Five US states have emerged as the dominant destinations for foreign workers seeking visa sponsorship in 2026. California leads all states by a substantial margin, with 110,646 labour condition applications filed in 2026 and 53,940 certified positions, representing 33% of the national total. Texas ranks second with 20,628 certified positions (12.6%), followed by Washington at 12,759 (7.8%), New York at 11,452 (7.0%), and Illinois at 11,250 (6.9%). California follows at KSh 21.9 million (USD 169,004), where Nvidia pays an average of KSh 29.3 million (USD 226,005), Apple KSh 27.7 million (USD 213,841), and Meta KSh 27.0 million (USD 208,421). New York averages KSh 20.9 million (USD 161,817) annually, largely anchored by financial institutions such as JPMorgan.