[Q.C.]

Okay here is the deal…

I am an international graduate student, I don’t need a sponsorship, but I have to keep my EAD(employment authorization card) valid.

I got a big 4 offer from campus recruiting and I did the internship with them in 2014. After graduation in 2015, I should be join the firm in Oct 2015, however, I had to renew my EAD card since it was expired and my attorney failed to let me know. My EAD card finally got extended and I passed 3 CPA exams. Now I need to prepare REG and back to the job-hunting life…

It’s all my mistake and want to remind you to make sure you have EAD card valid, although you don’t need sponsorship, if you are an international student.

However, the HR keeps asking me my status during the renewal period, I thought I could go back but when I said I am ready, she just replied “the final decision is not made by the practice” blablabla…

Good luck international students and all!

FAR: 68/72/79
BEC: 77
AUD: 73/88
REG: 70/80

[MaLoTu]

I am so sorry to hear that.

[TheHoundThatRides]

You've put in the work. You're destined for good things with or without the big 4.

BEC - 78 (August 2015)
FAR - 80 (November 2015)
AUD - 73, 67. (Ok I gotta confess I was even more lazy this time around)
REG - August 27th, 2016

[Spartans92]

Sorry to hear that QC. Perhaps shoot for other firms (national, regional) etc. The B4 is not as great as it seems. It Sucks!

BEC- PASS

[nigercpa]

I am so sorry about your situation. I am an international too, the EAD has an expiration date written on it…you shouldn't have had to wait for the lawyer to renew it. A lot of those lawyers have a lot to do and they expect you to follow up with them or remind them of stuffs like this… talking from experience. Since you interned with a big4, it shouldn't be difficult to get into another big4. I wish you all the best.

Far - Passed 83
Aud - Passed 84
Bec - Passed 77
Reg- Passed 77

[CPA CMA]

The story doesn't make too much sense to me. I was once an international student under the F-1 visa.
If you are on your OPT (which you will have an EAD card), you are only allowed to work in the US for 12 month without H1B visa sponsorship as far as my understanding. Also, you can't renew the EAD card once the 12 month period is over. So were you under the H1B working visa already?

Master of Professional Accountancy (MPA) 12/17/2014

BEC 76 (10/3/14)
FAR 75 (10/24/14)
REG 83 (4/6/15)
AUD 75 (4/20/15)
Anticipated Licensure: August 2016

CMA part 1 passed (6/15/15)
CMA part 2 Passed (9/4/15)
Anticipated Licensure: August 2017

[Q.C.]

No. I am not under h1b visa and my EAD card is not related to OPT.

FAR: 68/72/79
BEC: 77
AUD: 73/88
REG: 70/80

[Son]

CPA CMA, there are several types of EADs, the one most international students are familiar with is indeed the OPT EAD. But there are others as well which are not restricted to the same 1 year term.

QC, sorry to hear your offer got revoked – are you saying HR rescinded the offer because your EAD card has expired and then refused to extend you a new offer when you got your employment authorization situation figured out?

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Q.C.]

Hi Son, thanks for the clarification on EAD.

Yes, you are correct — I feel upset, however, the reason is not the rejection of my full-time offer, it rather is: the HR kept asking me about my EAD card renewal status during these months… she always say “let me know when you get your EAD extended”; I updated her as soon as got the approval notice and she said “ok please let me know when you have EAD card on hand”; and I sent a soft-copy to her 1 week later, then all I got is “I am waiting for the final decision of the practice”…

Should I ask the HR for the 3rd time? Idk but I've already started to find other opportunities.

FAR: 68/72/79
BEC: 77
AUD: 73/88
REG: 70/80

[Q.C.]

Thank you all who are in this thread, you guys are awesome.

FAR: 68/72/79
BEC: 77
AUD: 73/88
REG: 70/80

[Son]

oh, that actually changes things quite a bit! so, a couple more clarifications:

(1) did you get an offer at the end of the internship to join the firm full-time? or, did they say they MAY give you an offer, but that you will need to figure out your work authorization situation first?
(2) if you did get an offer for a full-time position, did the HR send you an official letter or email stating they revoke your offer because of your uncertain work authorization status? If they did not, it's WAY too soon for you to worry!

Big4 HR is notorious for being slow and overly bureaucratic. They take their time to make sure everything is in order, so it might be just taking them a while to get back to you. When was the last time you've communicated? If it was more than 2 weeks, I would definitely shoot them an email saying that you just wanted to check if there were any new developments. Be polite, and not overly insistent – these things take time. Not a bad idea to explore other options, but I wouldn't give up on the idea of the Big4 you've interned at altogether yet.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Q.C.]

Hi Son,

(1) Yes I got an offer, including benefits package/Becker online software/literally everything.
(2) No

It's been over than 1 week since last time we communicated. I asked twice and the first time was in late Feb. The entire process is really frustrating. I don't know how long I should expect a result. and whether I should ask for the 3rd time.

FAR: 68/72/79
BEC: 77
AUD: 73/88
REG: 70/80

[Son]

Then I would say it's too early to get truly upset. Sorry I misread your original post and thought you aren't graduating until this year, now I realize it's been a while so I can understand your frustration. The recruiting process at Big4 is cyclical in nature; every year they have spots for this many new hires and they expect them to start at a certain point. To squeeze you in might be more difficult now since they already have people lined up to start in the spring/summer. If I were you, I would contact HR again in a week to check on your status, and keep looking for other options in the meantime.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Q.C.]

Thank you so much Son for your reply and input. A time table, like “will hold you until this May” would be much much relieve, compare to a vague answer.

FAR: 68/72/79
BEC: 77
AUD: 73/88
REG: 70/80

[Son]

yeah, unfortunately I don't see that happening to be honest. that would leave the firm vulnerable to a lawsuit or else since it can be interpreted as a promise of employment. so they will likely contact you once there's a definite answer. Good luck! and let us know when you get good news.

AUD - passed
REG - passed
BEC - passed
FAR - passed

[Misu243]

The original post seems a bit confusing but here is what I can add of value. If you have an EAD (work authorization), you are eligible to work at ANY EMPLOYER other than the U.S. Federal government which requires you to be a US Citizen! Maybe some employers will tell you that you must be a GC holder/US citizen but honestly this is rare and I don't even know if that's legal. Anyway, please make sure HR is not confusing you as someone who needs sponsorship plz!!

BEC: 66, 74, 80* (Expired), 73, 76*
FAR: 66, 72, 67, TBA
REG: 68, 72, 74, 70, 79*
AUD: 43, 71, 77* (Expired), 71, TBA

[Author]

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