Comparison guide
Tech Workers Abroad: H-1B, Express Entry, and UK Skilled Worker Compared
How a software engineer should decide between the US H-1B, Canada Express Entry, and UK Skilled Worker in 2026.
Last reviewed:
Mid-career software engineers and data scientistsSenior tech professionals with international optionsUS petition cost controls
US H-1B, O-1 and TN petition cost, payer and stage evidence
The comparison route frames the strategy choice. This layer keeps H-1B, O-1 and TN petition costs separated by route, payer and filing stage.
Employer-side versus applicant-side costs
USCIS petition filing, employer wage attestations and applicant consular fees do not have the same payer. Keep the payer visible before quoting any H-1B, O-1 or TN total.
Optional premium processing is not baseline
Premium processing can speed eligible I-129 adjudication, but it is optional and excluded from the baseline unless the filing strategy actually uses Form I-907.
Wage, evidence and intent gates are not fees
H-1B prevailing wage, O-1 evidence and petitioner requirements, and TN USMCA profession or temporary-intent gates are approval conditions, not money paid away to the government.
Stale USCIS fee trap
Re-check USCIS G-1055, H/L fee guidance, I-907 premium processing, State MRV, CBP and DOL sources before reuse. H-1B proclamation exposure and wage-weighted selection are conditional policy lines, not baseline fees.
| Route | Baseline and fee example | Payer and filing stage | Eligibility or evidence gate | Optional or conditional lines | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-1B - H-1B Specialty OccupationCost modelGovernment fee page | Cost model: US$3,595Fee worked example: US$3,595 (Initial H-1B, standard employer (>25 FTE, not H-1B-dependent), no premium). | Registration, DOL LCA, employer Form I-129 petition, then change of status or consular stamping.Core petition filing is employer-side in the model; the DS-160/MRV line is beneficiary-side only when a visa stamp is needed abroad. | Prevailing-wage salary evidence (DOL LCA): US$62,000-US$150,000 | Premium Processing (Form I-907): US$2,965Consular: DS-160 / consular MRV visa fee: US$205.Conditional: Foreign degree evaluation: US$0-US$250; Certified translations: US$0-US$200; Public Law 114-113 fee (large H-1B-dependent employer): US$4,000. | 1 July 2026USCIS — Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) |
| O-1 - O-1 Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or AchievementCost modelGovernment fee page | Cost model: US$1,655-US$2,155Fee worked example: US$1,655 (Single initial O-1, standard employer, no premium). | US employer or agent Form I-129 petition with evidence, consultation where required, then consular stamping if abroad.The USCIS petition is filed by the employer or agent; consular MRV and some evidence-service costs can sit with the beneficiary depending on the engagement. | O-1 evidence-threshold gate: US$0; US employer or agent petitioner gate: US$0; Peer-group or labor consultation/advisory opinion: US$0-US$500 | Premium Processing (Form I-907): US$2,965Consular: DS-160 / consular MRV visa fee: US$205; Visa appointment, courier, photos and local travel: US$0-US$300; O-3 dependant consular MRV visa fee: US$205.Conditional: Attorney or petition-preparation fees: US$2,500-US$8,000; Evidence package: letters, press, archive and translations: US$0-US$1,000; Credential evaluation where useful: US$0-US$250. | 1 July 2026USCIS - Form G-1055 fee schedule |
| TN - TN USMCA Professionals (Canada & Mexico)Cost modelGovernment fee page | Cost model: US$80Fee worked example: US$80 (Canadian citizen, port-of-entry filing). | Canadian CBP admission, Mexican consular visa, or employer Form I-129 change/extension path.Canadian border and Mexican consular paths are applicant-facing; employer I-129 filing is a separate optional path for changes, extensions or pre-approval. | USMCA profession eligibility gate: US$0; Prearranged U.S. employer support-letter gate: US$0; Temporary-entry / nonimmigrant-intent gate: US$0 | Premium Processing (Form I-907): US$2,965Consular: Temporary-entry / nonimmigrant-intent gate: US$0; Mexican TN/TD consular MRV visa fee: US$185; Consular appointment, courier, photos and local travel: US$0-US$300.Conditional: Foreign credential evaluation where required: US$0-US$250; Consular appointment, courier, photos and local travel: US$0-US$300; Form I-129 E/TN filing fee (paper, standard employer): US$1,015. | 1 July 2026USCIS / CBP / State Department TN fee sources |
Publisher-ready citation snippet
Visa Atlas separates US employment-petition cost answers by payer and stage: H-1B combines registration, LCA wage evidence and employer I-129 fees; O-1 combines petitioner, evidence and advisory-opinion gates; TN splits Canadian CBP, Mexican consular and employer I-129 alternatives.
