Staff Software Developer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
Staff software developer roles in California attract significant visa sponsorship activity, concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego. Major employers include Google, Meta, Apple, Salesforce, and a dense network of growth-stage startups. California's tech industry consistently files among the highest volumes of H-1B visa petitions nationally for senior engineering roles.
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Company:
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Job Area:
Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Software Engineering
General Summary:
We are hiring a hands-on systems software engineer to design, maintain, and improve Linux tools and services used on hosts equipped with our PCIe-based accelerator devices.
You cross over between userspace and the Linux kernel- or even QNX- when given the chance. You relish the opportunity to work on the kernel even if you have mostly worked in userspace. You are excited to work on accelerator products for video, AI and whatever else comes along.
You deliver software that is reliable and a joy to use.
What You’ll Do
- Design, implement, and maintain Linux services and tools in modern C or Rust
- Integrate with IPC/RPC techniques such as TCP/IP, Unix domain sockets and messaging libraries
- Build CLI tools that are user-friendly, have built-in help, are intuitive and don't crash
- Serialize and deserialize to formats (JSON, binary, etc) to integrate with other endpoints
- Create shared libraries that export user-friendly APIs for developers using our products
- Use containers where it makes sense, for example, to standardize builds, and manage dependencies
- Use a rich ecosystem of AI tools to turbo boost your development
- Use a variety of Linux distributions
- Create packages (DEB/RPM)
- Document plentifully
Required Qualifications:
- Linux software development experience using modern C and/or Rust
- Familiarity with CMake, make, gcc or clang, gdb, valgrind, and git
- Practical experience writing TCP/IP socket programs
- CLI tool development with a user-first mindset
Nice to Have:
- Knowledge of video application pipelines and GStreamer, FFmpeg, V4L2, or OpenCV
- Knowledge of TCP/IP (IPv4/v6, TCP, UDP, TUN/TAP, veth, bridging)
- Knowledge of Linux system management (users, disks, networks)
- Experience with PCIe and host-device concepts
- Interest in Linux kernel development or QNX
- Exposure to AI accelerator software stacks
- Understanding of DMA, DMABUF, and IOMMU
- Experience flashing firmware
- Python or bash scripting
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
OR
Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
OR
PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
- 2+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as C, C++, Java, Python, etc.
Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation during the application/hiring process, rest assured that Qualcomm is committed to providing an accessible process. You may e-mail disability-accomodations@qualcomm.com or call Qualcomm's toll-free number found here. Upon request, Qualcomm will provide reasonable accommodations to support individuals with disabilities to be able participate in the hiring process. Qualcomm is also committed to making our workplace accessible for individuals with disabilities. (Keep in mind that this email address is used to provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. We will not respond here to requests for updates on applications or resume inquiries).
To all Staffing and Recruiting Agencies: Our Careers Site is only for individuals seeking a job at Qualcomm. Staffing and recruiting agencies and individuals being represented by an agency are not authorized to use this site or to submit profiles, applications or resumes, and any such submissions will be considered unsolicited. Qualcomm does not accept unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Qualcomm employees or any other company location. Qualcomm is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes/applications.
EEO Employer: Qualcomm is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.
Qualcomm expects its employees to abide by all applicable policies and procedures, including but not limited to security and other requirements regarding protection of Company confidential information and other confidential and/or proprietary information, to the extent those requirements are permissible under applicable law.
Pay range and Other Compensation & Benefits:
$134,800.00 - $202,200.00
The above pay scale reflects the broad, minimum to maximum, pay scale for this job code for the location for which it has been posted. Even more importantly, please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Qualcomm. We also offer a competitive annual discretionary bonus program and opportunity for annual RSU grants (employees on sales-incentive plans are not eligible for our annual bonus). In addition, our highly competitive benefits package is designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that Qualcomm has to offer – and you can review more details about our US benefits at this link.
If you would like more information about this role, please contact Qualcomm Careers.
Staff Software Developer Job Roles in California
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Search Staff Software Developer Jobs in CaliforniaStaff Software Developer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for staff software developers in California?
California's largest H-1B sponsors for senior engineering roles include Google, Apple, Meta, Salesforce, Adobe, Intuit, and Nvidia, all headquartered in the Bay Area. In Los Angeles, companies like Snap, SpaceX, and TikTok's U.S. operations regularly sponsor staff-level engineers. Mid-size and growth-stage companies in Silicon Valley also file H-1B petitions for staff software developers, particularly those with specialized backend, infrastructure, or machine learning expertise.
Which visa types are most common for staff software developer roles in California?
The H-1B is the most common visa for staff software developers in California, given the role consistently qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. L-1B intracompany transfers are also common for staff engineers moving within multinational tech firms. Australian nationals have access to the E-3 visa, and Canadian and Mexican nationals may qualify under the TN visa category for software engineering roles.
Which cities in California have the most staff software developer sponsorship jobs?
The San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and San Francisco itself, accounts for the largest concentration of staff software developer sponsorship positions in California. Los Angeles is a strong secondary market, particularly in tech, entertainment technology, and aerospace software. San Diego has a growing presence in defense tech, biotech software, and semiconductor companies like Qualcomm that actively sponsor senior engineering roles.
How to find staff software developer visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically by visa sponsorship availability, making it straightforward to browse staff software developer roles in California without sorting through positions that don't offer sponsorship. You can filter by location to focus on Bay Area, Los Angeles, or San Diego opportunities. Given how competitive staff-level roles are, Migrate Mate's focused board helps you prioritize employers already set up to navigate the H-1B or other visa processes.
Are there any California-specific considerations for staff software developer visa sponsorship?
California employers filing H-1B petitions for staff software developers must meet Department of Labor prevailing wage requirements, which reflect the state's high cost of living and competitive engineering market. The Bay Area and Los Angeles metro areas fall into higher prevailing wage tiers, meaning sponsors must offer compensation benchmarked to those markets. California also has a strong university pipeline, with UC Berkeley, Stanford, and USC producing engineering graduates who frequently enter H-1B sponsorship processes directly from OPT status.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored staff software developer 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.