On this page · 16 sectionsShowHide
- 01Who this playbook is for
- 02Decision sequence (before you advertise)
- 03Employer routes at a glance
- 04What employers typically must do
- 05How experienced mobility teams think about this corridor
- 06Who owns what (keep one accountable owner)
- 07What good looks like at offer stage
- 08Cost shape (for finance)
- 09Timeline and risk
- 10Job ad & labelling checklist
- 11Offer letter gates
- 12Common mistakes in this corridor
- 13Candidate experience that protects retention
- 14When remote or EOR may fit better
- 15One-page brief for leadership
- 16Next steps on Global Sponsor Hub
Who this playbook is for
Use this if you are briefing US HR/TA, finance, or a hiring manager on an onshore US hire — or deciding whether an offshore EOR is safer than petition risk. Share with counsel early for H-1B-cap roles.
02Decision sequence (before you advertise)
Do not start sourcing for US until these gates are clear:
- 1
Confirm US work location: Which state/city is real? Hybrid vs fully onsite?
- 2
Confirm petition appetite: Can this role absorb H-1B lottery/cap uncertainty — or do you need a non-cap route?
- 3
Check wage & role fit: Prevailing wage / specialty occupation theory must hold before you advertise sponsorship.
- 4
Approve petition + counsel budget: Fees + counsel (+ premium processing if used) separate from relocation.
- 5
Agree start-date ranges: Cap season and adjudication make single-date offers dangerous.
Employer routes at a glance
For the United States, most international hires follow one of these employer-led paths:
H-1B (specialty occupation): Common skilled route; many employers face annual lottery/cap risk. Prevailing wage and role fit are central.
O-1 / other specialty categories: Extraordinary ability and related categories — no H-1B lottery, but higher evidence bar.
L-1 (intra-company transfer): Where you already have related entities and qualifying employment history.
TN (Canada / Mexico): CUSMA/USMCA professional categories for eligible nationals — often faster than H-1B when it fits.
Remote / EOR in the worker’s country: When the work does not need US presence and you lack appetite for petition risk.
What employers typically must do
Exact duties depend on the route, but US employers usually own:
Role & wage: Job must fit the chosen category; H-1B typically requires prevailing wage compliance.
Petition ownership: Employer (or counsel) drives USCIS filing strategy, evidence, and responses.
Public access / LCA duties: Where applicable, maintain required labour condition records.
Honest job ads: State whether sponsorship is offered and which locations are real — not aspirational.
How experienced mobility teams think about this corridor
Strong US programmes do not start with a job ad. They start with a theory of the case: where the work must be performed, which entity employs, which immigration pathway can honestly support that story, and what budget absorbs delay.
TA owns candidate experience. Immigration counsel owns filings. Finance owns envelopes. Hiring managers own role substance. When those lanes blur, you get guaranteed-start-date fiction and sponsorship labels that cannot be delivered.
06Who owns what (keep one accountable owner)
Name a single internal owner (usually TA/HR) who will not publish until the model, budget, and labelling are signed off.
| Workstream | Primary owner | Usually involves |
|---|---|---|
| Hire model decision | HR / TA owner | Hiring manager + counsel if needed |
| US permit / petition file | HR or immigration partner | Hiring manager (documents only) |
| Offer & contract | HR | Legal / finance |
| Job labelling on Global Sponsor Hub | TA / employer account owner | Hiring manager |
| Relocation logistics | HR / mobility | Hiring manager |
| Day-1 access & buddy | Hiring manager | IT |
07What good looks like at offer stage
By the time you send an offer for a US international hire, a competent programme can show:
Model sign-off: Onshore pathway vs remote/EOR documented for this requisition.
Budget sign-off: Salary plus immigration, counsel, and relocation contingency — not salary alone.
Conditional language: Start contingent on right-to-work / approval where applicable.
Document chase started: Degrees, translations, identity — requested before week-of panic.
Honest market story: platform (or other) labelling matches the same truth as the offer.
08Cost shape (for finance)
Budget a petition package (fees + counsel) separately from relocation. Lottery/cap risk means some H-1B budgets should include contingency for a delayed or failed year.
| Category | Who usually pays | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Government / filing fees | Employer (usually) | Varies heavily by category and premium processing |
| Immigration counsel | Employer | Often the largest predictable employer cost |
| Premium / expedite | Employer (optional) | Where available — trades money for time |
| Relocation / settling | Employer (optional) | Housing, flights, temporary stay |
| Worker application costs | Often worker | Some employers reimburse as a benefit |
09Timeline and risk
Brief hiring managers with ranges, not single start dates. For US:
H-1B cap season: Selection cycles create multi-month uncertainty before a start date is real.
Petition + processing: Even after selection/filing, biometrics and adjudication add weeks to months.
Non-cap routes: O-1, L-1, TN can be faster when eligibility is clear — still not ‘next week’.
10Job ad & labelling checklist
Candidates on Global Sponsor Hub already filter for sponsorship and relocation. Vague US ads create drop-off.
Location: City/region in the destination — or explicit remote-in-country rules.
Sponsorship / permit: Offered / not offered / case-by-case with a named owner — never vague ‘visa support’.
Relocation: What is funded vs not (flights, housing, family).
Apply path: On Global Sponsor Hub vs careers/ATS click-out — say it clearly.
