Principal Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship

Principal Machine Learning Engineer roles sit firmly within H-1B visa specialty occupation territory, requiring a directly related degree and employer-filed Labor Condition Application. Big Tech, AI labs, and growth-stage startups all sponsor this title regularly. The seniority level often supports EB-2 or EB-3 green card petitions alongside your nonimmigrant status.

Find Principal Machine Learning Engineer Jobs

Overview

Open Jobs504+
Top Visa TypeH-1B
Work Type68% On-site
Top LocationSan Francisco, CA
Most JobsCapital One

Showing 5 of 504+ Principal Machine Learning Engineer jobs

Principal Machine Learning Engineer
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Principal Machine Learning Engineer
PhysicsX
Manhattan, New York
Software Engineering
Data Science & Analytics
Technical Product & Program Management
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
ML (Machine Learning)
Data Science
Technical Program Management
$190k/yr
Hybrid
Master's

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Principal Machine Learning Engineer
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Added 1w ago
Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Atlassian
San Francisco, California
Software Engineering
Data Science & Analytics
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
ML (Machine Learning)
Data Science
$196k - $309k/yr
Hybrid
None
10,000+

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Sr. Principal Machine Learning Software Engineer
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Added 1w ago
Sr. Principal Machine Learning Software Engineer
Ampere Computing
Durham, North Carolina
Software Engineering
Data Science & Analytics
Technical Product & Program Management
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Technical Program Management
Backend Engineering
$226k - $356k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's
1,001-5,000

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Principal Engineer - AI/ ML
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Added 1w ago
Principal Engineer - AI/ ML
Verizon
Irving, Texas
Software Engineering
Data Science & Analytics
Data Engineering
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
ML (Machine Learning)
Data Science
Hybrid
Bachelor's
10,000+

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Principal Machine Learning Engineer
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Added 3w ago
Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Cisco
Milpitas, California
Software Engineering
Cloud & DevOps
Technical Product & Program Management
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Technical Program Management
$264k - $431k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's
10,000+

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Tips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Principal Machine Learning Engineer

Align your degree field to the role

USCIS scrutinizes whether your degree is in a directly related field, not just a technical field. Computer Science, Statistics, or Electrical Engineering maps cleanly. A degree in a loosely related discipline may require an advisory opinion letter from a credentials evaluator before filing.

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 level. Use the OFLC Wage Search to confirm the Level III or Level IV wage for your metro area before you finalize any offer discussion.

Target employers with active LCA filing history

Use Migrate Mate to find companies with verified LCA filings for Principal Machine Learning Engineer roles, filtered by city. This tells you which employers have already navigated the sponsorship process for this title, not just those who claim they sponsor.

Flag the O*NET profile during credential review

O*NET classifies this role in Job Zone 5, the highest complexity tier, requiring a master's or doctoral degree for most positions. Referencing this in your application materials strengthens the specialty occupation argument your employer must make to USCIS.

Push for concurrent EB-2 filing at the offer stage

At the principal level, many employers can initiate PERM labor certification alongside your H-1B petition. Getting this conversation into the offer stage rather than after your first year protects you against priority date backlogs, especially if you're from India or China.

Anticipate the H-1B cap and plan your timeline

H-1B is subject to an annual cap and selection process, with rules that have changed recently. If you're not already in H-1B status, structure your job search so an offer can be in place well before the registration window opens each year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Principal Machine Learning Engineer role qualify as a specialty occupation for H-1B?

Yes. The role requires deep knowledge of machine learning frameworks, statistical modeling, and system design, all of which demand at minimum a bachelor's degree in a directly related field such as Computer Science, Mathematics, or Electrical Engineering. USCIS evaluates the degree requirement against the specific duties in the job description, so your employer's petition language matters as much as your credentials.

Is a master's degree required, or will a bachelor's degree support sponsorship?

A bachelor's degree in a directly related field can technically qualify, but most employers filing for principal-level roles set a master's or doctoral degree as the minimum requirement. This higher degree threshold also opens eligibility for the H-1B advanced degree cap, giving you an additional selection pool, and strengthens an EB-2 green card petition if your employer pursues one.

Which visa types realistically apply to Principal Machine Learning Engineers?

The H-1B is the primary path. If you hold Australian citizenship, the E-3 visa offers a faster, cap-exempt alternative with an LCA filed by the employer and no lottery. Chilean and Singaporean nationals may qualify for the H-1B1 visa. All three require the employer to file an LCA with the DOL certifying the prevailing wage. For permanent residence, EB-2 or EB-3 are the standard green card categories at this level.

How do I find employers actively sponsoring Principal Machine Learning Engineer roles?

Migrate Mate lists employers with verified LCA sponsorship history for machine learning roles, searchable by city and seniority. This is the most direct way to identify companies that have already filed for this title rather than relying on job postings that may or may not lead to sponsorship.

Can my employer start the green card process while I'm on H-1B?

Yes, and at the principal level it's worth raising this during the offer stage. Your employer can initiate PERM labor certification and file an I-140 petition concurrently with or after your H-1B approval. If your priority date is current, you can file for adjustment of status while maintaining H-1B status. For India and China-born applicants, priority date backlogs make starting this process early a practical necessity.

What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Principal Machine Learning Engineer 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.