Machine Learning Engineer at Google — H-1B Wage Level, PERM Record & Green Card Timeline
By Pinal Dave | Last updated: 2026-08-03
A Machine Learning Engineer hired by Google in the U.S. on an H-1B typically follows the same modeled path: Google files an LCA at a specific DOL wage level, USCIS adjudicates the H-1B petition, Google later files a PERM labor certification, and the applicant's chargeability country determines the Visa Bulletin wait before I-485 filing. Based on FY2025 DOL OFLC disclosure data, Google certified 8,810 LCAs with an average proffered wage of $184,961 against an average certified prevailing wage of $178,518 — offered wage runs 3.6% above prevailing. Google's top disclosed LCA titles for FY2025 did not isolate a line item literally labeled "Machine Learning Engineer"; "Research Scientist" (437 positions) is the closest disclosed proxy, so this page is flagged needs-review.
| Metric | |
|---|---|
| Certified LCAs (FY2025) | 8,810 |
| Average H-1B proffered wage | $184,961 |
| Average certified prevailing wage | $178,518 |
| Top disclosed job titles | Software Engineer (17,126 cumulative), Program Manager (597), Product Manager (584), Technical Program Manager (521), Research Scientist (437) |
| Top worksites | Mountain View, CA (8,762), Sunnyvale, CA (6,600), New York, NY (2,987), Kirkland, WA (1,675), Seattle, WA (1,284) |
| PERM labor certifications filed | 0 in FY2025 (19,519 cumulatively since 2017) |
| FY2025 initial-employment approvals | 1,050 (vs. 1,058 in FY2024) |
| FY2025 denial rate | 1% |
Sources: DOL OFLC LCA disclosure data (via myvisajobs.com), FY2025; DOL OFLC PERM disclosure data (via tryalma.com), FY2024 (national median 472 days); USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub via NFAP Nov 2025 (Google ranked 7th-largest H-1B sponsor overall); U.S. Dept of State August 2026 Visa Bulletin; USCIS processing times via manifestlaw.com, July 2026. Data as of 2026-08-03.
Visa Bulletin (August 2026): EB-2 India Unavailable (U) / China Sept 1 2021 / ROW Current. EB-3 India Jan 1 2014 / China Jan 1 2022 / ROW Sept 1 2024.
USCIS processing times: I-140 ~3.7 months median regular (15 business days premium); I-485 employment-based 8.5–36.5 months (P80).
Modeled timeline: Offer & LCA (Day 0-7, $184,961 avg) → H-1B petition adjudicated 1-6 months (Google FY2025 denial rate ~1%) → PERM certification, national median ~472 days (Google filed 0 PERM cases in FY2025) → I-140 filed, ~3.7 months → priority date must clear Visa Bulletin cutoffs above → I-485 filed once current, 8.5-36.5 months.
Sibling pages: Machine Learning Engineer at Meta, Machine Learning Engineer at Amazon, Data Engineer at Google, DevOps Engineer at Google.
FAQs
Q: Does Google sponsor H-1B visas for Machine Learning Engineer roles? Google filed 8,810 certified LCAs in FY2025; Research Scientist (437 positions) is the closest disclosed proxy for ML work — a literal "Machine Learning Engineer" title wasn't in the top-5 disclosed titles we reviewed (needs-review).
Q: What does Google pay a Machine Learning Engineer on H-1B? Company-wide average H-1B wage $184,961 vs. average prevailing wage $178,518 (3.6% gap); actual pay depends on wage level and metro.
Q: How long does the green card process take after a Machine Learning Engineer offer from Google? National PERM median ~472 days, I-140 ~3.7 months, then Visa Bulletin wait by chargeability; Google filed 0 PERM cases in FY2025 per the snapshot reviewed, against 19,519 cumulatively since 2017.
Q: Is Google an H-1B-dependent employer? Not flagged as H-1B-dependent in the profile reviewed.
Q: What is Google's H-1B denial rate? 1% in FY2025 (1,050 approvals vs. 1,058 in FY2024), below the 2.8% national average.
Q: Does the EB-2/EB-3 choice change the wait for a Machine Learning Engineer at Google? Often yes — EB-3 India is ahead of EB-2 India in the current Visa Bulletin.
VisaSherpa.ai's AI immigration planner builds your personalized version of this timeline.
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