My Advice for International Students in the US (F-1 Visa, OPT, CPT, H-1B)
Hi all. I’m writing this out now since we seem to be in the thick of recruiting season for sophomores. This post is targeted towards college undergraduates that are on their F-1 visa. I went through this process myself a few years ago as an F-1 student and I wish I had this type of advice. I’m posting anonymously to protect my identity, but I’ll try to answer questions in the comments. I’m certainly not an expert but having gone through the pain and bureaucracy of work visas once, I feel like I can help the younger generation out.
1. Which banks hire international students?
A post with this question inevitably pops up once or twice a year on WSO. We love a little bit of crowd-sourced detective work, and from my personal experience, the information on them is around 80% right. The issue with these posts is that usually they rely on stale or misguided information. Banks change their visa policy year-to-year, and what might have been true in 2020 may or may not apply for the 2024 Summer Analyst recruiting process.
The best way to get accurate, up-to-date information is to ask the recruiter. The analysts / associates that you are coffee chatting with, unless they were international students themselves, likely have no clue what the bank’s visa policy is and you’re likely to get inaccurate information from them.
When you ask a recruiter about their visa policy, I would lay out the specifics, i.e. “I’m an international student on an F-1 visa. Do you accept students on OPT / CPT, and if you do, do you hire full-time analysts and sponsor their H-1Bs?” Some recruiters will be clueless and say they’ll get back to you. Some will know off the bat.
2. When should I ask “the question”? i.e. whether the bank will accept international students?
As early as possible, before you expend any time / energy networking or interviewing for the bank.
“Tricking” the bank into giving you an offer before disclosing your status is the dumbest thing you can do. I have a friend that received a written offer from the bank without disclosing her visa status, and once the bank learned of their status, her offer was immediately rescinded.
3. Will being an international student put me at a disadvantage in the recruiting process?
Yes, in two ways.
ONE: You’ll be able to apply to fewer banks, which mechanically reduces your likelihood of receiving an offer, therefore putting you at a disadvantage.
TWO: Hiring outside immigration lawyers to sponsor your H-1B costs money. If the choice is between you and an equally qualified candidate that is a U.S. citizen, they’ll favor the citizen.
I was dejected by this reality when I was recruiting. I saw my peers with similar resumes / experience as me getting far more coffee chats and first rounds. Yes, it's unfair. Yes, it's disappointing. But the only way to fight this disadvantage is to prep harder, network more, and be an undeniably stronger candidate than the rest of the crowd.
I’m sure I’ve missed some topics, so I’ll come back to edit this post with additional information when time allows. Again, I’ll be answering any questions in the comments if you have any, but will not be accepting / sending DMs to protect my anonymity. Thanks all and good luck to you in the 2024 Summer Analyst hunger games.
