Journeyman Welder Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Journeyman Welder roles in the U.S. qualify for visa sponsorship through H-2B visa for seasonal or project-based work and H-1B visa for specialty welding positions requiring a directly related degree. Employers in fabrication, shipbuilding, and energy infrastructure actively file labor certifications, making this a viable path for qualified international tradespeople.
Find Journeyman Welder JobsOverview
Showing 3 of 14+ Journeyman Welder jobs
See all Journeyman Welder Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Journeyman Welder roles.
Get Access To All JobsRequisition ID: 190876
Position Summary
Plan, lay-out, weld, install, and repair all types of structural steel products in accordance with applicable plans, specifications, welding codes and industry standards.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Primary Responsibilities and Duties
- Set-up, troubleshoot and operate welding machines according to job specifications and welding procedures
- Preheat and weld metal components as specified by blue prints, welding symbols, job specifications, or welding procedures
- Weld various processes FCAW-S, FCAW-G, TGAW, GMAW, SMAW, and SAW
- Operate air arc gouger, grinder, stress relieving machine, and other industry machines, tools and equipment
- Make welding repairs and substandard welds
Qualifications
- May require a high school diploma or its equivalent with previous years of experience in the field or in a related area.
- Must possess strong working knowledge skills and abilities for position.
- Ability to understand, follow and transmit written and oral instructions and communicate effectively with management/supervision.
- Proficient in the safe and efficient use of electrical, hand tools, power tools and layout tools as well as measurement tools
- Ability to pass pre-access drug and alcohol testing, fit-for-duty medical, and background check
- Observe and comply with all safety and project rules, perform other duties as required
Work Setting & Job Requirements
- The person in this position needs to constantly move about a construction/industrial site, so should be able to stand, walk, sit, reach, stoop, kneel, crouch, and/or crawl
- Constantly works in a construction environment and will be exposed to changing outdoor weather conditions
- Work irregular hours, weekends, overtime and holidays as required
- May be required to use ladders/mechanical platforms/manlifts/scaffold to access required equipment/work areas (may exceed 200 feet), so must be able to climb and maintain balance on formwork, steel formwork, stairs, ladders and scaffolds
- Move and work in and around confined and cluttered places, and uneven surfaces
- Must be able to complete tasks in a noisy and dusty environment
- May be required/able to move items weighing up to 50 pounds across construction/industrial site
Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.
Requisition ID: 190876
Position Summary
Plan, lay-out, weld, install, and repair all types of structural steel products in accordance with applicable plans, specifications, welding codes and industry standards.
Experience Level
Intermediate
Primary Responsibilities and Duties
- Set-up, troubleshoot and operate welding machines according to job specifications and welding procedures
- Preheat and weld metal components as specified by blue prints, welding symbols, job specifications, or welding procedures
- Weld various processes FCAW-S, FCAW-G, TGAW, GMAW, SMAW, and SAW
- Operate air arc gouger, grinder, stress relieving machine, and other industry machines, tools and equipment
- Make welding repairs and substandard welds
Qualifications
- May require a high school diploma or its equivalent with previous years of experience in the field or in a related area.
- Must possess strong working knowledge skills and abilities for position.
- Ability to understand, follow and transmit written and oral instructions and communicate effectively with management/supervision.
- Proficient in the safe and efficient use of electrical, hand tools, power tools and layout tools as well as measurement tools
- Ability to pass pre-access drug and alcohol testing, fit-for-duty medical, and background check
- Observe and comply with all safety and project rules, perform other duties as required
Work Setting & Job Requirements
- The person in this position needs to constantly move about a construction/industrial site, so should be able to stand, walk, sit, reach, stoop, kneel, crouch, and/or crawl
- Constantly works in a construction environment and will be exposed to changing outdoor weather conditions
- Work irregular hours, weekends, overtime and holidays as required
- May be required to use ladders/mechanical platforms/manlifts/scaffold to access required equipment/work areas (may exceed 200 feet), so must be able to climb and maintain balance on formwork, steel formwork, stairs, ladders and scaffolds
- Move and work in and around confined and cluttered places, and uneven surfaces
- Must be able to complete tasks in a noisy and dusty environment
- May be required/able to move items weighing up to 50 pounds across construction/industrial site
Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.
