The questions international candidates get asked, and how to answer them

Most US tech interviews start with a short screening call, and for an international candidate that call includes three or four questions about work authorization. They are not trick questions. Employers ask them because they have to know, and the best answers are short, accurate and calm. Here are the questions, what each one is really asking, and how to answer on each status.

"Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?"

This asks whether you can work today. If you hold a valid EAD card for OPT or STEM OPT, or your school has authorized CPT for this employer, or you are on H-1B, the answer is yes.

OPT or STEM OPT: "Yes. I'm on OPT with an EAD valid until [month, year]."
CPT: "Yes, through my university's CPT program, for [start] to [end]. My school issues the authorization once the offer is confirmed."
H-1B: "Yes. I'm currently on H-1B."

Say the date. It shows you know your own status, which is what the interviewer is checking.

"Will you now or in the future require sponsorship?"

This is the question people worry about, and the only rule is to answer it truthfully. For an OPT or STEM OPT student the honest answer is usually "not now, but yes in future". Give the timeline in one sentence:

OPT (STEM degree): "Not now. I'm authorized until [date], and I'm eligible for the 24-month STEM extension after that, which needs the employer to be enrolled in E-Verify. I would need H-1B sponsorship after that."
OPT (non-STEM degree): "Not now. I'm authorized until [date]. I would need H-1B sponsorship to continue after that."
CPT: "Not for this internship. If it led to a full-time role after graduation, I'd work on OPT first, and would need sponsorship later."
H-1B: "Yes, an H-1B transfer. Because I've already been counted against the cap, there's no lottery, and I can start once the new petition is filed."

Never answer "no" to get past a screening form. The same question appears on the job application and the answer is checked against your Form I-9 on your first day. A false answer can cost you the job, and a knowingly false statement can affect your immigration record. An honest answer costs you only the employers who were never going to sponsor, and those are not the employers you want.

"When can you start?" and "How long can you work for us?"

Know your dates before the call: EAD start and end, the STEM extension window if it applies, and any notice period. Answer with the dates, not "as soon as possible".

If you are on STEM OPT, add that you know the employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and complete a Form I-983 training plan. Saying it first tells the interviewer you have done this before.

"Why should we sponsor you?"

Answer with the work, not the visa. Two sentences on what you would do in the role and why your background fits, then stop. Whether to sponsor is the employer's decision, and arguing the case rarely changes it. The candidates who get sponsored are the ones the team wants regardless.

The behavioural questions that follow

Once authorization is settled, the interview becomes an ordinary one. Prepare these four with the STAR structure: the Situation, the Task you owned, the Action you took, and the Result with something you can measure or point to.

"Tell me about yourself." Sixty to ninety seconds: your degree, the one or two projects or roles that matter for this job, and why this role. Not your life story.
"Tell me about a challenge." Pick one where the difficulty was technical or organisational, and be specific about what you did.
"Tell me about a disagreement with a teammate." Show that you listened, said what you thought, and reached a decision. The interviewer is checking that you can work in a team, not who was right.
"Tell me about a mistake." Choose a real one, say what you learned, and what you do differently now. A candidate who has never made a mistake sounds like one who has never been trusted with anything.

Write your four stories down and say them out loud before the interview. The second time is always better than the first.

The technical rounds

For engineering roles expect a coding screen, one or two coding interviews, a system design round for mid-level and above, and a hiring-manager conversation. Free practice sources that are widely used: LeetCode and NeetCode for coding questions, and the open system-design primers on GitHub. Practise on a timer, and practise explaining your thinking out loud, because that is what the interviewer hears.

Questions to ask them

"Is the company enrolled in E-Verify?" (Only if you are, or may be, on STEM OPT.)
"Has the team hired people on OPT or H-1B before?"
"Who handles immigration matters here, and when in the process do they get involved?"

The answers tell you how experienced the employer is with your status, which is often the best predictor of a smooth start.

Where we fit

Before each interview we prepare you for the company and the round you are facing, including these authorization questions with your own dates. You sit every interview yourself. We don't give immigration advice: your DSO, the employer and USCIS decide what your status allows.