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Guide to Working at Visa

Curious about what it would be like to work at Visa? Visa is an American financial services company that facilitates international electronic funds transfers. As a world leader in global payments, the company primarily offers Visa-branded credit, debit, and prepaid cards, with over 3.8 billion cards in circulation worldwide.

Ready to learn about Visa job opportunities, company culture, compensation, and more? In this guide, we cover: 

• What Is Visa?
• Visa Jobs and Salaries
• Visa Benefits and Perks
• Visa Culture
• Visa vs. Mastercard
• How Does the Visa Interview Process Work?
• Takeaways 

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What Is Visa?

In 1958, Bank of America launched BankAmericard, the first consumer-based credit card program. As cashless spending became popular, BankAmericard grew before officially becoming Visa in 1976 and forming a global corporation in 2007. The company is currently headquartered in San Francisco, California and has more than 20,000 employees worldwide.

In 2021, Visa had annual revenue of $21.4 billion. Visa competes with other large credit card networks — such as Mastercard, Discover, and American Express — but is the most common type of credit card, accounting for 52.8% of all cards in circulation.

So, what exactly is Visa? According to the company, Visa is a world leader in digital payments that aims to be a “force of good that advances inclusive, sustainable, and equitable growth for individuals, communities, and economies around the world.” The company hopes to remove barriers and give everyone the chance to connect to the global economy. 

>>MORE: Check out the best online resources for software engineering students. 

Visa Jobs and Salaries

Visa looks for trailblazers and values employees with ambition, curiosity, and collaborative mindsets. Technology and product are two of the teams Visa is most known for and that generally have the most job openings. These are the typical salaries for various positions within those teams. 

Visa Technology Team

Want to work with financial services and tech at the same time? Get the best of both worlds at Visa, where engineers and technology professionals improve upon its transactional processing systems. 

Jobs on Visa’s technology team fall under software development/engineering, software quality assurance and testing, data architect/engineering/science, and technical product/project management.

According to Glassdoor, these are average salaries for specific technology and engineering positions at Visa: 

• Software engineers average about $160,800 a year.
• Senior software engineers average about $174,000 a year.
• Software developers average about $163,600 a year.
• QA engineers average about $127,600 a year. 
• Systems analysts average about $142,000 a year.
• Cybersecurity engineers average about $152,100 a year.

Visa Product Team

This team delivers Visa’s product strategy and accelerates product delivery into the market. There are varied opportunities within the product job function on Visa’s specialized product, program, and project management team and its product/solutions management team.

Per Glassdoor, here’s what you can expect for average compensation on the product team: 

• Senior product managers average about $221,900 a year.
• Product managers average about $181,500 a year. 
• Project managers average about $142,900 a year. 
• Associate product managers average about $129,100 a year.
• Project analysts average about $98,600 a year.

Visa Student and Recent Graduate Opportunities  

Want to test the waters working at Visa? The company offers current students and recent graduates different opportunities to learn skills, discover more about the company, and try different roles.  

You can find Visa on your campus or online through its many recruiting and informational events. From 1-on-1 career chats and career fairs to networking events, the company gives students the opportunity to dip their toes in and see if Visa is a good fit for their career goals.   

Visa also offers intensive internships across all its departments. With networking and social events to attend, Visa interns can interact with and learn from company executives and business leaders.

For recent graduates, Visa offers unique rotational programs that provide opportunities to try out different roles or skills for a few months at a time. Ranging from one to three years, these programs help graduates develop a foundation in their chosen field.

• Human Resources Development Program: HRDP includes three nine-month rotations through HR functions and one six-month rotation through the business.
• New Graduate Development Rotation Program: NGDP includes four six-month rotations through Visa’s various functions.
• Olympians and Paralympians in Business Development Program: OPBDP includes two six-month rotations with the option to extend to four rotations over two years.

Past Visa interns rated their experience at the company 4.4 out of 5 stars, with 88% of interns stating they’d recommend the internship to a friend. 

>>MORE: Learn what recruiters at Visa are looking for!

