Entry-Level Software Jobs and Visa Sponsorship: 2026 Data

We analyzed 2,517 US software listings labeled “Entry level” on LinkedIn in January–August 2026. More than a third stated a citizenship, security-clearance or visa-sponsorship condition. Most said nothing about sponsorship either way.

Math and computer science was the largest field of study among the 1.2 million international students in the US in 2024–25, with 305,377 students, according to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors data. For many of them, the first question in an entry-level software listing isn't about experience. It's about citizenship.

Of 2,517 US software listings labeled “Entry level” on LinkedIn between January and August 2026, about 1 in 8 required US citizenship, according to an analysis by Global Software Companies (GSC). About 1 in 5 required a security clearance, which non-US citizens generally don't qualify for, and 1 in 10 ruled out some or all visa sponsorship. In all, 37% stated at least one condition on who could be hired.

We cover each in turn: citizenship and “U.S. person” status, visa sponsorship, security clearances and the sectors the listings came from.

How Many Entry-Level Software Listings Limit Eligibility by Citizenship, Clearance or Sponsorship?

More than a third: 37% stated at least one limit on who could be hired, whether US citizenship, a required security clearance, “U.S. person” status or a restriction on visa sponsorship.

One listing can require citizenship and a clearance and also restrict sponsorship, so the separate figures can't be added together: 260 listings required both US citizenship and a clearance of some sort. Nearly two-thirds of listings (1,578, 63%) stated none of these limits.

The 37% depends on how many defense and government roles are in the data; the sector section below looks at that. These are entry-level listings from an eight-month period, not a sample of all US tech jobs. And a listing that stated no restriction hasn't said international applicants are eligible.

What Do “US Citizen”, “U.S. Person” and “Authorized to Work” Mean in a Listing?

Each phrasing lets in a different group of people. 320 listings (13%, about 1 in 8) required US citizenship, with wording such as “must be a US citizen”. Another 123 (5%) were less strict: they accepted US citizens, permanent residents or anyone else with “U.S. person” status.

“U.S. person” comes from US export-control rules. The State Department's ITAR definition includes US citizens, lawful permanent residents and protected individuals such as refugees and asylees. F-1 or H-1B status alone does not meet that definition.

According to the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, sharing controlled technology or source code with a foreign person inside the US may require an export license. Under 15 CFR §734.13, the release is treated as an export to the person's most recent country of citizenship or permanent residence. A listing alone doesn't establish whether a license is needed.

The third wording is different again. 298 listings (12%) asked that applicants be “authorized to work in the US”, or stated work authorization in some other form. That is not a citizenship requirement, and we don't count it in the 37%. 146 of them stated no other limit.

How Many Listings Rule Out or Restrict Visa Sponsorship?

251 listings (10%, 1 in 10) ruled out some or all visa sponsorship. 22 listings (1%) offered or would consider sponsorship. These groups overlap: a listing can offer one visa route while refusing another. Separately, 2,248 listings (89%, nearly 9 in 10) said nothing about sponsorship either way, which isn't the same as refusing it.

Of the 251, 116 listings (5% of all listings) ruled out sponsorship “now or in the future”, or ruled out a visa transfer. That matters for applicants who don't need sponsorship now but may later.

29 listings mentioned OPT, CPT or STEM OPT. These are work permissions for international students on F-1 visas. OPT (Optional Practical Training) lets a student work in their field of study, during or after their degree; CPT (Curricular Practical Training) is work that forms part of the course itself, such as a required internship. Under the Department of Homeland Security's F-1 practical-training rules, eligible students can receive up to 12 months of OPT. Eligible STEM graduates can apply for a further 24 months, known as STEM OPT; requirements include an E-Verify employer and a signed Form I-983 training plan.

The student, not the employer, applies for OPT. The school's designated school official recommends it first; the student then files an application with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency that decides immigration and work-permit applications. Even so, not every employer will accept an OPT applicant.

How Many Entry-Level Listings Ask for an Active Security Clearance?

542 listings (22%, about 1 in 5) required a security clearance.

303 (12%) required applicants to hold an active clearance already. Another 239 (about 1 in 10) said applicants must obtain one, or be able to. Listings don't always say whether work can start before it's granted. 18 listings mentioned a clearance only as preferred.

Of the 542, the most common recorded level was Secret (250, 46%), followed by TS/SCI with polygraph (117, 22%), TS/SCI (60, 11%) and Top Secret (41, 8%). 73 didn't state a level, and 1 named Confidential.

28 listings mentioned Public Trust, which we report separately. The Office of Personnel Management's rules designate moderate- and high-risk positions as public trust, with corresponding background investigations. As USAJOBS explains, Public Trust is a type of background investigation, not a security clearance.

No one can apply for a security clearance on their own. According to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, the employer starts the process when the job requires it. Even so, 49 listings required an active clearance while also saying some applicants needed no prior work experience.

Which Sectors Do These Listings Come From?

Eligibility limits were far more common among defense, aerospace and government organizations. A keyword rule flagged 408 listings (16%) from those sectors: 320 of them (78%) stated at least one limit, against 619 of the other 2,109 (29%). The rule is a general guideline and not a definitive sector classification.

How Can You Read a Listing's Eligibility Lines?

This is GSC's advice, separate from the findings above. It is not legal advice.

• Read a listing's eligibility lines before its experience lines. They can decide who can apply at all.

• Tell the wordings apart: “US citizen” only, “U.S. person” or permanent-resident wording, and plain “authorized to work” are different conditions.

• If you're on an F-1 visa, a listing that requires US citizenship, “U.S. person” status or a security clearance is generally closed to you. Spend your time on the others.

• Silence isn't refusal. A listing that says nothing about sponsorship hasn't turned an applicant down; ask the employer.

• Check for “now or in the future” wording on sponsorship, which covers later visa needs as well as the first application.

• STEM OPT needs an employer enrolled in E-Verify and a signed training plan; check these requirements in the DHS STEM OPT guidance and with the employer.

• Talk to your school's international student office (the designated school official) or an immigration attorney about your own situation.

Methods and Limits

Global Software Companies (GSC) analyzed 2,517 US software listings labeled “Entry level” on LinkedIn and posted January–August 2026, from its dataset US entry-labeled software job listings (version 2026-10-12b). They are the ordinary software-development roles among the 5,625 listings in our analysis of experience requirements. Counting each description once gives a similar result: 852 of 2,186 unique listings (39%) stated at least one limit. Two AI coders classified each listing's eligibility lines independently under written rules, a third settled disagreements, and a GSC researcher checked about 1 in 5 of the classifications by hand. “Required” means stated as a condition of employment; preferred clearances and Public Trust are counted separately.

These are selected listings, not a measure of the US job market, and the shares depend on how many defense and government roles they include. We recorded what listings stated, but obviously did not ask each employer why. The legal sources were checked on 4 November 2026; this article is not legal advice. Every figure except the sector check, which uses a keyword rule, can be recomputed from the download. Read the full methods.

Download the data and read how we did it. Related: We analyzed 5,625 “entry-level” software jobs and Do you need a degree for an entry-level software job?

Last updated 4 November 2026. Corrections: [email protected].

This article draws on GSC’s analysis and the outside sources linked in the text:

• Global Software Companies, US entry-labeled software job listings, version 2026-10-12b. Definitions, selection rules and limitations: methods.

Other sources: