Cloud Engineer at Microsoft — H-1B Wage Level, PERM Record & Green Card Timeline
Microsoft certified about 265 Cloud Engineer H-1B LCAs in FY2025 at a median offered wage of $161,500, with a PERM certification rate near 97%. Modeled timeline below, current as of August 2026.
H-1B LCA Snapshot
Data as of August 2026 · Source: DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data (FY2025)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Certified LCAs (FY2025) | 265 |
| Median offered wage | $161,500 |
| p25 / p75 offered wage | $139,000 / $186,000 |
| Wage-level mix (I/II/III/IV) | 3% / 16% / 43% / 38% |
| Top worksites | Redmond WA · Fargo ND |
OES Prevailing Wage & FY2027 Lottery Tier
Data as of August 2026 · Source: FLAG System OES Wage Data (SOC 15-1299, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA) + DHS Wage-Weighted Selection Final Rule (eff. Feb 27, 2026)
| Level | OES Prevailing Wage | FY2027 Lottery Entries |
|---|---|---|
| I | $126,100 | 1 |
| II | $157,700 | 2 |
| III | $189,300 | 3 |
| IV | $220,900 | 4 |
Median offered wage is about 2% above the Level II prevailing wage — a meaningful share of Microsoft Cloud Engineer LCAs (43%) are Level III, earning 3 lottery entries.
PERM Track Record
Data as of August 2026 · Source: DOL OFLC PERM Disclosure Data (FY2025)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Certified / Denied / Withdrawn | 229 / 4 / 8 |
| Median days, filing → certification | 219 |
| Audit rate | 9% |
| Median PERM-filed wage | $164,000 |
| Stated minimum education/experience | Bachelor''s + 5 yrs (SOC 15-1299) |
USCIS H-1B Approvals & Denials
Data as of August 2026 · Source: USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub (FY2025)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Approvals | 246 |
| Denials | 9 |
| Denial rate | 3.5% |
Green Card Timeline Projection
Data as of August 2026 · Source: DOS Visa Bulletin (August 2026) + USCIS Processing Times
Chargeability is picked on the VisaSherpa.ai planner. Microsoft Cloud Engineers file predominantly EB-2.
| Chargeability | EB Category | Aug 2026 Final Action Date | Approx. Priority-Date Wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | EB-2 | Unavailable ("U") | Multi-year, indeterminate |
| China | EB-2 | September 1, 2021 | ~4-5 years |
| Rest of World | EB-2 | Current | Minimal once I-140 approved |
I-140 regular: ~2.5 months; premium: 15 business days. I-485 at the National Benefits Center: ~9.5-18 months for Rest-of-World chargeability.
FAQs
Q: How does Microsoft''s Cloud Engineer title compare to Software Engineer at Microsoft? A: Cloud Engineer is a smaller-volume, Azure-focused title with a similar wage-level distribution to Microsoft''s broader Software Engineer population.
Q: What is Microsoft''s Cloud Engineer denial rate? A: 3.5% in FY2025.
Q: Does Microsoft sponsor most Cloud Engineers for green cards? A: 229 FY2025 PERM certifications against 265 LCAs.
Q: What lottery tier applies to most Microsoft Cloud Engineer registrations? A: Predominantly Level III (43%), with a strong Level IV share (38%).
Related Pages
- /visa-requirements/cloud-solutions-architect-at-amazon-web-services-h1b-wage-perm-green-card
- /visa-requirements/site-reliability-engineer-at-google-h1b-wage-perm-green-card
- /visa-requirements/software-engineer-at-microsoft-h1b-wage-perm-green-card
- /visa-requirements/devops-engineer-at-microsoft
Model your own H-1B → green card timeline free at VisaSherpa.ai.