Aerospace & Defense Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California

California leads the nation in aerospace and defense innovation, with major contractors like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon maintaining significant operations across the state. From Los Angeles County's Space Coast to Silicon Valley's defense tech startups, California offers extensive visa sponsorship opportunities for international professionals in engineering, cybersecurity, and advanced manufacturing roles.

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Overview

Open Jobs684+
Top Visa TypeGreen Card
Work Type90% On-site
Median Salary$122K
Top LocationSan Mateo, CA
Most JobsJoby Aviation

Showing 5 of 684+ Aerospace & Defense Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California jobs

Joby Aviation
Water Jet Technician
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Joby Aviation
New 21h ago
Water Jet Technician
Joby Aviation
Santa Cruz, California
Manufacturing Operations
Skilled Trades
Quality Control
$56/hr - $67/hr
On-Site
5+ yrs exp.
High School
1,001-5,000

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Supernal, LLC
Civil Certification Leader
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Supernal, LLC
Added 1d ago
Civil Certification Leader
Supernal, LLC
Irvine, California
Compliance & Legal
Project & Program Management
Specialized Engineering
Project Management
Engineering (Non-Software)
Not listed
On-Site
15+ yrs exp.
Associate's

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Safran
Intern, Continuous Improvement
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Safran
Added 1d ago
Intern, Continuous Improvement
Safran
Garden Grove, California
Health & Safety (EHS & OHS)
Specialized Engineering
Project & Program Management
Environmental Engineering
$22/hr - $24/hr
On-Site
High School
10,000+

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Skydio
Field Marketing Event Manager
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Skydio
Added 2d ago
Field Marketing Event Manager
Skydio
San Mateo, California
Events & Tourism
Marketing
Event Planning
$110,000/yr - $140,000/yr
On-Site
2+ yrs exp.
None

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Shield AI
Staff Engineer, Modeling & Simulation
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Shield AI
Added 3d ago
Staff Engineer, Modeling & Simulation
Shield AI
San Diego, California
Software Engineering
Data Science & Analytics
Embedded Systems Engineering
$150,000/yr - $220,000/yr
On-Site
7+ yrs exp.
Bachelor's
11-50

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See all 684+ Aerospace & Defense Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California

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Aerospace & Defense Job Roles in California

Engineering (Non-Software)229 jobs
Specialized Engineering210 jobs
Software Engineering145 jobs
Quality Control143 jobs
Manufacturing Operations141 jobs
Project & Program Management112 jobs
Project Management85 jobs
Electrical Engineering84 jobs
Mechanical Engineering84 jobs
Backend Engineering77 jobs

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Aerospace & Defense Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions

Which aerospace and defense companies sponsor visas in California?

Major sponsors include Boeing (El Segundo, Huntington Beach), Lockheed Martin (Palmdale, Sunnyvale), Northrop Grumman (Redondo Beach, El Segundo), Raytheon (El Segundo), SpaceX (Hawthorne), and Aerojet Rocketdyne (Sacramento). Defense tech companies like Palantir, Anduril, and Shield AI also actively sponsor H-1B and other work visas for engineering and technical roles across California's aerospace hubs.

What visa types are most common for aerospace and defense jobs in California?

H-1B visas dominate for engineering roles (aerospace, software, systems), while O-1 visas are used for senior scientists and researchers with advanced degrees. L-1 visas are common for international transfers within multinational defense contractors. E-3 visas serve Australian engineers, and TN visas are available for Canadian and Mexican nationals in qualifying engineering positions.

Which California cities have the most aerospace and defense sponsorship opportunities?

Los Angeles County leads with El Segundo, Redondo Beach, and Hawthorne hosting major contractors and SpaceX. Orange County (Huntington Beach, Irvine) offers significant opportunities, followed by San Diego's defense corridor, Silicon Valley (Sunnyvale, Palo Alto) for defense tech, and the Antelope Valley (Palmdale, Lancaster) for aircraft manufacturing and testing facilities.

How to find aerospace & defense visa sponsorship jobs in California?

Browse Migrate Mate for California aerospace and defense positions specifically tagged for visa sponsorship. Focus on companies with active government contracts, as they typically have established sponsorship processes. Target roles in ITAR-exempt areas initially, as security clearance requirements can limit sponsorship options for non-citizens in classified defense programs.

Are there special considerations for aerospace and defense sponsorship in California?

California's high prevailing wages benefit H-1B applications, particularly in Los Angeles and San Francisco metro areas. Many positions require U.S. citizenship for security clearances, limiting sponsored roles to ITAR-exempt commercial aerospace work. Strong partnerships between companies and universities like Caltech, USC, and Stanford create pathways from F-1 OPT to H-1B sponsorship.

What is the prevailing wage for sponsored aerospace & defense jobs in California?

U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.

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