Software Engineer at HCL America — H-1B Wage Level, PERM Record & Green Card Timeline
HCL America certified about 1,850 Software Engineer H-1B LCAs in FY2025 — one of the largest IT-services filers — at a median offered wage of $98,500, with a PERM certification rate near 91%. Here is the modeled timeline, 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) | 1,850 |
| Median offered wage | $98,500 |
| p25 / p75 offered wage | $89,000 / $112,000 |
| Wage-level mix (I/II/III/IV) | 28% / 42% / 24% / 6% |
| Top worksites | Sunnyvale CA · Cary NC · Frisco TX |
OES Prevailing Wage & FY2027 Lottery Tier
Data as of August 2026 · Source: FLAG System OES Wage Data (SOC 15-1252, national blended metros) + DHS Wage-Weighted Selection Final Rule (eff. Feb 27, 2026)
| Level | OES Prevailing Wage | FY2027 Lottery Entries |
|---|---|---|
| I | $84,200 | 1 |
| II | $101,500 | 2 |
| III | $118,800 | 3 |
| IV | $136,000 | 4 |
Median offered wage sits about 3% below the Level II prevailing wage midpoint, consistent with HCL''s heavy Level I/II mix (70% combined) — most registrations earn only 1-2 lottery entries under the FY2027 weighted rule, a real headwind versus Big Tech filers.
PERM Track Record
Data as of August 2026 · Source: DOL OFLC PERM Disclosure Data (FY2025)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Certified / Denied / Withdrawn | 1,610 / 58 / 140 |
| Median days, filing → certification | 279 |
| Audit rate | 21% |
| Median PERM-filed wage | $101,000 |
| Stated minimum education/experience | Bachelor''s (SOC 15-1252) |
USCIS H-1B Approvals & Denials
Data as of August 2026 · Source: USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub (FY2025)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Approvals | 1,720 |
| Denials | 210 |
| Denial rate | 10.9% |
Green Card Timeline Projection
Data as of August 2026 · Source: DOS Visa Bulletin (August 2026) + USCIS Processing Times
HCL''s workforce is overwhelmingly India-chargeable. Select chargeability on VisaSherpa.ai, not in this URL.
| Chargeability | EB Category | Aug 2026 Final Action Date | Approx. Priority-Date Wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | EB-3 | January 1, 2014 | ~12+ years |
| China | EB-3 | January 1, 2022 | ~3-4 years |
| Rest of World | EB-3 | September 1, 2024 | ~1-2 years |
I-140 regular processing (EB-3): ~4 months; premium: 15 business days. I-485 at the Texas Service Center runs 14-33 months for India-chargeable cases once current — which, given the EB-3 India date, is the binding constraint for most HCL sponsees.
FAQs
Q: Why is HCL America''s H-1B denial rate higher than Big Tech? A: At 10.9%, HCL''s denial rate reflects a higher share of generalist "Software Engineer" titles staffed at client sites, which draw more specialty-occupation and third-party-placement RFEs than in-house engineering roles.
Q: What lottery tier do most HCL engineers fall into for FY2027? A: The majority are Level I or II (70% combined), earning just 1-2 entries in the new wage-weighted lottery — a structural disadvantage versus employers filing predominantly Level III/IV.
Q: How long is the PERM audit-adjusted timeline at HCL? A: A 21% audit rate against a 279-day median filing-to-certification suggests audited cases commonly stretch past 400 days.
Q: What is the realistic green card wait for an HCL engineer chargeable to India? A: EB-3 India''s final action date of January 1, 2014 (August 2026 bulletin) implies a wait of roughly 12+ years from priority date to visa availability — the longest queue tracked on this site.
Q: Does HCL sponsor most of its H-1B workers for PERM? A: The 1,610 FY2025 PERM certifications against ~1,850 LCAs suggest broad, though not universal, sponsorship for longer-tenured staff.
Related Pages
- /visa-requirements/software-engineer-at-cognizant-h1b-wage-perm-green-card
- /visa-requirements/software-engineer-at-tcs-h1b-wage-perm-green-card
- /visa-requirements/data-engineer-at-hcl-america-h1b-wage-perm-green-card
- /visa-requirements/business-analyst-at-hcl-america-h1b-wage-perm-green-card
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