Software Engineer AI Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Software Engineer AI roles are among the most actively H-1B visa sponsored positions in the U.S. tech industry, with employers ranging from AI labs to enterprise software companies. Most require a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field, and many qualify for premium processing. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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INTRODUCTION
At Databricks, we are obsessed with enabling data teams to solve the world’s toughest problems, from security threat detection to cancer drug development. We do this by building and running the world’s best data and AI platform so our customers can focus on the high-value challenges that are central to their own missions.
The Databricks AI Research organization enables companies to develop AI models and agents using their own data, with technologies ranging from post-training open source LLMs to developing advanced multi-agent architectures. Databricks AI does so by producing novel science and putting it into production. Databricks AI is committed to the belief that a company’s AI models and agents are just as valuable as any other core IP, and that high-quality AI should be available to all.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
As a Staff Software Engineer, AI Research Infrastructure, you will be developing and running the research stack that powers Databricks AI Research. You will design and build services that schedule, orchestrate, and observe large-scale training and inference experiment workloads across thousands of GPUs, improve our dev tooling and ensure that researchers can iterate quickly without sacrificing reliability, efficiency, or security.
You’ll partner closely with research scientists, ML engineers, and platform teams to turn experimental workloads into robust, repeatable pipelines, and to push the limits of what our infrastructure can support.
The Impact you will have
As a Staff Software Engineer on the AI Research Infra Team at Databricks, you will:
- Design and implement infrastructure that supports large-scale experiments, data processing, and model training (e.g., HPC clusters, GPU fleets, or cloud-based systems)
- Enable researchers to go from idea to large-scale experiment in minutes, not days, by building powerful abstractions for job submission, scheduling, and monitoring.
- Create tooling that improves research developer productivity, such as experiment management systems, CI/testing infrastructure for research code, and workflows that reduce iteration time.
- Influence the long-term roadmap for research computation, shaping how Databricks AI Research train, evaluate, and ship models to customers.
- Serve as a technical mentor and force multiplier for other engineers working on compute, infra, and AI systems.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- BS/MS or PhD in Computer Science or related field
- 5+ years of software engineering experience, including substantial time working on large-scale distributed systems or infrastructure.
- Have deep experience with building and operating distributed systems, data pipelines, or large-scale backend services, ideally involving GPUs, clusters, or major cloud providers.
- Are proficient in one or more systems programming languages (e.g., C++, Rust, Go, Java, Scala) and can design, implement, and debug complex services.
- Have built or significantly contributed to cluster schedulers, resource managers, or large-scale job orchestration systems (e.g., Kubernetes, Slurm, Ray, custom internal systems).
- Understand modern ML training and inference workflows (e.g., distributed training, model parallelism, fine-tuning, evaluation), even if you’re not primarily a research scientist.
- Can move fast and be pragmatic in getting things done, while caring about operational excellence. Have driven complex systems from prototype to stable, well-owned services.
- Communicate clearly with both researchers and engineers, and enjoy translating between research needs and infra realities.
COMPENSATION
- Local Pay Range: $190,000—$270,000 USD
Databricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipates utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page here.
ABOUT DATABRICKS
Databricks is the data and AI company. More than 10,000 organizations worldwide — including Comcast, Condé Nast, Grammarly, and over 50% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data Intelligence Platform to unify and democratize data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe and was founded by the original creators of Lakehouse, Apache Spark™, Delta Lake and MLflow.
BENEFITS
At Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
At Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.
COMPLIANCE
If access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Software Engineer AI Jobs
Lead with AI-specific technical depth
Employers sponsoring AI engineers want evidence of hands-on work with specific frameworks, PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX. Listing these with measurable outcomes (model accuracy improvements, inference latency reductions) signals the specialized expertise that justifies H-1B sponsorship.
Target companies with H-1B filing history
Sponsorship willingness varies significantly by employer. Focus on companies that have consistently filed H-1B petitions for software engineering roles. Established AI labs and large tech firms have dedicated immigration teams and predictable sponsorship processes already in place.
Clarify your visa status early in the process
Many AI teams move fast and make offers quickly. Disclosing your sponsorship needs before a technical interview saves both sides time. Framing it matter-of-factly, not apologetically, signals confidence and helps you identify sponsors before investing hours in their process.
Emphasize research contributions where relevant
Published papers, conference presentations at NeurIPS or ICML, and open-source model contributions carry real weight for AI roles. These can also support O-1A visa eligibility if your profile is strong enough to avoid the H-1B lottery entirely.
Understand how your degree field affects eligibility
AI engineering roles typically require a degree in computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, or statistics. Adjacent degrees in physics or cognitive science may qualify, but the job duties must clearly map to the degree field for USCIS specialty occupation approval.
Use OPT strategically if you're on F-1 status
STEM OPT gives F-1 graduates up to three years of work authorization, covering multiple H-1B lottery cycles. Starting an AI engineering role during OPT gives you time to build employer relationships and get sponsored before your grace period creates pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Software Engineer AI roles qualify as H-1B specialty occupations?
Yes. AI engineering roles consistently qualify as H-1B visa specialty occupations because they require at minimum a bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a directly related field. USCIS has approved thousands of H-1B petitions for AI and machine learning engineers. The key is that the job description must specify a degree requirement tied to the role, not just list it as preferred.
Can I get an O-1A visa as an AI engineer instead of applying for the H-1B?
Possibly, if your profile includes strong evidence of distinction, published research, significant citations, speaker roles at major AI conferences, or recognized contributions to the field. The O-1A has no annual cap or lottery, which makes it attractive for AI engineers who've built a research or open-source track record. It's worth assessing before each H-1B registration cycle, especially if you've missed the lottery.
Which types of employers sponsor H-1B visas for AI engineers?
AI labs, large tech companies, cloud providers, defense contractors, financial institutions building proprietary models, and healthcare technology firms all actively sponsor AI engineers. Startups sponsor too, though their immigration infrastructure varies. To find roles that explicitly support sponsorship, browse Migrate Mate, which filters for verified sponsoring employers in the AI and software engineering space.
Does a computer science degree from outside the U.S. qualify for H-1B sponsorship in AI roles?
Yes, foreign degrees are accepted for H-1B purposes. USCIS evaluates whether the degree is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree in a relevant field. A three-year bachelor's from countries like India or Australia may require a credential evaluation to confirm equivalency, particularly if the employer's attorney includes the evaluation in the petition to preempt any RFE on educational qualifications.
What happens to my H-1B if my AI employer is acquired or shuts down?
If your employer is acquired and you continue in the same role under the successor entity, your H-1B typically remains valid without a new filing. If the company shuts down, your H-1B is tied to that employer and you enter a 60-day grace period to find a new sponsor, transfer your status, or depart. Acting quickly on a transfer petition is critical, work authorization ends when the new employer files, not when USCIS approves.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Software Engineer AI 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.
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