Sponsorship honesty: Only mark sponsorship if this requisition will support a petition for that location.
Cap risk: Do not imply a guaranteed autumn start for H-1B-cap roles.
11Offer letter gates
Do not send a signed offer that implies immigration outcomes you cannot control.
Conditional start: Employment contingent on right-to-work / permit / petition approval where applicable.
Who pays what: Government fees, medicals, counsel, relocation — written, not verbal.
Role substance: Title, duties, salary, and location match the visa/permit theory of the case.
Document pack: Request degrees, translations, and identity documents early — they often outlast interviews.
Data & privacy: Collect only what you need; store under your retention policy.
12Common mistakes in this corridor
Assuming H-1B is ‘the’ US visa: O-1, L-1, TN, or other categories may fit better — take counsel before publishing.
Advertising sponsorship you will not fund: Destroys candidate trust and floods recruiters with unworkable applications.
Ignoring prevailing wage: A lowball offer can kill the petition theory of the case.
Treating lottery failure as a candidate problem: Budget contingency or choose a non-cap path before sourcing.
13Candidate experience that protects retention
International hires resign early when the promise in the ad diverges from the reality of the move. Experienced mobility teams script the journey:
Timeline honesty: Share ranges; update weekly; never invent government dates.
Cost clarity: Who pays filings, medicals, flights, temporary housing — in writing.
Family scope: If dependants are in or out of the package, say so before acceptance.
Day-1 readiness: IT, badge, buddy, and first-week local logistics beat welcome swag.
Probation reality: Visa status and clawbacks must be explainable without surprise.
14When remote or EOR may fit better
Prefer remote/EOR when the role can be performed outside the US, you are testing a market, or you cannot absorb H-1B lottery uncertainty for a critical start date.
Onshore path often wins when…
The work must be done in-country (clients, regulated site, lab, security)
You have (or will build) local employment capacity
The candidate package clears programme thresholds
Remote / EOR often wins when…
The work can stay in the candidate’s country
You cannot absorb petition/permit uncertainty for a hard start date
A single hire does not justify entity or sponsor setup
15One-page brief for leadership
Copy this into your requisition or approval thread before global sourcing:
| Question | Answer needed |
|---|---|
| Work location | Onshore US vs remote elsewhere |
| Employing entity | Which company / zone / EOR employs them? |
| Route class | Sponsorship/permit vs remote/EOR |
| Budget envelope | Salary + immigration + relocation + counsel contingency |
| Start-date range | Optimistic / realistic / late — not a single day |
| Owner | Named HR/TA owner who can stop an unsafe publish |
Next steps on Global Sponsor Hub
- 1
Run the Hiring Hub: Answer role × US in the International Hiring Hub.
- 2
Complete the checklist pack: Use the offer & compliance checklist.
- 3
Budget honestly: Use the cost planner (US worksheet) and ROI calculator if needed.
- 4
Bring in specialists if needed: Browse immigration advisers for petition / permit strategy.
- 5
Start hiring: Create a free employer profile and post or connect the role with clear location, visa, and relocation labelling.
Next step
Put this into action on Global Sponsor Hub
Start free with a company profile, add your careers website for the company directory, or review Growth / Scale when you want on-platform applications and hiring tools.
Need immigration or relocation support? Browse mobility partners or list your firm.
What's next
Related guides and links
More on this site: related guides, official government pages to double-check rules and fees, and quick links to jobs and partners.
Guides that pair well with this page
- International Hiring HubRole × country workflow: licence need, costs, partners, and next actions.Open guide
- Offer & compliance checklistEmployer Success Centre guidance for sponsorship and international hiring.Open guide
- International hiring cost plannerGlobal hiring cost planner: UK Home Office fees plus destination worksheets.Open guide
- USA work visa guide (candidate view)More structured steps and links on the next page.Open guide
- EOR vs sponsorshipEmployer Success Centre guidance for sponsorship and international hiring.Open guide
Official sources
Always verify with official sources
Visa rules and salary thresholds change. Confirm current requirements directly on government immigration portals before making any decisions.
| Source | Why open it |
|---|---|
| USCIS — working in the United States | Official government or regulator page—verify eligibility, fees, and forms there. |
| DOL — Foreign Labor Certification Data Center | Official government or regulator page—verify eligibility, fees, and forms there. |
Official government or regulator page—verify eligibility, fees, and forms there.
Keep exploring
Everything in one place
Employer jobs stay on the hub. External roles open elsewhere but say so. Partners list in the directory. Guides sit next to search.
Ready to act
Explore employer toolsCommon questions
Should every US job ad say ‘visa sponsorship available’?+
Only if you mean it for that role and location. False sponsorship signals damage trust and attract applications you cannot progress.
Is H-1B the only option?+
No. Depending on nationality, seniority, and entity structure, O-1, L-1, TN, or other categories may fit better — take counsel early.
Can we hire someone in India for a US company without a US visa?+
Often yes via local employment or EOR if the work stays offshore. That is a different model from US sponsorship — not a shortcut to US work authorisation.
Should finance approve premium processing by default?+
Only when a faster decision changes a real business date. Premium processing does not fix lottery/cap eligibility.
What should the hiring manager own vs HR?+
Hiring managers own role substance and interview decisions. HR/TA owns labelling, petition coordination, and whether the ad may claim sponsorship.