How SignalVisa Works
Every number on SignalVisa is derived from public U.S. government records. This page explains exactly what we measure, how we compute it, and what it means for your job search.
Data Sources
DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data
Every H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 Labor Condition Application filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Published quarterly at dol.gov. Contains employer name, job title, SOC code, worksite location, wage offered, wage level, and case status. We use FY2019 through FY2025 (approximately 4.1 million records).
DOL OFLC PERM Disclosure Data
Labor Certification applications (Form ETA-9089) filed by employers seeking permanent residence for foreign workers. Published quarterly at dol.gov. We use this to compute green card follow-through rates — the share of H-1B filers who also pursue permanent sponsorship.
USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub
Petition-level approval and denial counts published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Available at uscis.gov. We use initial approval and denial counts to compute employer-level approval rates — distinct from LCA certifications, which measure DOL determinations only.
Important Distinctions
LCA Certification ≠ H-1B Approval. An LCA certified by DOL is a prerequisite for filing an H-1B petition with USCIS — it does not guarantee the petition will be approved.
H-1B Approval ≠ Employment. An approved petition does not guarantee the worker was hired, remained employed, or that a similar role exists today.
PERM Filing ≠ Green Card. A certified PERM labor certification is one step in a multi-year green card process. Certification does not guarantee permanent residence.
Historical data ≠ Future behavior. Employer filing patterns can change due to business conditions, policy changes, or workforce restructuring.
Salary Figures
All salary figures are derived from wages reported on LCA filings. We report medians, not means, to reduce the distortion caused by outlier filings. We also report the 25th and 75th percentiles to give a realistic range.
When an LCA reports a wage range (from/to), we use the midpoint. Wages reported in hourly, weekly, or monthly units are converted to annual equivalents (hourly × 2,080; weekly × 52; monthly × 12). Filings with implausible wages (below 5,000 or above ,000,000 annualized) are excluded from calculations.
LCA wages reflect what employers committed to pay at the time of filing — not necessarily current market rates or actual compensation including bonuses and equity.
Sponsorship Signal Score
The Sponsorship Signal is a 0–100 composite index measuring how likely an employer is to sponsor H-1B workers, based on their observable filing behavior. It is a statistical indicator, not a prediction or guarantee.
| Component | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Filing Volume | 30 pts | 7-year LCA count (log-scaled). Higher volume = more consistent sponsor. |
| Approval Rate | 25 pts | USCIS initial approval rate. Low denial rates signal clean filings. |
| New Hire Share | 20 pts | Share of LCAs for new employment vs. renewals. New hires = active recruiting. |
| PERM Follow-Through | 15 pts | PERM filings relative to LCA volume. Measures green card commitment. |
| Filing Recency | 10 pts | Active in FY2025, with growth trend vs. FY2023. |
Entity Resolution
Government databases contain the same employer under dozens of name variants (e.g. "Amazon.com Services LLC", "AMAZON.COM SERVICES, INC.", "Amazon com Services LLC"). We apply a proprietary entity resolution pipeline to unify these variants into single employer records, enabling accurate cross-dataset aggregation. A numeric-token guard prevents merging of serially-numbered entities (e.g. biotech subsidiaries numbered separately). Our curated override table covers the top employers by filing volume.
Data Freshness
DOL disclosure files are published quarterly. USCIS Data Hub is updated periodically. SignalVisa refreshes its dataset after each major DOL release. The most recent data reflects filings through FY2025 Q4 (September 30, 2025). We display the fiscal year of each data point throughout the site.
Not Legal Advice
SignalVisa is an informational tool based on public government data. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice. Immigration law is complex and fact-specific. Consult a licensed immigration attorney for advice about your specific situation.