Remote web3 jobs (US) with no visa sponsorship: Germany-based Solidity dev (4 yrs) — how do internationals still get shortlisted?

I’m a Solidity dev with ~4 years of experience, based in Germany. I’m applying to remote Web3 roles with US teams (protocol / DeFi / infra), but a lot of JDs say “no visa sponsorship” or “must be authorized to work in the US.”

What I’m trying to sanity-check: do international candidates ever get shortlisted for these, or is it basically a hard no unless you already have US work authorization?

I can overlap US hours (EST mornings / PST afternoons), and I’m open to a contractor setup if that’s the only realistic path. I’m not trying to sneak past the requirement — I just don’t want to waste weeks applying if the filter is automatic.

If you’ve seen this work in real life: what actually moved the needle? Was it referrals, a proof-heavy portfolio, a paid trial, or being super explicit about contract terms upfront?

How should I phrase this in the first message so it doesn’t look like I ignored the JD?
Is it better to ask about contractor/EOR in the first email, or wait until a screening call?
Any signals in the JD that tell you “W2 only” vs “global contractor possible”?