See all Journeyman Welder Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Journeyman Welder roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Journeyman Welder
Verify your journeyman certification transfers correctly
U.S. employers filing an H-2B temporary labor certification need proof of your trade qualifications. Get your journeyman credentials evaluated by a NACES-recognized credential evaluator so DOL reviewers can confirm equivalency to U.S. journeyman-level status.
Look up the prevailing wage before negotiating
Your employer must pay at least the DOL-certified prevailing wage for your welding classification and work location. Run your job title and county through the OFLC Wage Search before any offer conversation so you know the floor they're legally bound to meet.
Target industries with documented H-2B welding history
Shipyards, offshore oil and gas contractors, and structural steel fabricators file H-2B petitions for welders far more consistently than general manufacturers. Focusing your search on these sectors puts you in front of employers already familiar with the temporary labor certification process.
Search Migrate Mate for verified sponsoring employers
Use Migrate Mate to find U.S. employers with verified welding sponsorship history, searchable by role and city. This saves you from applying to companies that have never filed a labor certification and won't know how to start the process for you.
Confirm the job is genuinely temporary before accepting H-2B
H-2B status is limited to temporary or seasonal need. If the employer's welding work is ongoing year-round rather than project-based or seasonal, the DOL temporary labor certification will likely be denied. Ask the hiring manager directly how the position is classified before you commit.
Get the LCA filed before your start date
For any H-2B or H-1B welding role, work cannot legally begin until USCIS approves the petition. Push your employer's HR team to file as early as possible since H-2B has a strict 66,000-slot annual cap that can fill within weeks of the filing window opening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What visas are available for journeyman welders seeking U.S. sponsorship?
H-2B is the most common path for journeyman welders because it covers temporary or seasonal non-agricultural work without requiring a degree. H-1B is available but only if the specific welding role requires a bachelor's degree in a directly related field, which is rare for trade-level positions. For Canadian or Mexican nationals, TN visa status is not available for welders as the occupation does not appear on the USMCA profession list.
Does a journeyman welder need a college degree for visa sponsorship?
Not for H-2B sponsorship. DOL's temporary labor certification for H-2B focuses on the employer demonstrating a temporary or seasonal need and no available U.S. workers, not on the applicant holding a degree. What you do need is documented journeyman-level trade certification, apprenticeship completion records, or equivalent work history that shows you meet the position's skill requirements.
How hard is it for a journeyman welder to get H-2B sponsorship?
The main barrier is the annual cap of 66,000 H-2B slots, split 33,000 per half of the year. Demand from construction, landscaping, and seafood industries competes for the same pool. Welding roles in sectors with documented shortages, like shipbuilding and energy infrastructure, tend to have stronger cases for DOL certification, but your employer must file early and the timing of their application window matters significantly.
Where can I find U.S. employers who sponsor journeyman welders?
Migrate Mate lists employers with verified sponsorship history for trade and skilled labor roles, searchable by role type and location. This lets you focus on companies that have already navigated the H-2B labor certification process rather than approaching employers who may be unfamiliar with how to sponsor a foreign national welder.
What welding certifications do U.S. employers look for in sponsored roles?
Most employers filing H-2B petitions for welders specify American Welding Society certifications in their job descriptions, particularly AWS D1.1 for structural steel and AWS D1.6 for stainless steel. ASME Section IX certification is standard in pressure vessel and pipeline work. If you hold overseas trade credentials, having them evaluated against these U.S. equivalents through a recognized credential evaluator strengthens your application considerably.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Journeyman Welder 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.