Visa Benefits and Perks

Careers at Visa come with some great benefits and perks, with employees rating Visa’s benefits 4.1 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor. In addition to general health benefits and time off, these are some of the benefits you can anticipate as a full-time employee:  

• Paid time off: Outside of regular PTO (21 days per year for full-time employees), Visa offers extended PTO to new parents and time off for elder parent care. 
• Matching gift program: Visa will match its employees’ charitable donations (to eligible organizations) dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000 a calendar year. Its matching gift program is one of the best in the industry. 
• Volunteering: By offering employees time off to volunteer, Visa prioritizes giving back to communities. 
• “GoShare” Rotation Program: Visa has 102 offices worldwide and encourages employees to try out new locations. In the rotation program, employees have the opportunity to work at another site for a few months. 
• Visa University: Visa employees get the chance to continue their education and skill building even after landing a job. Employees have access to Visa University, which includes classes, training, and over 25,000 digital resources.  

Other benefits at Visa include virtual and onsite fitness centers, flexible and hybrid work arrangements, backup child and elder care, and an online wellness portal.

Visa Culture

Visa employees rate the company’s culture 4.1 out of 5 stars on Comparably, which translates to a “B” rating. A reported 75% of employees are excited to go to work each day, and 82% look forward to working with their coworkers.

Visa states it invests heavily in its workforce as the company values inclusion and diversity. It tackles inclusion through four strategic pillars to foster a supportive and diverse culture and encourage different perspectives: people, environment, leaders, and business. 

If you have specific values you want to ensure are important to the company you work for, MIT evaluates employee reviews to determine how employees view cultural values. Based on its Culture 500 research: 

• Employees most commonly discuss innovation positively, which reflects how Visa pioneers new products and services.
• Employees most commonly discuss agility negatively, which reflects how quickly Visa responds to market changes and takes on new opportunities.

Visa Values and Initiatives 

A significant component of ensuring you’re a good fit for a company is seeing if your values line up. Visa’s stated initiatives include: 

• Small and Micro Businesses: As part of Visa’s mission to advance economic growth for everyone, it’s committed to giving businesses access to tools and resources to succeed. By 2023, the company hopes to digitally enable 50 million small and micro businesses. 
• Protecting the Planet: As of 2022, Visa announced it had achieved carbon neutrality with its transition to 100% renewable energy. Still planning to do better, the company aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. 
• Equitable Access Initiative: Through Visa’s Foundation, the company committed $200 million to support gender-diverse and inclusive small and midsize businesses. Of this, $60 million goes toward grants and $140 million to impact investments. 
• Securing Commerce: Visa invests in innovation around payment security. Through this initiative, the company hopes to lessen fraud rates globally. In 2021 alone, Visa used artificial intelligence to prevent $26 billion in fraud. 

Visa vs. Mastercard 

Visa competes with other credit card giants. One of its biggest competitors is Mastercard, with more than $18 billion in revenue in 2021. According to Indeed, here’s how working at Visa and working at Mastercard stack up in several key areas: 

• Visa’s overall company rating is 3.9 out of 5 stars compared to Mastercard’s 4.0 out of 5 stars. 
• Mastercard has slightly better ratings in work-life balance, management, and culture.
• Visa and Mastercard are tied in job security and advancement, and compensation and benefits. 
• 85% of Visa’s employees approve of the current CEO’s performance compared to 90% of Mastercard employees. 

On Glassdoor, Mastercard’s ratings are also slightly higher than Visa’s in areas such as culture, career opportunities, diversity and inclusion, and more. 

How Does the Visa Interview Process Work?

As a knowledge-based company, Visa’s hiring managers are dedicated to finding top talent who can take on challenges. Although Visa does not give much information about its interview process, past candidates can help provide insight. 

Interested in working at Visa and wondering which route to take when applying? According to Glassdoor, 50% of past interview candidates applied online, 19% were recruited on campus, and 12% were employee referrals. Less common avenues were in-person applications and staffing agencies. 

Depending on the team and position, your experience may vary. Here’s how previous candidates reflected on their Visa interview experiences: 

• 50% of interviewees rated their interview experience positively, while 30% rated it negatively. 
• On a scale of 1 to 5, easiest to hardest, the average difficulty rating for a Visa interview was 2.8 out of 5. 

Interviewees face different challenges in their interviews, depending on the position. According to Indeed, some of the most commonly reported steps include on-site interviews, phone screenings, background checks, group interviews, and problem-solving exercises. On the other hand, the least commonly reported steps include presentations and take-home work.

