Visa question (e-verify)
I am on first year OPT. Should I worry if companies I am interviewing with are not e-verified (a requirement for STEM OPT extension)? Is it usual for a company to e-verify themselves just for someone on OPT?
You should be worried. I have seen cases where OPT people have to be let go for non e verified companies
most companies are not e verified. My experience is that now the main companies hiring internationals are not hiring. Am I wrong?
It’s easy for companies to e verify, in theory. However there’s also a lot of inertia and unwillingness. So there’s always a chance they might say no, in which case you’ll be hard pressed for time and would need to find a different employer asap. Is that worth it?
I understand what you mean, but right now I cannot find almost no companies that are e-verified and are not in a hiring freeze. I am in AI/ML.
You should ONLY worry if they are not ready to get e-verifed by the time you have to file your STEM extension. I made my previous employer to register themselves in e-verify program and it took only a week to do so!
does it cost them?
Nope. It's free