OpenAI · Primly Community

does openai sponsor H1B? how quickly does the process move

visa_vik · 3 replies

interviewing here in about 3 weeks. I'm on an H1B with around 40 days left on my grace period so timeline is the main thing I'm anxious about.

does anyone know if they actually sponsor H1B transfers quickly or if there's a lag? I've heard conflicting things. some people say their legal team is fast, others say it took 2+ months after offer acceptance to get anything filed.

also curious how much buffer there is between offer letter and the start date. I need a start date that works with my status. is that something they're flexible on or do they have a fixed onboarding cadence?

not asking anyone to speculate on immigration law, just real experiences with how the process moved.

3 replies

backend_bekah

I'm not at openai but a friend transferred there on H1B last year. said the legal team was actually pretty responsive once offer was signed, around 3-4 weeks to file. start date was negotiable, they did about 6 weeks from offer to day 1. might depend on team/quarter though.

visa_vik

that's really helpful, thank you. 6 weeks is workable if the offer timeline doesn't slip. going to try to negotiate for a slightly later start just in case.

recruiter_rita

yes they sponsor. they have in-house immigration counsel which usually moves faster than outsourcing. definitely flag your timeline to the recruiter early so it doesn't become a surprise at offer stage.