Policy Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Policy roles in the U.S. can qualify for H-1B sponsorship, particularly at think tanks, government contractors, universities, and large nonprofits. You'll generally need a master's degree or higher in public policy, political science, economics, or a related field to meet specialty occupation requirements. The challenge is that many policy organizations are smaller and less experienced with visa sponsorship, so you may need to educate your employer on the process. Roles with a quantitative or technical research component tend to have stronger H-1B cases. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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About the Team
The Global Public Policy team’s work spans a broad and diverse range of functions and workstreams, including government affairs and government relations; policy, product, and issue area expertise; risk and crisis management and mitigation; outreach, coalitions, and partnerships; and philanthropy. The mission of the Global Public Policy team is to prevent, manage, and mitigate political, legislative, and regulatory threats and to promote a political, legislative, and regulatory environment that supports growth and innovation for our business.
- Serve as a bridge between Global Public Policy and Monetization teams to integrate public policy considerations into product development and risk management
- Provides actionable intelligence and insights; convert political developments into strategic guidance to the business to increase awareness of public policy challenges and risks; advise on risk mitigation strategies
- Manage internal coordination with the business and cross-functional stakeholders for government and regulatory escalations
- Identify, monitor, analyze, and communicate relevant policy trends, legislative proposals and issues of importance to the company and its products.
- Inform and support public policy strategies and engagements and ensure the Global Public Policy team is updated on important product and business developments.
- Develop and maintain relations with key internal stakeholders including legal, product, communications, policy, and safety.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, International Affairs, Government, Public Affairs, related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- In-depth experience in Public Policy or Government Affairs experience, technology policy, and/or policy advocacy experience.
- Strong presentation, and analytical skills, including the ability to translate the business and innovation implications of public policy developments to global teams.
- Outstanding judgment, persuasion, mediation, and advocacy skills, creativity, and the ability to work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
- Exceptional listening, problem-solving, and communications skills, including the ability to distill complex policy issues into easy to digest explanations and compelling messages.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with diverse teams and navigate varying priorities among multiple stakeholders toward shared goals.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in the digital advertising industry and with advertising technology is strongly preferred.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)
The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $150400 - $266000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
- Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
- Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
- Exercising sound judgment.
How to Get Visa Sponsorship in Policy
Target RAND, Brookings, and other established think tanks
Major think tanks like RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, the Urban Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, and the Migration Policy Institute hire policy researchers and analysts with advanced degrees. These organizations have experience with visa sponsorship and employ international scholars regularly. RAND operates as an FFRDC and may offer cap-exempt H-1B processing for qualifying positions.
Leverage the J-1 research scholar visa for policy research
The J-1 research scholar category allows up to five years of research activity at qualifying U.S. institutions, making it well-suited for long-term policy research roles. Universities, think tanks, and nonprofit research organizations can serve as hosts. This path avoids the H-1B lottery entirely, though it does not directly lead to permanent residency and may carry a two-year home residency requirement.
Build a publication and media presence in your policy area
Policy professionals are judged by their intellectual output - published papers, policy briefs, op-eds, and media commentary. A strong publication record and media presence strengthen O-1 visa eligibility for extraordinary ability and make you a more attractive hire for think tanks. Publish in recognized policy journals, contribute to reputable outlets, and present at conferences to build your public profile.
Focus on quantitative policy skills for stronger sponsorship arguments
Policy roles that require econometrics, statistical analysis, data science, or computational modeling have clearer H-1B specialty occupation arguments than purely qualitative positions. If your degree program included significant quantitative coursework, this may also qualify your degree for STEM OPT designation. Skills in Stata, R, Python, or GIS make you competitive for data-driven policy positions at think tanks and consultancies.
Consider international organizations headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The World Bank, IMF, Inter-American Development Bank, and various UN agencies based in Washington have their own visa categories (G-4 visas) that are separate from the H-1B system. These organizations employ thousands of policy professionals and hire internationally by default. While their hiring processes are competitive, they bypass the standard U.S. work visa system entirely.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Do think tanks and policy organizations sponsor work visas?
Some major think tanks and policy organizations sponsor H-1B visas for research and analyst positions, though the landscape is more limited than the private sector. Organizations like the Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, Council on Foreign Relations, and the Urban Institute have sponsored researchers. Nonprofit organizations affiliated with or operating as part of universities may also offer cap-exempt H-1B processing.
What visa options work for policy research roles?
H-1B is the most common path for policy analyst and researcher positions that require at least a bachelor's degree. J-1 research scholar visas can provide up to five years of authorized stay for individuals conducting research at designated organizations. O-1 visas may be available for policy experts with extraordinary ability demonstrated through publications, media citations, and significant policy influence.
Are government policy positions open to non-U.S. citizens?
Most federal government positions require U.S. citizenship, which eliminates direct federal employment for visa holders. However, government contractors, federally funded research centers (FFRDCs), and organizations like the World Bank and IMF hire international professionals. State and local government policy roles may have more flexibility, though many also have citizenship or permanent residency requirements.
What qualifications strengthen a policy professional's visa case?
An advanced degree (master's or Ph.D.) in public policy, political science, economics, international relations, or a related field is strongly preferred and strengthens the H-1B specialty occupation argument. Published research, policy briefs, or media citations demonstrate expertise. Quantitative skills like econometrics and data analysis are increasingly valued and may qualify your degree for STEM OPT.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Policy jobs?
When a U.S. employer sponsors a foreign worker for a work visa, they are legally required to pay at least the "prevailing wage" — the average wage paid to workers in the same occupation, in the same geographic area, with similar experience. This is set by the Department of Labor to prevent employers from hiring foreign workers at below-market rates. The prevailing wage varies significantly by role, location, and experience level — for example, a policy in Texas will have a different prevailing wage than the same role in a smaller state. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search.
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