AI and ML jobs: what postings say about visas
Of 7,928 US AI and machine learning job postings, only 0.8% say the employer sponsors visas, and 29 of those 64 come from a single employer. 3.2% rule candidates out in writing. The other 96.0% say nothing, so the posting alone rarely settles the question.
By OfferMagnet · · 5 min read
The short answer
- of AI and ML postings state that the employer sponsors visas (64 of 7,928)
- 0.8%
- say no sponsorship, or require citizenship or a clearance (251)
- 3.2%
- say nothing about visas (7,613)
- 96.0%
AI and ML postings are slightly more open in writing than other postings (0.8% against 0.4% sponsoring) and less often closed (3.2% against 4.7% with a restriction). But the sponsorship edge is thin and concentrated. Take out Anthropic, and AI and ML sit at 0.4% against 0.3% for everything else: no real difference.
The practical reading: for an AI or ML role, a posting that says nothing is the normal case, and the posting-level signal is mostly about who wrote it. Research scientist titles are the clearest example, covered below.
By type of AI role
We picked AI and ML postings by keywords in the job title, then split them into four rough groups. Titles are noisy (an "AI sales" title lands in the last group), so read the groups as a sketch.
| Role type | Postings | Sponsors | Restriction | Silent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other AI (AI, LLM, generative) | 4,087 | 0.5% | 3.3% | 96.2% |
| Machine learning engineer | 2,032 | 0.3% | 3.3% | 96.4% |
| Research and applied scientist | 958 | 3.3% | 1.4% | 95.3% |
| Data scientist | 851 | 0.5% | 4.1% | 95.4% |
| All other US postings | 60,951 | 0.4% | 4.7% | 94.8% |
Research and applied scientist is the only group where sponsorship wording stands out: 3.3%, against 0.3% to 0.5% for the others. It is also the group where one employer matters most. Of its 32 sponsoring postings, 20 are Anthropic's. Without Anthropic the rate is 1.3%, still the highest group, but well under half of the headline.
Machine learning engineer and data scientist postings are no more open than a typical posting. Data scientist titles carry the most restrictions (4.1%), about as often as postings in general.
By applicant tracking system
| ATS | AI and ML postings | Sponsors | Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse | 2,575 | 1.5% | 4.3% |
| Ashby | 1,195 | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Workday | 1,145 | 0.2% | 4.3% |
| Lever | 272 | 0.0% | 4.8% |
| All other systems | 2,741 | 0.2% | 2.2% |
Greenhouse and Ashby, where most AI labs and startups post, are the only systems with sponsorship wording above 1%. Ashby also has the lowest restriction rate (1.5%). Workday, where large enterprises post, almost never states sponsorship in an AI role (2 of 1,145).
By employer: the real unit of the search
| AI and ML postings per employer | Employers | Postings | Sponsors | Restriction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 836 | 1,403 | 1.0% | 5.3% |
| 5 to 19 | 253 | 2,395 | 0.9% | 3.7% |
| 20 to 99 | 56 | 1,810 | 0.0% | 3.1% |
| 100 or more | 10 | 2,320 | 1.2% | 1.3% |
- Of 1,155 employers with an AI or ML posting, 17 state sponsorship in one and 94 show a restriction in one. Only 1 shows both.
- Among the 66 employers with 20 or more AI and ML postings, 1 states sponsorship and 14 show a restriction. The big AI hirers mostly say nothing.
- About half of the restriction postings (130 of 251) are citizenship, US-person or clearance language, the kind defense and government contractors write.
- By level: titles with no level word carry most sponsorship wording (1.4%). Senior titles are at 0.2% and staff, principal, lead and manager titles at 0.3%.
Remote AI roles read the same as the rest: 0.5% sponsor and 3.2% restrict across 1,546 postings. For more on that, see remote jobs with visa sponsorship.
What we counted
- AI or ML posting: the job title contains machine learning, ML, AI, artificial intelligence, LLM, deep learning, data scientist, research scientist or engineer, applied scientist, NLP, computer vision, generative or MLOps.
- Restriction: the text says it will not or cannot sponsor, requires work authorization without sponsorship, or requires US citizenship, US-person status or a security clearance.
- Sponsors: the text states the employer sponsors or supports visas, for example "we do sponsor visas" or "visa sponsorship is available". A mention inside a refusal does not count.
- Silent: neither of the above. Restriction wins if both appear.
We set aside the three employers with the most postings (Anduril, SpaceX and Carvana, 10.3% of the 79,843 US postings) and one board, Y Combinator's job list, whose structured "US citizen or visa only" field would read as a restriction on most of its postings. That leaves 68,879 postings from 2,054 employers.
What to do with this
- Do not filter AI roles by the word "sponsorship". 96.0% of them never say it, including roles at employers that hire internationally.
- Read for restrictions, not for promises. A refusal or a clearance line is a hard stop for that posting. A missing line is a question for the recruiter.
- Look at research scientist and applied scientist titles first. They state sponsorship most often (3.3%), but check how many come from the same lab.
- Check the employer's other postings. Only 1 of 1,155 AI employers says yes in one posting and no in another, so one clear line usually reflects the whole company.
- Skip defense and government contractors if you need a visa. Half the restrictions in AI roles are clearance or citizenship rules.
FAQ
›Do AI and ML jobs sponsor visas more than other jobs?
Slightly, in writing. 0.8% of AI and ML postings state sponsorship, against 0.4% of other postings, and 3.2% restrict against 4.7%. Without one employer, Anthropic, the gap closes to 0.4% against 0.3%.
›Which AI roles most often mention visa sponsorship?
Research scientist, research engineer and applied scientist titles, at 3.3% (32 of 958). Machine learning engineer postings are at 0.3% and data scientist postings at 0.5%.
›Does a posting with no visa wording mean the company will not sponsor?
No. 96.0% of AI and ML postings are silent. Silence means the text has no sponsorship and no restriction wording, so ask the recruiter and look at the employer.
›Which AI postings should visa seekers avoid?
Those with a restriction (3.2%). About half of them require US citizenship, US-person status or a clearance, which is typical of defense and government work.
Method and sources
- Source: OfferMagnet's own index of public job postings from company career pages and job boards. US postings first seen 19 September to 30 October 2026: 79,843, of which 68,879 from 2,054 employers remain after setting aside three employers and one board.
- AI and ML postings (7,928 from 1,155 employers) are picked by keywords in the title. Role groups use the first matching rule: data scientist, then research or applied scientist, then machine learning, ML or deep learning, then any other AI title.
- Restrictions use a fixed phrase list on the first 4,000 characters of the posting. Sponsorship uses word-bounded phrases such as "we sponsor visas" or "sponsorship is available", with refusals excluded. We checked random matches by eye before publishing, so both are floors.
- We report counts of postings, not people. No applicant or customer data is used in this study.