Out of the reported interviews, the average time spent in the interview process was approximately a month.

Takeaways 

• Visa is a financial services company that facilitates global payments through its different cards and programs. 
• Technology and product are two of the largest teams at Visa. 
• Visa invests efforts into protecting the environment, supporting micro and small businesses, protecting individuals from fraud, and supporting gender-diverse companies. 
• On average, 50% of Visa’s interviewees had a positive interview experience, while 30% had a negative experience. Interviewees at Visa rate interview difficulty as 2.8 out of 5. 

Interested in working at Visa, but not sure where you want your career to take you? Find out if technology is a good career path for you!

Image credit: Viktor4ik / Depositphotos.com

Working in the United States

Many noncitizens want to come to the United States to work. This page provides a summary of employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa classifications and other categories of noncitizens who are eligible for employment authorization. Each classification provides a link to more detailed information on its requirements.

A common way to work temporarily in the United States as a nonimmigrant is for a prospective employer to file a petition with USCIS on your behalf. The Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Workers webpage describes the main nonimmigrant temporary worker classifications.

If you have the right combination of skills, education, and/or work experience, you may be able to live and work permanently in the United States by seeking an employment-based immigrant visa. The Permanent Workers webpage describes the five employment-based immigrant visa preferences (also called categories).

If you live outside the United States and want to work here, you generally must apply for a visa from the U.S. Department of State (DOS), unless a visa is not required for people from your country of nationality. You may visit DOS’ Travel Without a Visa page for more information.

In many cases, USCIS must approve your petition before you are eligible to apply to DOS for a visa or seek admission at a port of entry. Before entering the United States, you must present yourself to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer and receive permission to enter the United States and engage in your proposed activity.

If you are in the United States in a lawful nonimmigrant status that does not provide employment authorization, you generally may apply for:

• A change of status to a nonimmigrant classification that provides employment authorization; or
• An adjustment of status to become a lawful permanent resident. This may be a concurrent filing with an immigrant visa petition or, depending on the circumstances, may require an applicant to obtain an approved immigrant visa before applying for an adjustment of status to become a lawful permanent resident.

Depending on the classification you seek, your change or adjustment of status application might require a U. S. employer or other qualified requestor to file an application or petition on your behalf to establish your eligibility before we approve your application. However, if you apply based on certain classifications (for example, an alien with extraordinary ability or as a nonimmigrant E-1 or E-2 principal treaty trader or investor), you may be eligible to self-petition, which means filing an application on your own behalf.

Additionally, if you are in the United States, including if you are an applicant for permanent residence or a certain family member of an alien who has lawful nonimmigrant status, you may file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to request employment authorization and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). You may also apply for an EAD that shows such authorization if your immigration status authorizes you to work in the United States without restrictions.

The conditions you must meet and how long you can work in the United States depend on the type of immigration status the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants. You must comply with all conditions of your employment authorization and the terms of your admission to this country. If you violate any of the conditions, you could be removed from or denied re-entry into the United States.

Temporary (Nonimmigrant) Worker

Find more information about the filing requirements for nonimmigrant visa classifications.

Permanent (Immigrant) Worker

If you want to immigrate to the United States based on your job skills, read more information on the five employment-based immigrant visa preferences.

Students and Exchange Visitors

If you want to pursue full-time academic or vocational studies in the United States, you may be eligible for one of two nonimmigrant student categories.

Temporary Visitors for Business

If you want to visit the United States for business, you need to obtain a temporary visitor for business visa. Read more information on eligibility and the application process.

International Entrepreneur Parole

Under the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), DHS may grant a period of authorized stay to foreign entrepreneurs who demonstrate that their stay in the United States would provide a significant public benefit through their business venture.

Visa foreigner and his employment: Employment of a visa foreigner step by step – Paperwork for a visa foreign citizen by the employer – Accreditation in the Ministry of Internal Affairs – Vacancy on the site Work in Russia for 30 days – Quota for a profession and permission to attract foreign labor – Work invitation for a visa and documents for its registration – Work permit in Russia – Work visa and the necessary documents for obtaining it – Temporary registration of a visa worker – Medical examination and fingerprints – Obtaining a ready-made work permit – Testing in Russian – Employment and notification of admission – SNILS and TIN of a foreign worker – Work visa extension

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The procedure for hiring foreign citizens

When an employer employs a visa foreigner, he needs to take into account that the obligation to draw up all documents for a foreigner lies with the employer. And among these documents is not only a work visa.

