Waiter Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Illinois
Illinois waiter visa sponsorship jobs are concentrated in Chicago, where the city's deep-dish-to-fine-dining spectrum supports one of the country's busiest restaurant industries. Major hospitality groups like Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and hotel chains along the Magnificent Mile regularly hire service staff. Convention demand and a year-round tourism base keep hiring active statewide.
Find Waiter JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 87+ Waiter Jobs in Illinois 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 87+ Waiter Jobs in Illinois with Visa Sponsorship
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Waiter Jobs in Illinois with Visa Sponsorship.
Get Access To All JobsPosition Summary:
The successful Server is technically competent in serving food and beverages, is hospitable and cordial to guests and coworkers, acts safely and responsibly, and is knowledgeable about the vessel and the skyline.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide exceptional hospitality to guests and coworkers as prescribed in our service systems, RESPECT.
- Greet guests and serve food and beverages in a timely fashion.
- Accurately take orders and enter them into the point-of-sale system.
- Maintain the cleanliness and safety of all common areas and service stations.
- Participate in the celebration and entertainment experience of the guest.
- Set up and break down dining room and service stations as prescribed; this requires movement of dining cabin furniture.
- Accurately collect payment from guests for on-board purchases.
- Provide information to guests including menu descriptions, order of service, entertainment options, cruise route and points of interest.
- Be prepared to begin work at the scheduled time.
- Maintain uniform and personal grooming in compliance with appearance standards.
- Assist with the warm and efficient greeting and seating of guests when they arrive.
- Additional job duties as assigned.
Requirements & Qualifications:
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
- One (1) year experience in high volume restaurant preferred.
- Will work for extended periods without sitting.
- Required to lift furniture and other heavy items such as dishes up and down stairs.
- Must meet minimum state age requirements.
- Strong customer service, organization, and interpersonal skills.
- Maintain a high level of organization, detail-oriented and meet deadlines.
- Handle multiple tasks/projects at one time.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships as required by job responsibility.
- Listen effectively, assess the situation, determine relevant issues, & suggest solutions.
- Have a working knowledge of computer skills, including but not limited to proficiency with Microsoft Office Suites.
- Must be able to effectively understand and convey written and verbal information to coworkers and guests.
- Maintain uniform and personal grooming in compliance with appearance standards.
- Will be required to be available for work nights, weekends and on all major holidays.
The RESPECT Service System embodies our mission, vision, values and operating principles. By creating a company culture that puts RESPECT at its core, we believe it will drive us to achieve our goal of becoming a Global Experiences and Transportation Leader.
EEO / Disabled / Protected Veteran Employer. Hornblower is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and prohibit discrimination and/or harassment of any type, including but not limited to discrimination and or harassment based upon race, religion, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, pregnancy or relation medical conditions, childbirth, breastfeeding, parental status, veteran and/or military status, disability (physical or mental), medical condition, genetic information or characteristics, political affiliation, domestic violence survivor status, marital status, or other characteristics prohibited by federal, state, or local law. Additionally, as a federal, state, and local contractor, Hornblower complies with government regulations, including affirmative action responsibilities for qualified individuals, where and as they apply. The company also participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations.
Position Summary:
The successful Server is technically competent in serving food and beverages, is hospitable and cordial to guests and coworkers, acts safely and responsibly, and is knowledgeable about the vessel and the skyline.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provide exceptional hospitality to guests and coworkers as prescribed in our service systems, RESPECT.
- Greet guests and serve food and beverages in a timely fashion.
- Accurately take orders and enter them into the point-of-sale system.
- Maintain the cleanliness and safety of all common areas and service stations.
- Participate in the celebration and entertainment experience of the guest.
- Set up and break down dining room and service stations as prescribed; this requires movement of dining cabin furniture.
- Accurately collect payment from guests for on-board purchases.
- Provide information to guests including menu descriptions, order of service, entertainment options, cruise route and points of interest.
- Be prepared to begin work at the scheduled time.
- Maintain uniform and personal grooming in compliance with appearance standards.
- Assist with the warm and efficient greeting and seating of guests when they arrive.
- Additional job duties as assigned.
