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  • High Skill Immigration Fund Application 2026

    The City of South Bend is now accepting applications for the High Skill Immigration Fund (HSIF) from employers who have filed an H1B visa application in 2026.

    HSIF offers partial reimbursements for H-1B petitions and offers trainings for employers on how to attract and retain international talent. Employers can submit applications for up to five (5) employees for whom they have sponsored an H-1B visa this year. This means any (5) employees regardless of whether they were approved or denied.

    Eligibility

    A business may apply for HSIF if they meet all the below requirements:

    1. The organization is subject to the visa lottery, meaning they are not cap-exempt.
    2. The organization is incorporated under the laws of the state of Indiana.
    3. The organization has offices in South Bend
    4. The organization has submitted H-1B application(s) for the fiscal year 2027 (submission done in 2026)

     

    Reimbursements

    The amount reimbursed per individual applicant (up to 5 per organization) will be at the discretion of the City of South Bend review team, and may depend on the volume of applications and available funding. The maximum reimbursement amount per sponsored individual (up to 5 per organization) will be $4,000. 

    Deadline: June 1st at 11:59pm.  

  • General Information

    Please fill in the requested information about yourself and your organization. Information about the H-1B applicant will be asked later.
  • Format: (000) 000-0000.
  • Is your organization cap-exempt? Cap-exempt means that you are not subject to the visa lottery and may submit H-1B applications anytime.*
  • Is your organization registered in Indiana?*
  • Would you classify your business as a small business?*
  • Please choose your organization type:*
  • Please select your industry*

  • International Employee Hiring Information

  • H-1B Sponsorship

  • Have you submitted an H-1B petition(s) this year?*
  • Have you submitted an H-1B petition in previous years?*

  • Optional Practical Training (OPT)

  • Have you previously hired, or do you currently employ any employees under Optional Practical Training (OPT)?*

  • Green Card

  • Did your organization submit a Greed Card petition for an employee this year?*
  • Has your organization ever submitted a Green Card petition for an employee?*

  • HSIF Reimbursements for 2026 Lottery Submissions

    You may add up to 5 qualified candidates for reimbursement. Note: Employees can be added to the reimbursement program whether the application was approved or denied.

  • Attachment Upload

  • Please attach the following document: 

    1. Certificate of incorporation of your business
    2. Petition receipt number (this could be a screenshot) submit for each sponsored individual (up to 5)
    3. (if applicable) Labor Condition Application for Nonimmigrant Workers Form ETA-9035 & 9035E
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  • HSIF Program Questions

  • Did the HSIF programming help to build capacity in your organization for future H-1B sponsorship?*
  • Did your organization decide to sponsor an H-1B visa for an employee before knowing about the HSIF Program?*
  • How important is the High Skill Immigration Fund (HSIF) in your decision to sponsor an international employee?*
  • If your candidate(s) was not chosen in the lottery, what is their next step?

  • Review and acknowledgements

  • Clear

  • Thank you for your submission.

    As you wait to hear from us, explore other services offered by the HSIF program at southbendin.gov/hsif

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