How do I negotiate a later start date after signing the offer due to work authorization?

Hi, I’m a master student on F1 visa and graduating this May 15. I got an offer from a big company (a bank) two weeks ago and the start date on it is May 21. However, I applied for OPT around late March and expect to get work authorization around late June. The problem was that I was afraid of losing this offer at that time so I didn’t brought up this actively while talking to hr and already signed it (I did mention that my work authorization might not be approved on the start date but the hr didn’t follow up about that). I think I should follow up with them ASAP for their convenience. Do you have any suggestions that can make them more comfortable and willing to delay the start date for, up to 3 or 4 weeks?

3 Comments
 

Hey TonyF, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot...do any of these help:

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  • More suggestions...

If we're lucky, the following pros may have something to say: thebrofessor scottwilson ayneenjay

I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Just explain that your work authorization won't be ready until late June. You can ask if there is anything you can do to make sure you hit the ground running, but frankly there isn't much you can do. Unless this is a really structured program or they're in desperate need of a new hire, then they should be pretty understanding. Maybe just include that you're following up regarding the possible delay in visa that you had mentioned previously

 

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