AI Researcher Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
AI researcher visa sponsorship jobs in California are concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles, where companies like Google DeepMind, Meta AI, OpenAI, and Nvidia run large research divisions. Academic institutions including UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Caltech also hire sponsored researchers, making California the most active state for this role.
Find AI Researcher JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 363+ AI Researcher Jobs in California with Visa Sponsorship
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
Have you applied for this role?
See all 363+ AI Researcher Jobs in California with Visa Sponsorship
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new AI Researcher Jobs in California with Visa Sponsorship.
Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
Lead, collaborate, and execute on research that pushes forward the state of the art in multimodal reasoning and generation research. Work towards long-term ambitious research goals, while identifying intermediate milestones. Directly contribute to experiments, including designing experimental details, writing reusable code, running evaluations, and organizing results. Work with a large team. Contribute to publications and open-sourcing efforts. Mentor other team members. Play a significant role in healthy cross-functional collaboration. Prioritize research that can be applied to Meta's product development.
AI Research Scientist, VLM (vision language models) Responsibilities:
- Push state of the art in multimodal generative AI
- Explore new techniques for advanced reasoning and multimodal understanding for AI Assistants
- Mentor and work with AI/ML engineers to find a path from research to production
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience
- A PhD in AI, computer science, or related technical fields
- Publications in machine learning, computer vision, NLP, speech
- Experience writing software and executing complex experiments involving large AI models and datasets
- Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire, and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Direct experience in generative AI and LLM research
- Fluent in Python and PyTorch (or equivalent)
ABOUT META:
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.
Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.
Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@meta.com.
COMPENSATION
- $154,000/year to $217,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits
Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.
INTRODUCTION
Lead, collaborate, and execute on research that pushes forward the state of the art in multimodal reasoning and generation research. Work towards long-term ambitious research goals, while identifying intermediate milestones. Directly contribute to experiments, including designing experimental details, writing reusable code, running evaluations, and organizing results. Work with a large team. Contribute to publications and open-sourcing efforts. Mentor other team members. Play a significant role in healthy cross-functional collaboration. Prioritize research that can be applied to Meta's product development.
AI Research Scientist, VLM (vision language models) Responsibilities:
- Push state of the art in multimodal generative AI
- Explore new techniques for advanced reasoning and multimodal understanding for AI Assistants
- Mentor and work with AI/ML engineers to find a path from research to production
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience
- A PhD in AI, computer science, or related technical fields
- Publications in machine learning, computer vision, NLP, speech
- Experience writing software and executing complex experiments involving large AI models and datasets
- Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire, and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Direct experience in generative AI and LLM research
- Fluent in Python and PyTorch (or equivalent)
ABOUT META:
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.
Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.
Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@meta.com.
COMPENSATION
- $154,000/year to $217,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits
Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.
AI Researcher Job Roles in California
See all 363+ AI Researcher Jobs in California
Sign up for free to filter by visa type, set job alerts, and find employers with verified sponsorship history.
Search AI Researcher Jobs in CaliforniaAI Researcher Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for AI researchers in California?
The largest sponsors of AI researcher roles in California include Google DeepMind, Meta AI Research, Apple, Microsoft Research, Nvidia, Adobe, Salesforce AI, and OpenAI. University-affiliated research labs at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Caltech also sponsor researchers. Sponsorship activity is concentrated in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, with smaller but growing activity in San Diego.
Which visa types are most common for AI researcher roles in California?
The H-1B visa is the most common visa for AI researchers in California, given that the role typically requires at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, machine learning, or a related field, meeting the specialty occupation standard. Researchers with exceptional recognition may qualify for the O-1A. Those with a master's or PhD may also be eligible for EB-1A or EB-2 NIW immigrant visa pathways over time.
Which cities in California have the most AI researcher sponsorship jobs?
The San Francisco Bay Area accounts for the largest share, with major research hubs in San Francisco, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and San Jose. Los Angeles is the second-largest market, driven by companies like Snap, Riot Games, and university labs at UCLA and USC. San Diego has a smaller but growing presence through biotech-adjacent AI research roles.
How to find ai researcher visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa sponsorship availability, making it straightforward to identify AI researcher roles in California where employers are actively willing to sponsor. Because not every job posting discloses sponsorship intent upfront, using Migrate Mate saves time by surfacing only confirmed sponsoring employers, which is especially relevant in California's competitive research hiring market.
Are there any California-specific considerations for AI researchers seeking visa sponsorship?
California's prevailing wage requirements under H-1B rules apply at the county level, so wages for AI researcher roles in San Francisco or Santa Clara counties are benchmarked higher than national averages. Many California employers also have established immigration support infrastructure, particularly larger tech companies, which can mean faster internal processing. PhD graduates from California universities are frequently a starting point for sponsored research roles at nearby companies.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored ai researcher 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.