What large consultancy firms in the USA will accept me with an Irish passport? (I.e which ones are open to work visa sponsorship)

Hi there,

Good question.

Unfortunately the only sponsored visa (TN) for consultants applies to those in NAFTA, and the only countries with rights to work in the US (that I’m aware of) are Canada and Australia.

You’re best bet is to go work for a local office, then transfer over. Even then, it’s likely to be bounded by a 6 month term.

One other thing – I note you’re writing your CFA 3. Hope its going well, I hear its hard. I hope I’m not butting into your business here but I often hear of ppl doing the CFA/CPA/… thinking that it will help their MBB application. Unfortunately it doesn’t contribute much. Yes, its hard. Yes, it requires discipline. But it doesn’t really shine through or have the same weight as tier-1 uni * hard subject * 4.0 GPA. Just thought I’d mention that as you think about your allocaiton of time and effort. Of course, you might be doing it for other reasons in which case good on you (and I’ll be quiet now ?).

All the best, 

Hi Cuan,

The honest answer is that without a citizenship/working rights, it's going to be hard to get work in the US. 

Consider applying within Europe where you have working rights. IF your networking in the US indicates to you that a specific firm is willing to sponsor, then go with it! But only networking will reveal this to you.

Good luck to you!

Hey Cuan,

Building on previous answers, considering the fact the talent pool for consulting is so competitive, it is unlikely a firm will sponsor your visa, as there are so many great talents who do not require this.

Other than networking I would say your best best is a graduate degree like an MBA or another MA, as you do get a working visa for the first years post graduation (I believe it’s 2 years with an option to extend another year, but please verify this). 

I do know people that were able to get sponsored in other sectors like Tech, so another option would be to seek out sponsorship from a company in other sectors and then transition into consulting at a later stage.

Hope this helps, feel free to reach for any other questions,

Yuval

Hi Cuan, 

Most of the big ones. 

VISA sponsorship conditions do change quite often based also on the appetite of these firms to hire. 

The only way to find out for sure is to network. 

So aim to find Irish consultants who are now in the US (via LinkedIn) and get an understanding of how they navigated this move. Then, find recruiters from your target firms and ask them as well. 

Sharing here two articles on how to do this:

• Expert Guide: How To Handle Networking Calls and Get Referrals
• Expert Guide: How To Get Referrals Via LinkedIn? 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

Roland Berger in the US has been open to sponsoring visas. They are much smaller in the US than in Europe based on brand recognition so this was a way to boost recruiting. There are certain requirements and limitations around that of course but just wanted to put that on your radar. 

I also know that LEK in the US was at least interviewing candidates who did not have prior working permit for the US.

Not sure about all of the other consulting firms. It is true though that it is much easier to transfer to the US internally after having worked for the same company elsewhere for a while.

Best of luck

1. Most will sponsor Visas

2. However, they'll only sponsor if there's a strong reason for that.

Hi Cuan,

I think without any specific ties to the US, it would be very difficult at the moment, given the fact that the overall market has slowed down a lot.

I'd try to get hired in Ireland, then make the move internally within 1-2 years.

All the best,

Florian

Considering the competition it could be tough. However, i think the best bet will be Big 4 supported strategy verticals such as Monitor Deloitte, Strategy& as they have more leverage to provide visa sponsorship due to their combined scale relative to MBBs 

Thanks

Ashwin