To complete all documents quickly and the first time, it is important to have a clear action plan.

1. Accreditation in the Ministry of Internal Affairs

First, the employer needs to be accredited by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. My colleague wrote about obtaining accreditation in the article “When accreditation is needed in the Ministry of Internal Affairs”.

2. Posting a vacancy on the Jobs in Russia website

Together with accreditation, the employer places for a period of at least 30 days on the website “Work in Russia” – a vacancy for which he wants to accept a foreigner. And only if no Russian candidate is suitable for this position, you can proceed to the next step. At the same time, if the candidate is really not suitable, then it is necessary to refuse admission correctly. My colleague wrote more about this in the article “How to correctly refuse candidates. ”

3. Obtaining a quota for a profession (if necessary)

If the admission of a foreigner is planned for a quota profession, then the employer must first obtain a quota. In 2022, they draw up a quota for 2023. You can get acquainted with the list of professions for which a quota is not needed in the Order of the Ministry of Labor of Russia dated February 14, 2022 N 58n.

4. Permit to hire foreign workers

If a quota has been received or not required, the vacancy has been published on the Jobs in Russia platform for more than 30 days, then you can apply for a permit to attract foreign labor – this document allows the employer to accept visa foreigners to work. But only from those countries, for those professions and in the amount indicated in the document. Read about the execution of this document in the article of my colleague “Permission is needed to attract”.

5. Work invitation and work permit for visa officer

After obtaining permission to attract, you need to issue a work invitation to a foreign citizen:

• To do this, draw up a letter of guarantee, since the company that invites a visa foreigner to Russia becomes the inviting party and must confirm that it will provide the foreigner with material and medical assistance, as well as control the timely departure of the foreigner from the Russian Federation. Read more about it in the article “Need guarantees”.
• Prepare an application for an invitation. Its form is approved by the Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia dated September 29, 2020 N 677.
• Provide a notarized translation of the foreign citizen’s passport.
• Pay the state duty for issuing an invitation.

In many regions, documents for issuing a work invitation and a work permit are submitted simultaneously: first for a work permit, then for an invitation.

6. After receiving a work invitation

After receiving an invitation in electronic form or on the form of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it must be sent to a foreigner so that he can apply for a visa. Read about the types of invitations in the article “Invitation of a foreign employee”.

7. Work visa to Russia

Having received an invitation, a foreigner applies to the Russian consulate for a work visa. Documents for obtaining a work visa to Russia:

• passport,
• work invitation,
• health insurance policy. The full list of documents for a work visa to Russia must be clarified at the Russian consulate abroad.
• confirmation of payment of the consular fee for issuing a visa, the amount of which depends on the country.

The term for issuing a work visa depends on the specific consulate. The visa is issued for a single entry with a validity period of 90 days.

8. Migration registration after entry

After entering Russia, a foreigner on a work visa must be provided with housing and put on the migration register within 7 working days from the date of entry.

9. Foreign employee medical board

A foreigner must undergo a medical examination within 30 days from the date of entry and receive its results.

10. Fingerprint registration of a foreigner

Pass fingerprint registration and photographing, providing the results of the medical examination. The results of these procedures are issued in the form of a fingerprint card with a validity period of 10 years.

11. Issuance of a work permit

After the submission of documents on the passage of the medical examination, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will issue a work permit to the foreigner.

12. Proof of Russian language proficiency

Pass an exam on knowledge of the Russian language, culture and fundamentals of legislation. The results of passing the Russian language proficiency test must be submitted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 60 days from the date of entry, otherwise the work permit will be canceled.

13. Concluding an agreement and notifying the Ministry of Internal Affairs

The employer must notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the admission of a foreigner to the company within 3 working days from the date of conclusion of the contract with the foreigner. This must be done in a certain form and correctly filled out, prepared and submitted a notice.

14. SNILS and TIN for a foreigner

Further, the employer draws up to the foreigner the SNILS and TIN necessary for work.

