Senior Software Engineer at Apple — H-1B Wage Level, PERM Record & Green Card Timeline
By Pinal Dave | Last updated: 2026-08-03
A Senior Software Engineer hired by Apple in the U.S. on an H-1B typically follows the same modeled path: Apple files an LCA at a specific DOL wage level, USCIS adjudicates the H-1B petition, Apple 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, Apple certified 7,007 LCAs with an average proffered wage of $208,969 against an average certified prevailing wage of $149,070 — offered wage runs 40.2% above prevailing. Apple's disclosed titles cluster around "Software Development Engineer" variants rather than a literal "Senior Software Engineer" line item, so this page's figures are company-wide, role-family benchmarks (needs-review).
| Metric | Apple |
|---|---|
| Certified LCAs (FY2025) | 7,007 |
| Average H-1B proffered wage | $208,969 |
| Average certified prevailing wage | $149,070 |
| Top disclosed job titles | Software Development Engineer (1,010), SDE - Applications (699), Software Engineering Applications (699), Software Development Engineering (609), Software Engineering Systems (516), Machine Learning Engineer (494) |
| Top worksites | Cupertino, CA (7,112), Sunnyvale, CA (2,524), Austin, TX (1,825), San Diego, CA (992), Seattle, WA (806) |
| PERM labor certifications filed | 7,007 |
| FY2025 initial-employment approvals | 823 (down from 864 in FY2024) |
| FY2025 denial rate | 0.4% |
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; 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, $208,969 avg) → H-1B petition adjudicated 1-6 months (Apple FY2025 denial rate 0.4%) → PERM certification, national median ~472 days → 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: Senior Software Engineer at Meta, Software Engineer at Apple, Machine Learning Engineer at Apple, Data Scientist at Apple.
FAQs
Q: Does Apple sponsor H-1B visas for Senior Software Engineer roles? Apple filed 7,007 certified LCAs in FY2025 under Software Development Engineer-family titles; a literal "Senior Software Engineer" line item wasn't isolated in the top-6 disclosed titles, so figures here are company-wide benchmarks (needs-review).
Q: What does Apple pay a Senior Software Engineer on H-1B? Company-wide average H-1B wage $208,969 vs. average prevailing wage $149,070 (40.2% gap) — one of the largest gaps among big tech employers we reviewed; actual pay depends on wage level and metro.
Q: How long does the green card process take after a Senior Software Engineer offer from Apple? National PERM median ~472 days, I-140 ~3.7 months, then Visa Bulletin wait by chargeability; Apple filed 7,007 PERM cases in the period reviewed, matching its LCA volume closely.
Q: Is Apple an H-1B-dependent employer? Not flagged as H-1B-dependent in the profile reviewed.
Q: What is Apple's H-1B denial rate? 0.4% in FY2025 (823 approvals, down slightly from 864 in FY2024), well below the 2.8% national average.
Q: Does the EB-2/EB-3 choice change the wait for a Senior Software Engineer at Apple? 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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