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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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 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.