Engineering Intern Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois
Illinois is one of the Midwest's strongest markets for engineering intern visa sponsorship, with major employers like Caterpillar, Abbott, Motorola Solutions, and a dense cluster of Chicago-area tech and manufacturing firms actively hiring interns. Chicago, Peoria, and the Chicagoland suburbs anchor most opportunities, and the state's proximity to top engineering programs feeds a consistent pipeline of international candidates.
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WSP USA hosts hundreds of internships across the United States to gain hands-on, meaningful work experience to enhance their education and professional aptitude. Our interns gain exposure to real projects while working side by side with senior staff. Through our Developing Professionals Network, interns gain mentorship, networking opportunities and lifelong career connections.
Our Property & Buildings Team is seeking a full-time Structural Engineering Intern - Summer 2027 to work out of our Chicago, IL office. This temporary position is seeking individuals currently enrolled in an Undergraduate or Graduate degree program.
This internship will be part of the WSP Summer Internship Program. As a summer intern, you have the opportunity to participate in our 12-week program scheduled to start on May 17th, 2027. The individual start date of the internship may be flexible.
Your Impact
- Support a variety of engineering tasks with the goal to develop technical, social, and ethical skills.
- Learn basic principles of Structural Engineering.
- Assist with project research, field work, and preliminary design calculations and analysis.
- Support preparation of final design plans, special provisions, and cost estimates.
- Assist in collecting and maintaining project documentation.
- Complete training on assigned tasks.
- Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
- Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
- Please note that there is no relocation or housing assistance associated with this internship.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Actively enrolled in an accredited Structural Engineering, or related, Undergraduate program with an anticipated graduation date of August 2027 or later.
- Must be 18 or older.
- Demonstrated interest in Structural Engineering, or related field, and have a strong desire to advance skills related to WSP’s work and projects.
- Competent interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing ideas effectively and professionally to an engineering and non-engineering audience.
- Capable of taking direction from leadership, mentors, and managers to execute projects.
- Basic proficiency with technical writing, office automation, software, spreadsheets, technology, and tools.
- Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
- Authorization to work in the United States at the start of the internship.
Preferred Qualifications
- Actively enrolled in an accredited Structural Engineering, or related, Master’s or PhD program with an anticipated graduation date of August 2027 or later.
- Experience with drafting software (AutoCAD, Revit) and engineering analysis software (SAP, ETABS, RISA).
- Prior internship and leadership involvement on campus.
Compensation
- Expected Salary (all locations): $23.90 - $31.11
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
This Opportunity
WSP USA hosts hundreds of internships across the United States to gain hands-on, meaningful work experience to enhance their education and professional aptitude. Our interns gain exposure to real projects while working side by side with senior staff. Through our Developing Professionals Network, interns gain mentorship, networking opportunities and lifelong career connections.
Our Property & Buildings Team is seeking a full-time Structural Engineering Intern - Summer 2027 to work out of our Chicago, IL office. This temporary position is seeking individuals currently enrolled in an Undergraduate or Graduate degree program.
This internship will be part of the WSP Summer Internship Program. As a summer intern, you have the opportunity to participate in our 12-week program scheduled to start on May 17th, 2027. The individual start date of the internship may be flexible.
Your Impact
- Support a variety of engineering tasks with the goal to develop technical, social, and ethical skills.
- Learn basic principles of Structural Engineering.
- Assist with project research, field work, and preliminary design calculations and analysis.
- Support preparation of final design plans, special provisions, and cost estimates.
- Assist in collecting and maintaining project documentation.
- Complete training on assigned tasks.
- Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
- Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
- Please note that there is no relocation or housing assistance associated with this internship.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Actively enrolled in an accredited Structural Engineering, or related, Undergraduate program with an anticipated graduation date of August 2027 or later.
- Must be 18 or older.
- Demonstrated interest in Structural Engineering, or related field, and have a strong desire to advance skills related to WSP’s work and projects.
- Competent interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing ideas effectively and professionally to an engineering and non-engineering audience.
- Capable of taking direction from leadership, mentors, and managers to execute projects.
- Basic proficiency with technical writing, office automation, software, spreadsheets, technology, and tools.
- Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
- Authorization to work in the United States at the start of the internship.
Preferred Qualifications
- Actively enrolled in an accredited Structural Engineering, or related, Master’s or PhD program with an anticipated graduation date of August 2027 or later.
- Experience with drafting software (AutoCAD, Revit) and engineering analysis software (SAP, ETABS, RISA).
- Prior internship and leadership involvement on campus.
Compensation
- Expected Salary (all locations): $23.90 - $31.11
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
Engineering Intern Job Roles in Illinois
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Search Engineering Intern Jobs in IllinoisEngineering Intern Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for engineering interns in Illinois?
Large Illinois employers with established intern sponsorship programs include Caterpillar, Abbott Laboratories, Motorola Solutions, Boeing, and Exelon. Chicago-area consulting and tech firms such as Accenture and Zebra Technologies also hire engineering interns with visa support. Sponsorship is most consistent at companies with formal rotational intern programs and dedicated HR immigration infrastructure, typically larger organizations rather than early-stage startups.
Which visa types are most common for engineering intern roles in Illinois?
Most international engineering interns in Illinois work under F-1 OPT or CPT, which allows students enrolled at U.S. universities to work for a qualifying employer without a separate employer-sponsored visa petition. STEM OPT extensions give graduates of engineering programs up to three additional years of work authorization. The H-1B visa is generally not available for internships directly, as it requires full-time specialty occupation employment and applies only after graduation.
Which cities in Illinois have the most engineering intern sponsorship jobs?
Chicago and its suburbs, particularly Schaumburg, Deerfield, and Lisle, account for the largest share of engineering intern roles in Illinois given the concentration of Fortune 500 headquarters and regional offices. Peoria is a secondary hub driven by Caterpillar's global operations. Urbana-Champaign sees intern activity tied to the University of Illinois ecosystem, including startups and research-adjacent employers that recruit on campus.
How to find engineering intern visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois?
Migrate Mate filters engineering intern roles specifically by visa sponsorship availability, so you can search Illinois without sifting through positions that don't support international candidates. Roles listed on Migrate Mate are tagged for sponsorship, which is particularly useful for F-1 students on OPT or CPT who need to confirm employer eligibility quickly. Filtering by Illinois and the engineering intern category narrows results to the Chicago metro, Peoria, and other active hiring markets in the state.
Are there state-specific factors that affect visa sponsorship for engineering interns in Illinois?
Illinois has a strong university pipeline, with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern, and Illinois Institute of Technology consistently producing international engineering graduates who enter the intern market on F-1 status. Employers in Illinois manufacturing and defense sectors, such as those in the Peoria and Rockford corridors, are accustomed to sponsoring international talent. However, sponsorship availability still varies by company size, and smaller Illinois employers may lack the legal and HR resources to support visa paperwork.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored engineering intern jobs in Illinois?
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.