other, is registered at Level I. DOL's prevailing-wage rule (RIN 1205-AC30), which would raise every level, is still proposed (no final rule as of 2026-11-01).

Indiana jobs remote: what changes on OPT and H-1B

Remote listings tagged Indiana can belong to employers based elsewhere, which will not appear on the Indiana page; search the employer's own name in the Hub. On H-1B, a home you work from is a place of employment, which 20 CFR 655.715 defines as "the worksite or physical location where the work actually is performed."

• Same metro area. A home in Fishers or Greenwood for an Indianapolis employer sits inside the Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood area, where the regulation says "any place within the MSA or PMSA is deemed to be within normal commuting distance."
• Different area. A Bloomington home is in another wage area. Split your time between it and the Indianapolis office and both are worksites, so the registration uses the lower level your salary meets; the rule says this "removes a potential incentive to inflate wage levels through strategic location choices, including through remote work."
• Out-of-state employer. If you live in Indiana and work remotely for a company in another state, your Indiana home is the worksite the LCA has to cover.
• STEM OPT. The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and sign a Form I-983 training plan, remote or not.

Our guide to remote work on H-1B and OPT covers home worksites in more depth; the regulation is at Cornell LII.

Does Indiana require E-Verify for private employers?

Not as a blanket mandate, according to two law-firm summaries, although some vendor lists call Indiana an all-employer E-Verify state. Indiana's FAIRNESS Act (Senate Enrolled Act 76) has been in effect since 2026-07-01 and, per those summaries, reaches any employer with employees in Indiana. Faegre Drinker says it "strongly incentivizes companies to enroll in E-Verify", and FBT Gibbons writes, "While not mandatory, E-Verify is one recognized method of 'reasonable diligence' under the FAIRNESS Act." We could not open the enrolled text on the Indiana General Assembly site, so read it there before relying on any summary.

For your job search the federal rule matters more: STEM OPT requires an employer enrolled in E-Verify, per the USCIS STEM OPT page, whatever Indiana law requires. Our guide to states with mandatory E-Verify explains why vendor maps conflict.

A worked example: two Indiana offers, one OPT clock

Say you finished a STEM master's at Purdue in May 2026, your OPT EAD runs 2026-06-15 to 2027-06-14, and this November you hold two hypothetical offers: a Lilly role in Indianapolis and a research role at IU Indianapolis.

Cap-subject versus cap-exempt offer in Indiana (as of 2026-11)

On the Lilly path, the variables are STEM OPT eligibility and how many registration seasons your OPT time covers. On the IU Indianapolis path, it is how early the petition goes in. As of 2026-11-01, USCIS's premium processing page gives 15 business days for most I-129 classifications, a deadline for USCIS to act, which can mean a request for evidence. STEM OPT eligibility and deadlines are questions for your DSO; petition timing is for the employer's immigration attorney.

How to build your Indiana sponsor list

1. Open the Indiana sponsor page and group the rows by city, from Indianapolis and its suburbs to Fort Wayne and Evansville.
2. Search each name and its spelling variants on the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, and note the split between initial and continuing approvals by year.
3. Check worksite cities and job titles in DOL's LCA disclosure files on the OFLC performance page (latest files through FY2026 Q3).
4. Look up the wage level for your occupation in the correct OEWS area in FLAG.
5. Ask each recruiter, in writing, whether the role is open to sponsorship, where the work is performed, and whether the company is enrolled in E-Verify if you will need STEM OPT.
6. Widen the list with employers that hire on OPT but have no H-1B history yet, using our guide to finding OPT-friendly employers.
7. Take SEVIS and OPT reporting questions to your DSO, petition and LCA questions to the employer's immigration attorney, and Indiana tax questions to a tax professional who handles nonresident returns.

Common mistakes

• Reading Elevance's 1,188 as 1,188 Indianapolis openings. It is past filings under a mailing address, mostly continuing approvals.
• Assuming Warsaw uses Indianapolis wages. Kosciusko County is in the Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area.
• Expecting cap-gap at a university. Cap-exempt petitions get none.
• Treating remote as location-free. Your home is an H-1B worksite, with its own wage area.
• Repeating "the $100,000 fee is back." As of 2026-11-01 it is not being collected; the agency policies are blocked and on appeal.

Frequently asked questions

Which companies sponsor H-1B in Indiana?

In the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract F1Jobs uses (FY2024 through FY2026, FY2026 partial), the largest are Elevance Health (1,188 petitions), Eli Lilly (597), Purdue (501), Indiana University (310), IU Indianapolis (292), Zimmer (202), Notre Dame (160), LER TechForce (153), IU Health Care Associates (123) and Corteva (120). These are past filings under an Indiana mailing address, not open jobs, so confirm sponsorship for each posting.

Does Eli Lilly sponsor H-1B for new graduates?

Lilly has 597 petitions in the extract for FY2024 through FY2026 (FY2026 partial), with a sizeable share of initial approvals, where first-time petitions appear. That is a record, not a promise. Lilly is cap-subject, so a new graduate on OPT still needs a lottery selection, which has been wage-weighted since 2026-02-27.

Is Indianapolis good for international students after graduation?

It is a concentrated market. Health insurance, pharma, agriscience and academic medicine supply most sponsor names, and the Indiana page totals 4,383 petitions over FY2024 through FY2026 (FY2026 partial). Build a targeted list early, because OPT allows 90 days of unemployment, or 150 in aggregate on STEM OPT.

Does Zimmer Biomet in Warsaw sponsor H-1B?

Zimmer Inc. in Warsaw has 202 petitions in the extract for FY2024 through FY2026 (FY2026 partial), mostly continuing approvals for people already on H-1B. It sponsors, but first-time petitions are a small part of its record, and a first H-1B there goes through the wage-weighted lottery, in effect since 2026-02-27.

Does Indiana require E-Verify for private employers?

Not as a blanket mandate, according to two law-firm summaries of the FAIRNESS Act (Senate Enrolled Act 76), in effect since 2026-07-01, which describe E-Verify as one recognized way to show reasonable diligence; some vendor lists still call Indiana an all-employer state. We could not open the enrolled text, so check it at iga.in.gov. STEM OPT requires an E-Verify employer whatever state law says.

Sources

• USCIS, H-1B Employer Data Hub and Understanding Our H-1B Employer Data Hub
• USCIS, Form I-129, H-1B specialty occupations, H-1B electronic registration process and How do I request premium processing?
• USCIS, Cap-gap extension and STEM OPT extension; SEVIS Help Hub, Unemployment counter
• Federal Register, Weighted selection final rule, OPT fees proposed rule, worker grace-period proposal and deference proposal
• BLS, OEWS area definitions; DOL, OFLC performance data and FLAG wage search
• 20 CFR 655.715 via Cornell LII
• Indiana General Assembly; Faegre Drinker and FBT Gibbons summaries of the FAIRNESS Act (linked above)
• Higher Ed Dive, fall 2026 campus enrollment reports

How we checked this: employer counts and approval patterns come from the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub extract behind our sponsor pages (built 2026-07-29, before the Hub's FY2026 quarter 4 update); the mailing-address definition, wage areas, cap-gap end date, premium processing timeframe and rule text were read on the USCIS, BLS, Federal Register and Cornell LII pages above on 2026-11-01 and 2026-11-02. Indiana's FAIRNESS Act is described from the two law-firm summaries linked above, not from the enrolled text.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-20, I-94 and approval notice, your DSO and your employer's immigration attorney govern your case.

If you want help turning Indiana's sponsor list into conversations with hiring managers at employers that already sponsor, F1Jobs works with F-1, OPT and H-1B candidates on exactly that.