# How to answer expected CTC, notice period and visa sponsorship questions > What to put in the screening fields that filter applications first: expected and current CTC, notice period, work authorization, sponsorship, relocation. Canonical: https://lazee.dev/blog/expected-ctc-notice-period-visa-questions [All posts](https://lazee.dev/blog) Most application forms end with a handful of short, awkward fields: expected CTC, current CTC, notice period, “Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship?”, “Are you willing to relocate?”. They take ten seconds to fill and they can end an application before anyone reads your resume, because recruiters often filter on them first. Here is how to answer each one honestly without underselling yourself. ## Expected CTC or expected salary **Know your number before the form asks.** Look at the salary range in the posting if there is one (more postings list it now, and some places require it by law), at what similar roles pay in that city, and at what you earn today. Decide the lowest offer you would accept and the number you would be happy with. Then answer according to the type of field: - **A number-only field:** give the number you would be happy with, not the minimum. You can negotiate down from a number; it is very hard to negotiate up from one. - **A free-text field:** a range works, with the bottom of the range at a number you would genuinely accept. “₹28–32 LPA fixed, depending on the total package” is clearer than “negotiable”. - **“Negotiable” on its own** is allowed on some forms, but a recruiter with a fixed budget may simply skip you rather than ask. ### CTC in India: say what is fixed Cost to company is a total, and two offers with the same CTC can pay very different amounts each month. When the field allows text, split it: fixed pay, variable or bonus, and ESOPs or RSUs. “Current CTC ₹24 LPA (₹20 fixed, ₹4 variable)” avoids an offer that matches your CTC on paper and cuts your take-home. ### Applying abroad: name the currency For a role in another country, give the number in the currency of the posting, and say whether it is yearly. “30 LPA” means nothing to a recruiter in Berlin. ### Current CTC Give the real figure. Offer letters and payslips get checked during background verification at many companies, and a mismatch there is worse than a low number on a form. If your current pay is below market, the expected CTC field is where you correct for it. ## Notice period Give the number of days in your contract, not the number you hope for. If your employer sometimes agrees to an early release or a buyout, say so in a free-text field: “60 days, can be shortened by buyout”, but only if it is actually possible. Recruiters plan start dates around this answer. If you have already resigned, give your last working day. If you are not employed, the answer is “Immediate” or 0 days, which is an advantage worth stating. ## Visa sponsorship and work authorization These look like one question and are two: - **“Are you authorized to work in this country?”** asks about today: citizenship, permanent residence or a current work visa. - **“Will you now or in the future require sponsorship?”** asks whether the employer would ever have to file for a visa on your behalf, including when a current visa runs out. Answer both truthfully. A “No” you cannot back up does not get you hired: it gets you an offer that is withdrawn during onboarding, after weeks of interviews. If you need sponsorship, it saves time to target companies that sponsor and roles that say so, and to read the location line closely: “Remote (US only)” usually means you need US work authorization already. ## Relocation and work setup “Willing to relocate?” and “Remote, hybrid or on-site?” are filters too. Answer what you would actually do. If you would relocate only for the right role, a plain “Yes” is fair; the details come up in the first call anyway. ## Fill these once These answers change rarely, so there is no reason to retype them on every form. On your [Lazee profile](https://lazee.dev/profile) you save current and expected CTC with a currency, your notice period in days, and job preferences: work setup, regions, relocation, work authorization, visa sponsorship, languages and certifications. Then: - The extension fills the plain CTC and notice period fields from the profile, for free. - Short screening questions (“Do you require visa sponsorship?”, “Willing to relocate?”, work preference, languages, certifications) are answered from your job preferences for 0 credits, without calling an AI. - Longer versions of those questions go to AI Fill, which answers from your preferences and never claims an authorization, language or certification you have not listed. When a form wants the salary broken down (fixed, variable, ESOPs) or in another currency, it follows the format asked for. - Before you apply, the free [ATS match](https://lazee.dev/blog/ats-match-score-explained) shows a red warning when the job has a limit you cannot meet, such as a location you cannot work from or no sponsorship when you need it. The step-by-step setup is in [how to autofill job applications](https://lazee.dev/blog/autofill-job-applications). The phone number and expected CTC on your profile are never shown on your public profile page. The current CTC is shown there only if you fill it in. See the [privacy policy](https://lazee.dev/privacy) for what is public and what is not. ## Spend the saved time on the interview. Profile autofill is free and unlimited. Install the extension, fill your profile once, and the next application takes a few clicks. [Add to Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/lazeedev-ai-job-autofill/hkompooiicoamiambpjhbbmimjefgiii) [Add to Firefox](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/lazeedev/) [Browse the job board](https://lazee.dev/careers) ## More guides - [How to answer “Why do you want to work here?” and other application questions 7 min read](https://lazee.dev/blog/why-do-you-want-to-work-here) - [Entry-level tech jobs in India: where to find them and how to apply as a fresher 6 min read](https://lazee.dev/blog/entry-level-tech-jobs-india) - [How to autofill job applications on Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby and Workday 6 min read](https://lazee.dev/blog/autofill-job-applications) ## Related - [Lazee.dev home: the job application autofill extension](https://lazee.dev) - [Tech job board](https://lazee.dev/careers) - [Jobs API](https://lazee.dev/api) - [Blog: guides on applying faster](https://lazee.dev/blog) - [About Lazee.dev](https://lazee.dev/about) - [Privacy Policy](https://lazee.dev/privacy) - [Terms of Service](https://lazee.dev/terms)