Requirements & Qualifications:
- High school diploma or equivalent required.
- One (1) year experience in high volume restaurant preferred.
- Will work for extended periods without sitting.
- Required to lift furniture and other heavy items such as dishes up and down stairs.
- Must meet minimum state age requirements.
- Strong customer service, organization, and interpersonal skills.
- Maintain a high level of organization, detail-oriented and meet deadlines.
- Handle multiple tasks/projects at one time.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships as required by job responsibility.
- Listen effectively, assess the situation, determine relevant issues, & suggest solutions.
- Have a working knowledge of computer skills, including but not limited to proficiency with Microsoft Office Suites.
- Must be able to effectively understand and convey written and verbal information to coworkers and guests.
- Maintain uniform and personal grooming in compliance with appearance standards.
- Will be required to be available for work nights, weekends and on all major holidays.
The RESPECT Service System embodies our mission, vision, values and operating principles. By creating a company culture that puts RESPECT at its core, we believe it will drive us to achieve our goal of becoming a Global Experiences and Transportation Leader.
EEO / Disabled / Protected Veteran Employer. Hornblower is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and prohibit discrimination and/or harassment of any type, including but not limited to discrimination and or harassment based upon race, religion, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, pregnancy or relation medical conditions, childbirth, breastfeeding, parental status, veteran and/or military status, disability (physical or mental), medical condition, genetic information or characteristics, political affiliation, domestic violence survivor status, marital status, or other characteristics prohibited by federal, state, or local law. Additionally, as a federal, state, and local contractor, Hornblower complies with government regulations, including affirmative action responsibilities for qualified individuals, where and as they apply. The company also participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations.
Waiter Job Roles in Illinois
See all 87+ Waiter Jobs in Illinois
Sign up for free to filter by visa type, set job alerts, and find employers with verified sponsorship history.
Search Waiter Jobs in IllinoisWaiter Jobs in Illinois: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for waiters in Illinois?
Large hospitality employers are the most consistent sponsors for waiter roles in Illinois. Chicago-based groups like Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises operate dozens of restaurant concepts and have the HR infrastructure to manage visa petitions. Major hotel brands along Michigan Avenue, including Hilton and Marriott properties, also sponsor service staff for their food and beverage operations. Independent fine-dining establishments sponsor less frequently due to the administrative burden involved.
Which visa types are most common for waiter roles in Illinois?
The H-2B visa temporary nonagricultural worker visa is the most common route for waiter positions in Illinois. It covers seasonal or peak-load hospitality staffing and is employer-sponsored with a federal cap. The J-1 visa exchange visitor visa, specifically the Summer Work Travel and Hospitality and Tourism programs, is another pathway used by Chicago-area restaurants and hotels to fill service roles during high-demand periods.
How to find waiter visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois?
Migrate Mate is the most direct way to find waiter visa sponsorship jobs in Illinois. The platform filters specifically for roles where employers have indicated sponsorship willingness, so you are not sorting through listings from companies that won't support a visa petition. Focus your search on Chicago, Rosemont near O'Hare, and the suburban Naperville corridor, where hospitality hiring is consistently active.
Which cities in Illinois have the most waiter sponsorship jobs?
Chicago accounts for the overwhelming majority of waiter sponsorship activity in Illinois. The River North, West Loop, and Fulton Market neighborhoods are dense with high-volume restaurants that have sponsored service staff before. Rosemont, adjacent to O'Hare International Airport, is a secondary hub with hotel-restaurant complexes that hire year-round. Outside the Chicago metro, Galena and other tourist destinations see seasonal demand but with far fewer sponsoring employers.
Are there any Illinois-specific considerations for waiter visa sponsorship?
Illinois requires employers to meet the Department of Labor's prevailing wage standard for the relevant occupation and region before a visa petition can be filed, so Chicago-area wage benchmarks apply rather than a single statewide figure. Illinois also has a strong culinary tourism identity tied to the James Beard Award ecosystem, which means fine-dining establishments in the city have more experience navigating sponsorship than equivalent restaurants in smaller states, though sponsorship is never guaranteed.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored waiter 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.