Why United States?
The US offers the highest salaries in the world for technology, healthcare, finance, and engineering professionals. A senior software engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area earns $180,000β$300,000 gross per year. Nurses in California and New York earn $90,000β$130,000. These figures are unmatched globally. However, the US work visa system is now the most restrictive and expensive among WorkBeyond's 12 priority countries. The H-1B visa β the primary route for skilled workers β carries a $100,000 employer fee since September 2025, a competitive weighted lottery, and an annual cap of 85,000 visas. This is not an easy path.
New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, Austin, and Chicago are the main hiring hubs. Tech dominates the West Coast. Finance centres on New York. Healthcare hiring is nationwide but strongest in California, Texas, and the Northeast. English is the sole working language everywhere. The US has no national healthcare system β your employer-provided health insurance is a critical part of your compensation package.
What to know before you move
Live visa-sponsored roles in United States
Every listing below is verified to sponsor international workers. New roles are added daily β create a free account to get instant alerts when matching jobs go live.
Top industries hiring internationally
Technology and healthcare dominate US international hiring. The $100,000 H-1B employer fee has concentrated sponsorship among large companies with high-revenue-per-employee models β primarily big tech, major hospital systems, consulting firms, and financial institutions. Smaller employers and startups have largely exited H-1B sponsorship since September 2025.
Popular visa programs for the United States
US work visas are employer-driven β all require a job offer and employer sponsorship. The H-1B is the most common route, but it is capped and competitive. If you have an extraordinary ability, the O-1 offers a path without a lottery. Healthcare workers can bypass the H-1B entirely through direct green card sponsorship. Use the Workbeyond Visa Explorer to match your profile to the right route.
Steps to move to the United States with a job
Skilled professionals move to the United States through several visa routes every year, across technology, healthcare, finance, and engineering. The timeline varies by route β from 3β6 months for an O-1 petition to 12β18+ months for the H-1B lottery path. Check the visa guide for your specific route for detailed timelines, costs, and requirements
Important:Β These steps must happen in order. You cannot apply for a US work visa without a job offer from a US employer willing to sponsor you β and willing to pay the $100,000 H-1B fee. The job and the employer commitment come first, every time.
What does life cost in the United States?
The US has extreme cost-of-living variation. San Francisco, New York, and Boston are among the most expensive cities in the world β rent alone can consume 40β50% of take-home pay. Austin, Dallas, Raleigh, Denver, and Phoenix offer strong tech and healthcare job markets at 30β50% lower housing costs. Choose your city carefully.
On the $63,200 average gross salary, your take-home varies significantly by state. In Texas (no state income tax), take-home pay is roughly $50,000 per year. In California (13% top state rate), take-home pay on the same salary drops to roughly $45,000. At H-1B salary levels ($80,000β$150,000+), the differences are even larger.