• International students always want to know when the best time is to reveal that they require H1B visa sponsorship.  The most important thing to remember is that you should always be up front when someone asks you directly what your work status is.  If you don’t have full time U.S. work authorization, don’t tell a recruiter that you do simply because you have OPT.  It’s misleading and I speak more about this issue in my OPT to H-1B blog entry.  Being clear about your work status when asked about it is critical to establishing trust.  So if someone asks, tell them you require visa sponsorship for full-time employment.

    If someone doesn’t ask, my opinion is that you’re not under any obligation to share that information until you’re being seriously considered for a job.  What does ‘seriously considered’ mean?  That’s up to you to decide, but certainly before you go in for a second round interview.

    International students are always afraid to say that they require sponsorship because it tends to end the conversation before they have a chance to pitch their value.  My advice is, someone will only ask you about work authorization when you’re speaking to them about jobs.  If you’re approaching a hiring manager for an informational interview (which is the path I detail in my book), there’s no reason for anyone to ask you about your work status because you’re there to gather information from the manager, not a job!  Asking for a job in an informational interview is a job search cardinal sin, and it will cut short many networking conversations before you have a chance to present your value.

    When to tell a company you need visa sponsorship

    So the short answer to “When do I tell the company that I need visa sponsorship” is:

    1. When they ask you

    2. When you believe you’re being seriously considered for a specific job

    The preferred situation is to reveal to the hiring manager that you require sponsorship, and not HR.  The reason why is because you have an opportunity to explain to the hiring manager what’s involved in sponsoring a visa (he/she probably won’t know), and winning an ally, before HR gets involved.  And as I say in almost all of my presentations, hiring managers should hear from you how easy it is to sponsor an H1B before they hear from HR how hard it is!

  • 7 comments

    Have been ask to come for the interview but I need a sponsorship visa what should I say. Please help me. Your faithfully.

    Reply

    Dont tell that you need H1B, just tell you have work authorization upto 1/3 years.

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    Dont tell that you need H1B, just tell you have work authorization upto 1/3 years.

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    I'd be careful with that approach. If you just want an internship, then this approach is reasonable. But if you are discussing a permanent role, most employers will expect to know the full story of what it will take to keep you here.

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    Why is this approach reasonable for internships and not full time jobs? Internships usually convert to full-time. Letting the employer know you have 3 years to work without sponsorship is perfectly fine. If they state the reason they don't hire international students is because they don't want their efforts in investing time, training and money to go to waste, no harm (diplomatically) pointing out that there's no guarantee a domestic worker would stick around for 3 years either.

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    I agree. My position on this is that you don't need to be sneaky with your work authorization situation. Let them know the full story. Unfortunately, many don't tell them employer about the 3 year limit - which is deceptive.

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    As an OPT myself, this is a rather sensitive topic for a number of employers. Currently, in my current role, I told the HR that H1-B is not a necessity, as I got STEM up my sleeves. However, I am about to let my manager know that I would like for the process to begin. Wish me luck lol

    Reply