15. Extension of work visa for a foreigner

After obtaining a work permit and notifying the Ministry of Internal Affairs about the conclusion of the contract, you need to submit documents for extending a work visa for a foreigner. The renewal period takes 20 working days, so it is better to submit documents immediately. Read more about this process in the article “Extension of a work visa”.

16. Extension of migration registration

After receiving an extended visa, a foreigner needs to extend the migration registration within 3 working days. This is done by the employer, individual or company that provides the foreigner with accommodation. But the party that invited the foreigner is responsible for ensuring that this is done.

We have listed the main steps for obtaining a visa for an employee in a company. But each of them may have its own nuances, which change depending on the external situation and depend on the company or citizenship of the foreigner. But for the employer, the whole process can be simplified by transferring the complete execution of all documents to migration experts. We specialize in processing documents for visa foreigners and can take care of all the necessary documents for a company and a foreigner. More information about our services on the site “Labor Migration Visa Center”.

Residency through work | Kiwi Immigration. Change the future today.

There is a special route you can use to obtain a resident visa, bypassing the Skilled Migrant visa option. This plan is called Residence from Work. It allows you to “transform” a work visa into a residence visa within 24 months, if the conditions of your visa allow it. Residence from Work is a good workaround for those who don’t qualify as a Skilled Migrant or can’t score enough points.

There are 3 options that can be used:

• Job offer from an accredited employer
• Possess special talent in the arts or sports
• Employment in a specialty from the Long Term Skills shortage list

All these visas are issued for 30 months. Once you have been on a Work to Residence visa for more than 2 years (provided you meet the other requirements below), you can apply for residency.

If you have high professional skills or are an expert in your field and an accredited employer has offered you a full-time job, this visa is an excellent option for moving.

A list of accredited employers is available on the New Zealand Immigration Service website

Basic requirements:

• Have an offer from an accredited employer to work full-time (from 30 working hours per week) in New Zealand for a period of at least 24 months
• The offer must include a minimum base salary of NZ$79,560 (the minimum base salary does not include additional employment-related benefits such as overtime, allowances or lump sums, health insurance, accommodation, etc. )
• Age restriction up to and including 55 years
• You must meet the health and personality requirements for Residency
• You must meet other basic visa requirements

The main benefit of this visa is that your employer DOES NOT have to prove that New Zealand did not have the right person for the job. You also DO NOT have to meet strict education or experience requirements.

If your employer loses accredited status after you have received a work visa, you can:

• Work for another accredited employer
• Apply for a variation of conditions that, if approved, would allow you to work for an unaccredited employer. To validate these INZ changes, your new employer must pay you at least NZ$79.560 per year (before taxes).

The

visa offers a pathway to New Zealand residency. To apply, you must have proven work experience, relevant qualifications or professional registration for work in the Long Term Skill Shortage List and an invitation to work in one of these fields. If you continue to work in this field in New Zealand for 2 years, you will be able to apply for residency.

To be eligible for this visa, based on employment in the Long Term Skill Shortage List, the applicant must:

• Be in possession of an invitation from an employer whose field of activity is on the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) at the time of application, and which meets the requirements for this profession; and
• Have the appropriate education and/or experience to properly perform the job functions requested by the employer (including any specific requirements specified in the LTSSL): and
• Be aged 55 or under; and
• Meet the health and personality requirements for Residency
• Meet other basic visa requirements

Please note that your full time job offer (30+ hours) must be for a period of at least 24 months. This will need to be supported by evidence of full or pre-registration, or eligibility for such registration if full or pre-registration is required by law in order to accept the offer (for example if you are a doctor) or required by applicable New Zealand labor law.

This visa is for people who have outstanding talent in the arts, sports or culture and are looking for a possible path to New Zealand residency. To apply, you will need the support of a New Zealand organization that has been recognized for exemplary work in your area of ​​talent and the support of a sponsor. After actively participating in your field for 2 years in New Zealand, you will be able to apply for residency.

To obtain a work visa for talented people (arts, culture or sports), the applicant must:

• have outstanding talent in the claimed field of art, culture or sport;
• have the support of a New Zealand government organization in the area claimed;
• have a suitable sponsor;
• be aged 55 years or less;
• meet the health and personality requirements for Residency;
• meet other basic visa requirements

Please note that this type of visa is really exceptional and is quite rare in practice.