Work Authorization Overview

Handshake collects work authorization information directly from students to increase transparency for employers and improve the application experience. This process benefits both students and employers:

• Students avoid spending time applying and interviewing for positions they are not eligible for.
• Employers reduce time spent reviewing and interviewing candidates they cannot hire, while gathering more applicant information without requiring direct disclosure of work authorization status.

When students are asked work authorization questions

• Are you legally authorized to work in the United States? (Yes/No)
• Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship? (Yes/No)
• Prefer not to answer these questions. (Checkbox)
  • Students who select this option are fully qualified for all positions or virtual fair sessions with work authorization requirements. 
  • Students who select this option will still appear when an employer filters by work authorization preferences. 
  • The student's work authorization status will display as "Unknown" to employers. 
  • Students always appear as fully qualified for jobs that do not require US sponsorship, regardless of their answers to the work authorization questions.

A tooltip with a "?" icon is available on the prompt. Hovering over the icon displays the following information:

• If a student selects "Prefer not to answer", they will appear when an employer filters for students who do not require sponsorship or for students who do require sponsorship.
• If an employer views the student's work experience field, the status will display as "Unknown." Students who have not yet answered these questions are also listed as "Unknown."
• Students with DACA status can find guidance on how to answer these questions at www.informedimmigrant.com/guides/daca/#employment-rights-daca.

A student's responses to these questions determine whether they are fully qualified for a job based on the employer’s preferences for the posting.

Note: The visa status field on a student's profile exists for reporting purposes only and is not used to determine job posting qualification, unless both of the following are true: the student has not answered the work authorization questions, and a career services user is submitting an application on the student's behalf.

To share work authorization information with students, visit Student Work Authorization Information.

Work authorization visibility and filtering

Student perspective

Students can filter job searches by work authorization requirements by clicking All filters on the job search page, then scrolling to the Work authorization section. Available filter options include:

• Open to US visa sponsorship
• Open to Optional Practical Training (OPT)
• Open to Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
• No US work authorization required
• Unknown

On the job postings page, students can identify whether a job requires US work authorization under the At a glance section of the job details page.

Employer perspective

Employers can review applicants' work authorization qualifications directly from the job posting. Key capabilities include:

• Filtering to view only candidates who meet their work authorization criteria using the Matching qualifications filter for jobs, or the Exclude Students That Do Not Match filter for on-campus interviews.
• Hovering over the card icon in the Preferences column to review the work authorization status for individual applicants. Candidates who do not meet the employer's work authorization criteria will display "Not authorized."

Note: When employers filter by work authorization, candidates who chose not to disclose their status will still appear in results.

For full details on how employers manage work authorization during the review process, visit Employer Work Authorization Workflows.

Work authorization qualification outcomes

The chart below outlines student qualification outcomes based on two factors: the employer preference indicated on the job posting (columns) and the student's work authorization selection (rows). 

Outcomes are listed as Fully Qualified or Not Fully Qualified. Where a student is not fully qualified, the reasoning is noted in italics.