Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about H-1B visas, LCA filings, and how to use PlainVisa.
What is an H-1B visa?
The H-1B is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring a bachelor's degree or higher. Common H-1B occupations include software engineers, data scientists, accountants, architects, and healthcare professionals.
What is a Labor Condition Application (LCA)?
Before an employer can sponsor an H-1B worker, they must first file a Labor Condition Application (LCA) with the Department of Labor. The LCA certifies that the employer will pay the prevailing wage for the occupation and location. LCA certification is a prerequisite for filing the H-1B petition with USCIS.
Does an LCA filing mean the H-1B was approved?
No. LCA certification by the Department of Labor is only the first step. The employer must then file an H-1B petition with USCIS. If the H-1B cap lottery applies (for cap-subject positions), the petition must be selected in the lottery before it can be adjudicated. An LCA filing does not guarantee any worker was hired.
How many H-1B LCA filers are in PlainVisa's database?
PlainVisa covers employers with certified LCA filings in the DOL disclosure extract from FY2023 through FY2026. The current extract has 122,824 unique employer filers across 2,095,703 LCA filing records.
Where does PlainVisa get its data?
All data comes from the DOL ETA Foreign Labor Certification Performance Data, quarterly disclosure files published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration. These are public records required by law to be disclosed.
Why do some employers show very high LCA filing counts?
Large technology companies, staffing firms, and consulting companies often file thousands of LCAs per quarter. Staffing firms in particular file on behalf of multiple client companies, which can make their filing counts very high even if individual placements are with many different end clients.
What does the salary level (Level I–IV) mean?
DOL defines four prevailing wage levels: Level I is entry-level, Level II is qualified, Level III is experienced, and Level IV is fully competent. The LCA must specify that the offered wage meets or exceeds the prevailing wage for the occupation and location at the stated level.
How often is the data updated?
We update our database quarterly when the DOL publishes new LCA disclosure files. Current data spans FY2023 through FY2026.
Download the national H-1B LCA summary cited on this page: h1b-statistics.csv (derived from DOL OFLC disclosure files; CC BY 4.0 with attribution).