There have been hardly any senior or lead positions open in the data space. Even if something is posted, looks like they are mostly labor filing related openings and you get a response back that you do not meet the expectations. No calls no nothing but just a rejection. This all seems to be internal referrals and 3P conversions or referrals taking up the roles or is it true that there is no need for data related roles at USAA. What's the deal?
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According to recent data from H1B Grader and MyVisaJobs:
Recent activity (Fiscal Year 2025): The bank filed 22 Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) for H-1B visas and 8 H-1B petitions through USCIS, with all petitions approved as of an August 2025 update.
The sponsorship activity for USAA's Life Insurance subsidiary appears to be more limited.
Recent activity (Fiscal Year 2025): Only one LCA was filed and approved, and there were no I-129 petitions filed with USCIS.
Past activity (Fiscal Years 2022–2024): The company filed just one LCA for H-1B visas.
not normal for DS to get exceptions so they can WFH at USAA. I think that's more of an exec thing.
Most managers won't bother with H1b candidates with the extra administrative burden. The bar was already high before the 100k..
Lead position and higher are available only if you know the guy who knows the guy. It's all about relationships! There are guys who no one knows what they do, until they get promoted.
The 3P conversions who need H1B sponsorship might stop immediately due to the new $100K fee due. Also, USAA will only sponsor H1B if the skill is rare and could not be filled locally. And here's the truth: there's an extremely oversaturated supply of DE, DA, and DS for the last few years now.
As a DS, I can say that I was NOT hired remote. They hired me remote, then demanded to come in 4x a week.
For DS/data roles, it's all about internal referrals/people knowing your name internally. There's a lack of roles right now since the business space is a mess and because IT was laid off, meaning that no models can be put into production in 2025. So.. hiring will probably get bigger in March, but there's a lack of them now
The job market is very competitive here in USAA and elsewhere . I have seen senior and lead data roles posted a month or 2 ago, but HR must get hundreds of applications for each job posting, and of course they are all in office jobs (unless you’re a data scientist, then USAA will make an exception). Hang in there …hope things will be better in March after people get their bonuses (if any) and there might be more movements in the job market .