H-1B workers with a PhD actually earn less than those with less

Among H-1B visa holders approved in fiscal 2025, it was professional degree holders, not PhDs, who commanded the highest pay. According to the latest USCIS annual report, beneficiaries with professional degrees had a median compensation of $205,000, the highest of any education category.

Doctoral degree holders, by contrast, had the lowest median compensation at $105,000, while bachelor’s degree holders fell in between at $132,000. The figures come from a year in which master’s degree holders formed the clear majority of H-1B beneficiaries, at 58%, up from 46% the previous fiscal year.

Computer-related occupations continued to dominate the programme, accounting for 62% of all 4,06,348 approvals in fiscal 2025. Nearly 70% of all approvals went to workers born in India, followed by China at roughly 12%.

The report also found that a significant share of approvals relate to continuing employment rather than first-time entrants, reflecting the long-term nature of many specialised roles and continuing delays in employment-based green card processing for countries such as India.

Image: Wikimedia Commons/by ZTebaykina