Wanted to start a thread to see if anyone can confirm any firms on the buyside that sponsor H1Bs (casting a super wide net, I'm aware, OK if this becomes a megathread).
Additionally, any discussing on how to approach HHs regarding immigration would be helpful as well (aware that recruiting is an uphill battle on OPT but should I tell HHs on intro calls, wait to land interviews and then approach or wait to state this even later in the process)
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List could be slightly outdated by a year or two - firms are always changing their approach on this
Silver Lake, MSD Partners, BX, KKR, Bain Cap Credit & Ventures, Ares, and BC Partners
LGP used to but not anymore
are there likely fewer now that sponsor than 2 years ago?
tbh wouldn't be able to tell you, anecdotally speaking though, early Covid combined with the Trump regime was a very bad time for sponsorships so could be better now
Any insight to how firms view things if you are already on H1B? Are firms generally more receptive?
yes much more receptive
CD&R does
Can confirm BX, APO, TPG, Brookfield, GIP, Sixth Street
To clarify — they recruit analysts who are currently on OPT but are applying for H1B or those who’s got the H1B already?
OPT
Sixth street doesn’t sponsor for sure. Have a friend offer rescinded as soon as they learn about visa situation.
This is a fucked up comment that implies sixth street did something wrong. Your moron friend lied on the application about his citizen status and rightfully had his offer revoked
Agree that Sixth St does not sponsor
On the hedge fund side, most HFs sponsor (Two Sigma, Bridgewater, AQR etc…)
p sure it's extremely hard to pivot into these particular HFs out of banking, thank you for the information though!
They've got fundamental investing seats! Check it out (particularly Citadel, Point72, DE Shaw, Brevan Howard etc…). Good luck!
Quick and dirty way to check is go on LinkedIn and search for employees under McGill/Queens/Western Ivey alum (top Canadian uni’s for finance) for the firm you’re interested in, as 95%+ of any Canadian on the buy-side will have come from there. If there are a good amount of Associate-level people (more senior people can come under different visa types), good chance they will look at sponsoring H1B. Ignore firms that only have 1-2 cases - could be special situations where people had/have dual-citizenship, etc.
Doesn’t matter if they did an MBA in the US or not - have to transition to H1B at some point. Exception would be firms that spring for TN visa (Canadian-specific, 3 years, can’t apply for green card on it) but don’t sponsor for H1B, and as far as I know, no firm does the former but not the latter.
Good tip — but how do you find out if these people recruited on OPT or after they got their H1B during banking then recruited?
In addition to this, some of the students at these places have dual citizenship. Not a buyside example, but there are a few kids from Canadian schools at Qatalyst even though Q does not sponsor.
OPT is synonymous with H1B. Attendees of US schools enter a weighted H1B lottery that is more in their favor. Typically you MBA intern at said buy-side firm on a special summer visa, and then if you get the return-offer, the firm applies for your H1B a year ahead of your full-time start date so that you have it when you start.
Re: not knowing if the H1B stems from the bank or the buy-side firm, that's where the total # of Canadians/internationals come in.
For instance, using this trick:
Apollo - 9 FTE
BX - 21 FTE
KKR - 20 FTE
Looks good at these 3.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but as far as I know OPT and H1B aren’t synonymous and heard PE firms almost always would want you to have won the lottery prior to recruiting. For example:
Applicant 1: Analyst 1 in IB on STEM OPT, didn’t get the H1B that he applied his senior year of college and has three more chances for H1B lottery
Applicant 2: Analyst 1 in IB and won H1B lottery his senior year of college so can stay in the US for additional 6 years
I know many PE firms would hire applicant 2 since there is no risk of him having to leave for 4 years since starting the PE job (and can also apply for the green card afterwards). However, PE firms would not hire applicant 1 since there is a risk he doesn’t get the lottery for the remaining 3 chances he has and will have to leave the PE firm after just a year (assuming 2 year IB stint beforehand).
My question is, are there any PE firms that are willing to take on applicant 1?
I meant synonymous from the POV of OP, who is on the outside using my LinkedIn tip to filter for places that are Canadian-friendly. Not synonymous in the literal sense. Pre-internship, internationals/Canadians at US schools lean on OPT. Post-internship and starting full-time, their firms have them on H1B. There is no visa filter on LinkedIn and therefore the two are transitive
Yes, if you are on OPT in IB and failed to get H1B you are a much larger flight risk and firms will be more reticent to hire you. That's true. But the premise you prepositioned (is applicant 1 less attractive than applicant 2) is not equivalent to what I originally answered - seeking firms that are willing to sponsor H1B.
I use the Canadian example, as Canadians who do not attend a US institution are on a TN visa (firm-specific) for 3 years, that can be renewed indefinitely (but subsequent visas = same scrutiny as applying for the 1st) and can apply for H1B every year, if the firm is willing to sponsor. The logic follows that, by using LinkedIn, if one detects numerous Canadians at a firm, the firm is likely to be Canadian-friendly and therefore H1B-friendly.
@thegreatspoofing - most if not all HH firms will inquire on what your visa status is (US citizen vs other). Always be upfront. Do not waste anyone's time, theirs' and yours'
Bump. would love to hear more about UMMs, credit investors (public or private) and family offices if anyone has any experience. Thanks!
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Another quick trick would be to look here: https://h1bgrader.com
If a firm has sponsored in the past, they’re likely to sponsor going forward as well
used this before and found it to be inaccurate for my current employer, seems like a lot of policies for hiring and sponsoring immigrants change year-on-year.
Take Guggenheim (IBD ofc but regardless). They seem to have sponsored a few even though their HR policy is that they do not sponsor whatsoever.
That said obviously I'd imagine for MFs this isn't an issue whatsoever
JPM is the best example of this. Was one of the most Canadian friendly prior to the TN scrutiny, and then official policy afterward was no Canadiens
Agreed 100%, it’s not perfect. If a firm changes their policy on sponsoring this year, this won’t be much help. Having said that, it gives you a sense of whether the firm does (or has in the past) hire people on OPT.
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