AI Software Developer Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
AI Software Developer jobs attract strong H-1B visa sponsorship because the role qualifies as a specialty occupation requiring a directly related bachelor's degree. Employers file a Labor Condition Application with the DOL before sponsoring, and the H-1B annual cap and selection process means timing your job search matters. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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SUMMARY
Apple has changed how people live, connect, and work, and the Calendar team wants to rethink what a calendar can do for the people using it. A calendar knows when someone is busy. It knows very little about which of those commitments matter, which ones could move, or when would be a good time for something new. We're looking for an engineer to help answer those questions, on device and privately, for billions of people. The right person has strong machine learning foundations and is just as comfortable writing the software that ships a model as building the model itself. You'll help take ideas from a single sentence to a shipped feature, and you'll bring the evaluation that tells us whether it works.
DESCRIPTION
In this role you'll drive the modeling and evaluation behind intelligence features in Calendar, from the first framing through launch, as part of a very collaborative team. A request will often start as one line, and you'll work with the team to turn it into a problem we can solve: what signal exists, what a good answer looks like, which approach fits, and how we'll know it's right. You'll design the evaluation before you build the model. That means the metrics, the eval sets, the baselines a model has to beat, and human review for the places where a metric can't tell you enough. You won't always have good data, so part of the job is finding it and getting something useful out of it when there isn't much. You'll need to get real statistical strength out of priors, shared structure, and self-supervision. You'll also work with a range of large language models, on device and on server, deciding where a model call earns its cost, where a smaller model trained on a larger model's judgments does better, and where a well-tuned heuristic beats both. You'll join a small team of senior systems engineers who ship this work across Apple's platforms, several of them with deep backgrounds in ML data engineering. There's no hard line between roles, so you'll write production code alongside them in whatever part of the stack the problem needs. Calendar also builds on signals and models from other ML teams across Apple, and a lot of this role is working with them: building on what they have, agreeing on shared interfaces, and recognizing when we need our own. You'll work closely with design and product as well. We need someone who writes clearly, can explain a model's tradeoffs to engineers who aren't ML specialists, and is comfortable driving a problem forward before the path is defined.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Science, EE, Applied Mathematics, or related field with 2+ years experience in developing ML / AI driven software.
- Proficiency in one or more of the following programming languages: Python, Swift, Objective-C, or C++.
- Experience developing software prototypes and features driven by Large Language Models and designing tool and function-calling interfaces, constructing context, and validating model output.
- Fluency with agentic coding tools such as Claude Code, with good judgment about where to apply them and how to verify what they produce.
- Experience driving an ambiguous problem with cross-functional partners, including other ML teams, from a loose idea through launch, and getting alignment on shared interfaces along the way.
- Exceptional problem-solving skills, and the ability to drive alignment across teams on shared API surfaces.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience designing and developing systems that are efficient in resource constrained environments — latency, memory, and power budgets on device.
- Solid foundation in machine learning, probability, and statistics, with hands-on experience training and evaluating models in a framework such as PyTorch or JAX.
- A track record of designing the evaluation for what you ship: metrics, held-out sets, baselines, and noticing when a metric has stopped measuring what you care about.
- Proven ability to excel in a fast-paced development team.
COMPENSATION
- Base pay range for this role is between $150,400 and $277,600, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation.
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.
Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.
At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.
Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as an AI Software Developer
Frame your degree as directly related
Consular officers and USCIS adjudicators look for a direct connection between your degree field and AI development. A computer science or machine learning degree maps cleanly; a physics or math degree needs supporting coursework documentation to satisfy the specialty occupation requirement.
Use O*NET to anchor your job description
AI Software Developer roles must demonstrate specialty occupation status. Pull the task and knowledge requirements from O*NET and make sure your offer letter and LCA job description mirror that language precisely. Misalignment between the two is a common source of Requests for Evidence.
Target employers with active LCA filing history
Not every tech employer files LCAs for AI roles specifically. Search Migrate Mate to find companies with verified LCA sponsorship history for AI and software development positions, so you're applying where the infrastructure already exists.
Verify prevailing wage tier before negotiating
Your employer's LCA must certify a wage at or above the DOL prevailing wage for your location and role level. Use the OFLC Wage Search to check the Level I through IV wage tiers for AI developer roles in your target city before you enter salary discussions.
Get your STEM OPT training plan filed early
If you're on F-1 OPT bridging to H-1B, your employer must sign Form I-983 and be enrolled in E-Verify. AI roles qualify under STEM-designated CIP codes, but your DSO needs the signed training plan to extend your authorization before your initial OPT EAD expires.
Prepare for cap timing with a gap strategy
H-1B is subject to an annual cap and selection process, and the rules have changed recently. If you're not selected, your 60-day grace period still runs. Have a backup plan: an employer already cap-exempt, a change to another nonimmigrant status, or a TN visa if you hold Canadian or Mexican citizenship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an AI Software Developer role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B purposes?
Yes, in most cases. USCIS requires that the position normally require a bachelor's degree or higher in a directly related field. AI Software Developer roles typically require degrees in computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or a closely related discipline, which satisfies that standard. Roles framed as general software development with AI tasks added on can face more scrutiny, so the job description precision matters.
What degree do I need to get H-1B sponsorship as an AI developer?
A bachelor's degree or higher in computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, or a closely related field is the typical baseline. USCIS also accepts a combination of education and experience, where three years of qualifying work experience can substitute for one year of a four-year degree. The degree must have a logical and direct connection to the AI development duties in the actual role.
Which visa types are realistic for AI Software Developers seeking U.S. sponsorship?
H-1B is the primary path for most AI developers, subject to the annual cap and selection process. Australian citizens can pursue the E-3 visa, which has its own annual allocation and no lottery. Chilean and Singaporean nationals may qualify for the H-1B1 visa. F-1 students can work via OPT or STEM OPT while pursuing H-1B sponsorship. All of these require the role to meet specialty occupation standards.
How do I find employers who actively sponsor AI Software Developer roles?
Migrate Mate lists U.S. employers with verified LCA sponsorship history for AI and software development roles, searchable by city and position type. This cuts out companies that list AI roles but have no demonstrated track record of filing for them, so you can focus your applications where sponsorship is already part of the hiring process.
Can a startup or early-stage AI company sponsor my H-1B?
Yes, company size or stage doesn't disqualify an employer from sponsoring an H-1B. What matters is that the employer has a legitimate employer-employee relationship with you, the role qualifies as a specialty occupation, and the offered wage meets the DOL prevailing wage for your location. Startups that haven't filed before will need to establish their FEIN and go through the full LCA and I-129 process for the first time, which can take additional preparation time.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored AI Software Developer jobs?
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.