H-1B Demand for Postsecondary Foreign Language and Literature Teachers Surges, Led by California and Illinois
Explore H-1B visa filings for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary. View sponsoring employers, salary data from 100 filings, and approval rates from DOL public records.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Total H-1B Petitions | 100 |
| Approval Rate | 99% |
| Average Salary | $70,479 |
| Salary Range | $48,000 - $180,000 |
| Top Sponsor | Us Army Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center |
| Primary Location | California |
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary is one of the H-1B visa categories with 96 filings and an average salary of $79,977. Hiring for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary has seen a significant surge in recent years, particularly in FY2025. California and Illinois are the leading states for H-1B hires in this field. The median salary offered is competitive, aligning with the national median for postsecondary teachers. While the number of job postings is relatively low, the demand is present, especially in specific geographic areas.
| Total Filings | 100 |
| Approval Rate | 99% |
| Average Salary | $70,479 |
| Median Salary | $65,940 |
| 25th Percentile | $57,165 |
| 75th Percentile | $84,383 |
| Minimum Salary | $48,000 |
| Maximum Salary | $180,000 |
| 10th Percentile | $52,000 |
| 25th Percentile | $57,165 |
| Median (50th) | $65,940 |
| 75th Percentile | $84,383 |
| 90th Percentile | $93,000 |
| Average | $70,479 |
| Sample Size | 99 |
| Visa Class | Filings |
|---|---|
| H-1B | 96 |
| E-3 AUSTRALIAN | 2 |
| H-1B1 CHILE | 2 |
| Education Level | Filings |
|---|---|
| Not Specified | 100 |
| Employer | Filings | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|
| US ARMY DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER | 7 | $84k |
| University of Oklahoma | 5 | $52k |
| The University of Southern California | 4 | $62k |
| University of California, Berkeley | 4 | $92k |
| Northwestern University | 4 | $71k |
| Harvard University | 3 | $75k |
| University of Arkansas | 3 | $48k |
| University of Illinois | 3 | $58k |
| The University of Kansas | 2 | $52k |
| The University of Texas at Austin | 2 | $123k |
| State | Filings |
|---|---|
| California | 16 |
| Illinois | 10 |
| Texas | 7 |
| Massachusetts | 6 |
| New York | 5 |
| Oklahoma | 5 |
| North Carolina | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 |
| Connecticut | 3 |
| Tennessee | 3 |
Focus your H-1B job search on states like California and Illinois, and highlight your advanced language proficiency and teaching experience to align with employer needs.
The average H-1B salary for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary is $79,977, with a median of $65,000. The 25th-75th percentile range is $58,000 to $84,383.
Top H-1B sponsors for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary include US ARMY DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER, TRUSTEES OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Northwestern University, The University of Southern California, University of Arkansas. A total of 66 employers have filed for this role.
There are 96 H-1B filings on record for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions. 99.0% were certified.
The top states for H-1B Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions are California (14), Illinois (10), Massachusetts (7), Texas (6), Indiana (5).
Yes, Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary is a qualifying occupation for H-1B visa sponsorship. There are 96 approved H-1B petitions for this role in the database.
H-1B Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary salaries range from $45,900 to $1,012,596. The median salary is $65,000.
The approval rate for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary H-1B petitions is 99.0%. The number of H-1B petitions filed for this role increased dramatically from 3 in FY2022 to 78 in FY2025.
California accounts for the largest share of H-1B hires, followed by Illinois.
Focus your H-1B job search on states like California and Illinois, and highlight your advanced language proficiency and teaching experience to align with employer needs.
The median annual salary for this role is $65,000, which is slightly above the national median for postsecondary teachers.
The Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary occupation (SOC code 25-112400) is classified under the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The SOC system groups workers into occupational categories based on the type of work performed, providing a standardized framework for comparing wages, employment levels, and workforce trends across the United States.
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions fall within the specialty occupation category required for H-1B visa sponsorship, meaning they typically require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at minimum a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in the specific specialty. Based on H-1B filing data, the most common education requirement for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions is Not Specified (100 filings), followed by other degree levels.
Across 100 LCA filings tracked by H1BSalaryCheck, Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions show an average offered salary of $70,479, with a range from $48,000 at the entry level to $180,000 for senior positions. The largest concentration of H-1B filings for this role is in California (16 filings) and Illinois (10 filings).
Career outlook for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary professionals is closely tied to industry demand for specialized skills. Employers sponsoring H-1B workers for this role are demonstrating that they could not find sufficient qualified U.S. workers to fill these positions, which often signals strong demand and competitive compensation. Workers in this occupation may also be eligible for other visa categories including L-1 intracompany transfers, O-1 extraordinary ability visas, or employment-based green card sponsorship through the PERM process.
To sponsor a foreign worker for an H-1B visa in a Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary role, U.S. employers must satisfy several requirements established by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and enforced by both the Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS):
The position must qualify as a "specialty occupation," meaning it requires the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and at minimum a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a specific specialty directly related to the position. For Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary roles, H-1B filings indicate that employers most commonly require a Not Specified degree. USCIS evaluates whether the position itself, not just the employer's preference, genuinely requires specialized education.
Employers must pay H-1B workers at least the prevailing wage for the occupation in the geographic area of employment, as determined by the DOL. The prevailing wage is based on four skill levels (Level 1 through Level 4) that reflect the complexity of the job duties and required experience. For Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions, the average offered salary of $70,479 exceeds prevailing wages by an average of 22.2%, with 71% of filings offering above the prevailing wage.
Before filing the H-1B petition, employers must obtain a certified LCA from the DOL. The LCA requires employers to attest to four conditions: (1) paying at least the prevailing wage or actual wage, whichever is higher; (2) providing working conditions that do not adversely affect similarly employed U.S. workers; (3) no strike or lockout at the worksite; and (4) proper notice of the filing to workers. The overall LCA approval rate for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions is 99%.
The annual H-1B cap is set at 65,000 regular visas plus 20,000 for beneficiaries with U.S. master's degrees or higher (the "master's cap"). Certain employers, including institutions of higher education, nonprofit research organizations, and government research organizations, are exempt from the cap. Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions at cap-exempt employers can be filed at any time during the year, while cap-subject employers must participate in the annual H-1B lottery, typically held in March for the following fiscal year.
H-1B visas are initially granted for up to three years and can be extended for a maximum of six years total. Workers who have an approved I-140 immigrant petition (part of the green card process) may be eligible for extensions beyond the six-year limit under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-First Century Act (AC21). The average contract duration for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary H-1B filings is approximately 34 months.
Cities with the most H-1B filings for Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary positions.