Visa and relocation¶
Routes for an engineer in India to work at AI teams abroad, the evidence each route rewards, and the questions to ask recruiters early. Most frontier-lab core roles are in San Francisco, London or Paris, so visa strategy shapes which targets are realistic and when.
Warning
Volatile. Written September 2026. Immigration rules, fees and quotas change by executive action and new regulations, sometimes with immediate effect. Verify every rule on the official government sites and with an immigration lawyer before deciding anything. Not legal advice.
Routes¶
| destination | route | what it depends on | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | Internal transfer (L-1) after working for a multinational abroad | usually about a year of continuous employment with the company outside the US | slow, but no lottery; the most reliable path for many engineers in India |
| US | Direct hire (H-1B) | employer sponsorship and a lottery-based selection | the rules changed substantially in 2025 (a large fee on certain new petitions, and moves toward wage-weighted selection); check the current state before counting on it |
| US | O-1 ("extraordinary ability") | evidence: publications, significant open-source work, awards, press, judging others' work | the research and portfolio plan in this repo builds exactly this kind of evidence over time |
| UK | Skilled Worker visa | employer sponsorship; no lottery | several frontier labs have London offices |
| UK | Global Talent visa | self-petitioned with an endorsement | check the current endorsement route and criteria |
| EU | EU Blue Card and national skilled-worker schemes (Germany, Netherlands, France) | a qualifying job offer and salary threshold | Paris hosts several AI labs |
| Canada | Global Talent Stream work permit, or Express Entry permanent residence | an offer from an eligible employer (Global Talent Stream); points for age, education, language and experience (Express Entry) | Toronto and Montreal host AI labs and institutes (Cohere, Mila, the Vector Institute); check current processing times and criteria |
| anywhere | Remote from India for a global company | the company's policy on hiring in India, often through an employer-of-record | growing, but often limited to specific countries; confirm it in the offer |
Questions to ask recruiters early¶
- "Does this role sponsor visas, and which one? What's the typical timeline from offer to start?"
- "If I start in {India office / another country}, is there a transfer path later, and after how long?"
- "Is the role open to remote work from India, and through which entity would I be employed?"
- "Who pays the legal and filing fees, and is there a repayment clause if I leave early?"
Prepare now¶
- Keep your passport valid for well beyond any planned move.
- Save a relocation buffer: deposits, flights and the first months' costs arrive before the first salary.
- Keep records of evidence the O-1 or Global Talent routes use: merged pull requests, citations, invited talks, press, reviewing or judging roles.
- Check each target's location and sponsorship policy in its company guide, and treat those notes as dated too.