- H-1B visa guide
- H-1B cost-to-complete model
- H-1B government fee page
- O-1 visa guide
- O-1 cost-to-complete model
- O-1 government fee page
- TN visa guide
- TN cost-to-complete model
- TN government fee page
- Cost-to-complete JSON
- Fees JSON
- Visa JSON
- How our US petition cost figures compare
Latest source record in this cluster: 1 July 2026. This cluster supports retrieval and review, not ranking, traffic, AI-citation or market-share outcome claims.
What does Tech Workers Abroad: H-1B, Express Entry, and UK Skilled Worker Compared compare?
How a software engineer should decide between the US H-1B, Canada Express Entry, and UK Skilled Worker in 2026. It compares H-1B Specialty Occupation, Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Skilled Worker visa, with each route linked to its primary government source.
Verified against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on 1 June 2026.
At a glance
Key facts for each route covered in this comparison. Click any visa for the full guide.
| Country | Route | Sponsor? | Duration | Leads to PR? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | H-1B Specialty Occupation | Yes | Initial 3 years; extendable to 6 years (longer with approved I-140). | No |
| Canada | Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | No | Permanent residence. | Yes |
| Canada | Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) | No | Permanent residence. | Yes |
| United Kingdom | Skilled Worker visa | Yes | Up to 5 years on initial grant, extendable; leads to settlement after continuous residence. | Yes |
Detailed comparison
The US H-1B offers the highest headline salaries but is cap-subject and depends on a lottery for most applicants—cap-exempt employers (universities, certain non-profits, research organisations) offer a deterministic alternative.
Canada Express Entry offers a direct permanent-residence outcome with no employer sponsorship required—candidates enter the pool and are invited based on Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores and category-based draws (including STEM).
The UK Skilled Worker visa requires a sponsor licence, a Certificate of Sponsorship, and a salary above the higher of general threshold or going-rate for the occupation code—thresholds increased materially in 2024 and continue to evolve.
Settlement: the H-1B is non-immigrant but dual-intent (green card typically via EB-2/EB-3); Canada grants PR directly; the UK leads to settlement after 5 years on Skilled Worker.
Full guides for each route
Each link takes you to the complete visa guide — eligibility, step-by-step pathway, fees, processing time, and FAQs.
H-1B Specialty Occupation· United States of America
Employer-sponsored non-immigrant visa for specialty occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Requires sponsorship · Initial 3 years; extendable to 6 years (longer with approved I-140).
Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class (CEC)· Canada
Federal permanent-residence stream for applicants with qualifying Canadian work experience.
No sponsorship needed · Permanent residence.
Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)· Canada
Federal points-based permanent residence for skilled workers without prior Canadian experience.
No sponsorship needed · Permanent residence.
Skilled Worker visa· United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Work visa for non-UK workers with a job offer from a Home Office–licensed sponsor in an eligible occupation.
Requires sponsorship · Up to 5 years on initial grant, extendable; leads to settlement after continuous residence.
Source basis
This comparison is based on the official government portals and primary route sources for the visas named on this page. Open each full guide for eligibility, fees, processing time and action links.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- USCIS — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
IRCC - verified
- GOV.UK — Browse visas and immigration
UK Home Office - verified
- USCIS — H-1B Specialty Occupations
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - verified
- IRCC — Canadian Experience Class
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada - verified
- IRCC — Federal Skilled Worker Program
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) - verified
- GOV.UK — Skilled Worker visa
UK Home Office - verified
Frequently asked questions
Which route is fastest for an engineer without a US employer sponsor?+
Canada Express Entry is typically the fastest non-employer-sponsored path for a tech professional with strong English and a qualifying occupation. EB-2 NIW is a self-petitionable US alternative but adjudication times and visa-bulletin retrogression make it substantially slower than Express Entry in most cases.
Can H-1B workers apply for a UK Skilled Worker visa while still in the US?+
Yes. UK Skilled Worker applications are filed at the UK consulate or online from outside the UK once a Certificate of Sponsorship is issued. The application is independent of US status — holding an H-1B does not block the UK route, and many tech workers use the UK as a Plan B when H-1B lottery outcomes are adverse.
Does a Canada Express Entry PR lead to US green-card acceleration?+
Not directly. Canadian PR or citizenship does not create a queue-jump for US permanent residence. However, Canadian citizens gain access to the TN visa under USMCA — indefinitely renewable US non-immigrant status for qualifying professions — which many Indian-born H-1B workers use as an interim destination while their US green-card priority dates are stuck in retrogression.
Need tailored advice?
We do not provide legal advice. For an application that depends on your exact circumstances, consult a regulator-listed immigration advisor.
Find a regulated advisor