H-1B Visas in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
H-1B sponsorship in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro. U.S. Department of Labor disclosure data shows 19,299 Labor Condition Applications filed by 2,180 distinct employers across the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metropolitan area. DOL certified those petitions at a 90.7% rate, confirming that prevailing-wage and working-conditions attestations passed the Labor Department’s preliminary review before USCIS handled final H-1B adjudication. That volume places San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad on the map as a measurable node in the national H-1B program, with its own distinct employer mix and occupation concentration.
Pay and occupation mix. The average offered wage on LCAs filed in the metro is $314,344. Because each LCA must meet or exceed the DOL prevailing wage for the specific occupation and worksite, that figure represents real pay commitments rather than voluntary market reporting. The most frequently sponsored role in the metro is Software Developers, which signals where employer demand for specialty-occupation talent is concentrated locally. Salary levels in a metro reflect the balance of wage levels (DOL Level I through IV) and the seniority tier of the roles employers are filling through the H-1B channel, so metro averages are a useful read on the sophistication of the local tech, healthcare, engineering, or finance workforce.
Who is sponsoring. The top H-1B sponsor in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro is Qualcomm Technologies, Inc, anchoring a pool of 2,180 employers active in the area. Petition volume moved from 7,396 in FY2023 to 5,748 in FY2025, a decreased trajectory that typically reflects shifts in local hiring, company growth, or program caps. Because DOL releases LCA disclosures as open public records, every figure here traces back to individual petitions filed with the Department of Labor, giving this metro snapshot the same auditability as a government-released dataset.
About San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area has 19,299 H-1B LCA petitions filed by 2,180 employers, with a 90.7% certification rate and an average salary of $314,344. The top H-1B sponsor is Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. The most common occupation is Software Developers.
Petition Volume by Year
H-1B LCA filings in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad from FY2023 to FY2025
FY2026 is partial data (through Q1). Chart shows completed fiscal years only.
Annual Breakdown
| Year | Petitions | Certified | Cert Rate | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 7,396 | 6,638 | 89.8% | $222,244 |
| FY2024 | 5,289 | 4,797 | 90.7% | $421,958 |
| FY2025 | 5,748 | 5,304 | 92.3% | $312,802 |
| FY2026(partial) | 866 | 763 | 88.1% | $455,167 |
H-1B Guides
Learn more about the H-1B visa process and sponsorship
Step-by-step guide from LCA filing to work authorization
Highest-paying H-1B employers ranked by compensation
Understanding prevailing wage levels I through IV
Compare salaries by occupation, state, and wage level
Similar Metros
Metro areas with comparable H-1B petition volume to San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
Frequently Asked Questions
How many H-1B petitions have been filed in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area has 19,299 H-1B LCA petitions from 2,180 employers, with a 90.7% certification rate and an average salary of $314,344.
What is the average H-1B salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
The average H-1B salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad is $314,344. This reflects prevailing wages that employers must meet or exceed when filing H-1B petitions for workers in this metro area.
Which company sponsors the most H-1B visas in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc is the top H-1B sponsor in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. The area has 2,180 total employers sponsoring H-1B workers.
What is the most common H-1B occupation in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
Software Developers is the most frequently sponsored H-1B occupation in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad. This reflects the demand for specialized workers in the metro area.
Are H-1B petitions growing in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
H-1B petition volume in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad has decreased from 7,396 in FY2023 to 5,748 in FY2025. Average salary moved from $222,244 to $312,802 over the same period.
How does San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad's H-1B market compare to other metros?
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad has 19,299 H-1B petitions across 2,180 employers. View all metro areas on the PlainVisa metros page to compare petition volumes and salaries.
Data Sources
H-1B visa petition data is sourced from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Labor Condition Application (LCA) disclosure files. Data covers fiscal years 2023 through 2026. Salary figures reflect amounts listed on LCA petitions, not actual compensation paid.
Source: DOL Foreign Labor Performance Data
Source: U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) definitions
Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Every figure on PlainVisa is rendered directly from federal source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on federal source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.