Software Engineer 3 H-1B salary at Ciena — 34 certified filings (FY2016–FY2026)
- 1
- Filings · FY2023
- $159k
- Median base · FY2023
- $159k–$159k
- Middle 50% · FY2023
- −2%
- vs market median · all years
Ciena filed 1 certified H-1B LCAs for Software Engineer 3 in FY2023, with a median base salary of $159k and the middle 50% of offers between $159k and $159k. Across all years its $134k median is 2% below the $137k market median for Software Engineer 3. It has filed 34 Software Engineer 3 LCAs since FY2016, most often in San Jose, CA.
How much does Ciena pay a Software Engineer 3?
Certified base salary for Software Engineer 3 at Ciena by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $159k median in FY2023. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does Ciena pay Software Engineer 3s above the market?
Ciena's all-years median against every employer's certified Software Engineer 3 LCAs — 2% below the market. Same cleaned DOL title, same base-salary definition, so the two rows compare like for like.
| Base salary for this title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Ciena | 34 | $134k |
| All employers · Software Engineer 3 | 4,633 | $137k |
How has Ciena's Software Engineer 3 hiring changed by year?
12 certified Software Engineer 3 filings in FY2016 → 1 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 1 | 0% | $198k |
| FY2023 | 1 | −50% | $159k |
| FY2020 | 2 | −67% | $125k |
| FY2019 | 6 | −33% | $120k |
| FY2018 | 9 | +200% | $143k |
| FY2017 | 3 | −75% | $115k |
| FY2016 | 12 | — | $130k |
Which wage levels does Ciena file for Software Engineer 3?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 71% of Ciena's Software Engineer 3 filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 7 Software Engineer 3 filings with a wage level · all years
- Level II28.6%2
- Level III14.3%1
- Level IV57.1%4
Where does Ciena hire H-1B Software Engineer 3s?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| California | 23 | $140k |
| Georgia | 10 | $115k |
| Washington | 1 | $135k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | 18 | $139k |
| Alpharetta, GA | 10 | $115k |
| Petaluma, CA | 4 | $131k |
| Fremont, CA | 1 | $159k |
| Spokane Valley, WA | 1 | $135k |
Also filed as
Ciena's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Software Engineer 3 LCAs. All years.
Top Software Engineer 3 sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Paypal | 1,374 | $141k |
| eBay | 1,358 | $148k |
| Capgemini America | 905 | $107k |
| Asurion | 178 | $139k |
| Asml US | 98 | $119k |
| Paypal Data Services | 79 | $125k |
| Stubhub | 58 | $137k |
| Comcast Cable Communications | 55 | $76k |
| Bill ME Later | 44 | $120k |
Common questions about Software Engineer 3 H-1B pay at Ciena
- How much does Ciena pay a Software Engineer 3 on an H-1B?
- Ciena's median certified H-1B base salary for Software Engineer 3 is $159k in FY2023, from 1 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $159k and $159k. Across all years the median is $134k.
- How many Software Engineer 3 H-1B LCAs has Ciena filed?
- Ciena has 34 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Software Engineer 3 on record (FY2016–FY2026), 1 of them in FY2026. That is 9% of its 380 certified filings across all titles.
- Does Ciena pay Software Engineer 3s above the market?
- Ciena's all-years median of $134k is 2% below the $137k median for Software Engineer 3 across all H-1B employers (4,633 certified filings).
- Where does Ciena hire H-1B Software Engineer 3s?
- Ciena's Software Engineer 3 LCAs name worksites mostly in California, Georgia, Washington; the top cities are San Jose, CA, Alpharetta, GA, Petaluma, CA.
- Does a certified LCA mean an H-1B visa was approved?
- No. A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is the Department of Labor attestation an employer must have certified before filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. It records the job, worksite and offered wage, but not whether the petition was filed, selected in the lottery, or approved. Filing counts measure intent to sponsor, not headcount.
- What salary do these figures show?
- The base annual wage offered on the certified LCA, converted to a yearly amount. Bonus, equity, overtime and benefits are not included, so total compensation is typically higher. Figures are medians and percentiles over certified filings; wages above $5,000,000 a year are excluded as data-entry errors.
- What do prevailing-wage levels I–IV mean?
- The Department of Labor assigns each LCA an OES wage level from I (entry) to IV (fully competent) for the occupation and area. Under the FY2027 wage-weighted H-1B lottery rule, a higher level earns more selection entries, so an employer's level mix is a proxy for how senior its sponsored roles are.
Keep exploring
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Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — certified LCA disclosure data through June 2026 (FY2016–FY2026). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →