I’m planning on moving to the USA in the next 6 months. want to work but I’m not in a particularly skilled proffesion. Currently I work for a mobile (cell) phone company and investigate all technical issues from network issues to service problems such as WAP, SMS. I’ve recently been promoted into extra duties and now deal with german technical problems via email after a 2 week intensive 9 hour day course in German.
Anyway I went onto the government immigrants site: 404 - Page Not Found and its a nightmare!! Anybody know which form I want?
Also I have some savings aswell £7000 approx and plan on working for a similar company in the USA as I work for here.
(PS. Just like to say I’m well impressed with the people’s responses on this site)
Is there a particular region you intend to reside in, or just the US in general? The US is deceptively large, and different areas may have much different job markets, so you may need advice from someone in the area where you will actually live.
The job market in the phone industry in the southeast is pretty slim right now, but with the excellent technical background you should stand out and be better off than most.
It sounds like you have no trouble picking up skills quickly, which is probably more valuable than any specific skill.
That’s tough.
Do you have family in the US, or are you are just packing and moving?
They won’t let you just move like that. You need to get a job first. That’s the hard part. A company has to be willing to hire you and make the demand for a work visa on your behalf.
I am not too sure of all the details of your move, but I know they won’t let you come if you have nothing.
I tried!
Ahh well I don’t erally have any family over there. Cheers gcarroll, I’m thinking maybe Boston or Cali. My parents mentioned they have cousins over there but thats it. I’ve looked into applying for jobs but they require your US Social Security number or a working Visa, so its a vicious circle. I was thinking of taking a 3 week holiday, looking for a job, then request a visa but I reckon it will take months…is this true?
Yes, getting a work visa is not a rapid process (especially now, after 9/11 I would suspect) and you need to either (1) have family in the US who will sponsor you or (2) have a company that will give you a job and get you a visa. There is a “Green Card” lottery - it’s for “diversity” - but certain countries are excluded from participating including, unfortunately, the UK as far as I remember.
You need to do a lot of research before you try anything. You can’t just pack a bag and move.
If you come over here on the visa waiver scheme (like a normal tourist), you can’t get a Social Security Number. No SSN = no way of getting a job.
As Zazie says, to live and work here temporary basis, you need a work visa, either an L-1, J-1 or H-1B. These have to be obtained in advance and your employer has to prove that no US citizen can do the same job.
If you want to live and work in the USA on a permanent basis, then you will need a green card. There are several ways to get one, and they almost all involve lawyers and money. Try here for starting point.
You might like to look at my recent thread on a similar topic. Hopefully Eva Luna will be along here shortly to give you better advice.
NightUK, you are not suppose to be looking for a job while here as a tourist… Yeah yeah, I know how are you gonna find a work without looking for one, huh?!
If you come over, as a tourist, and they find resumes or what not in your luggage, they’ll give you a hard time as they’ll suspect you want to stay now, and work illegally. Once again, trust me, been there, done that!
If you do find a company that wants to sponsor you to get a work visa, they have to prove that they went to great lenghts to find someone in the US, never found anybody, and that YOU are the one they need. It’s hard.
I had found a bi-langual pre-school (I am French) wanting to hire me, the lady went thru the whole process of getting me a file for applying for a work visa, and we got denied (not even looked at!) because… the quotas were full… arghhhh…
The “easiest” is to get a student visa (wanna go back to school!?better have some money!), or some kind of an exchange program, kind of a training if you would.
This is generally true, although the part that a U.S. employer needs to prove there are no U.S. workers for the open position is only true at the green card stage, not the work visa stage. (At least so far, although there are some rather scary restrictionist bills pending in Congress right now.) And keep in mind that many things can be accomplished with thorough knowledge of the process and a little creative writing; that’s where the lawyers come in.
The H-1B is the basic visa type that U.S. employers use to hire foreign nationals. Sounds like that might work for you; it requires that the position require a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a specific field, and that the prospective employee have the appropriate qualifications. Also, the employer is required to pay the prevailing wage for the occupation and geographic area, or what he pays others in the same position, whichever is higher.
Green cards are a messy subject; let me know how much detail you want to go into. The previous posters are correct, though, in that for any of this to work, you need a job offer from a U.S. employer.
It’s not entirely true that a work visa needs to be obtained in advance, although if you enter on the Visa Waiver program, you won’t be able to change status; you’d have to leave and come back again. And if you enter on the Visa Waiver and try to come back shortly thereafter, it will raise fraud alarm bells that your intent wasn’t what you said it was, and believe me, you don’t want that. If they determine you’ve committed fraud, you can be barred from the U.S. completely for 5 years or more.
Although job interviews are a perfectly legitimate activity in the B-1 business visitor category, you still have to convince the Dept. of Homeland Security that you will comply with the terms of your visa and go home at the end, so you should be able to demonstrate your ties to your home country (job, family, property, etc.) So don’t just quit your job and show up at the airport with a suitcase and your passport; they could conceivably put you back home on the next flight.
I can post more detail on the DV Lottery later, or check the website at www.immigration.gov. I can’t remember whether UK nationals are eligible, but the site should tell you.
The idea of grad school in the U.S. is a possibility; any graduate of a U.S. bachelor’s or graduate degree program in the F-1 or J-1 visa categories is eligible for employment authorization after they complete their degrees (1 year for the F-1 category, up to 18 months in the J-1 category). The only restriction is that the employment must be in the same field as the degree; no employer sponsorship is required. Many people use this as a “foot in the door” and then convince their employers to sponsor them for a longer-term work visa (the H-1B is good for an initial period of 3 years, with extensionsup to 6 years) and/or green card.
I hope this all makes sense; the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet. Let me know if you want any more details, and good luck!
If I were you… (as someone who did what you are planning to do, albeit at an earlier age…) I’d come in on a Visa Waiver first (as a UK national you get to enter the country without a visa, and IIRC you can get a visa waiver extension which allows you to stay for up to six months. Visit the areas you might like to live in, and decide first of all if they’re really places you’d be happy. I strongly recommend Florida, although opportunities in the wireless phone industry here are rather limited. THEN you can start looking for someone to hire you, but do it online when you get home.
One last thing… US mobile phones don’t use the GSM standard, I believe… I don’t know if that would make your job significantly different.
Eva Luna: Could you spread some info how all those actors, musicians, directors and writers from all over the world never seem to have any problems getting a work permit. My fellow Swede, Lasse Hallström, might be a good director, but it’s not as if there are no available and skilled directors looking for work in Hollywood.
Mr. NightUK–I can’t help you, because I am totally ignorant of immigration law. But may I ask–(hijack !)–why are you so sure you want to live in the USA? I honestly believe all the clichees about America, the land of opportunity, the greatest democracy , etc. But is England such a bad place? I’ve lived in both countries. The brits drank tea with milk, but other than that they were pretty decent human beings, and their society is about as open as America.Why give up a good job in pounds for unemployment in dollars?
Sorry about the hijack, I’m just curious. Maybe start a new thread?
Actors/showbiz types probably get in on an EB-1 visa which is for foreign nationals of extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business or athletics.
I’ll save you the trouble. Your eligibility is based on your place of birth, not your nationality (these usually but do not always coincide) - and if that’s Britain, you aren’t eligible.
A friend of mine is worried about an upcoming green card appointment. I’ve asked a few people for advice. They’ve been helpful but reccomend getting a lawyer.
What should I look for? I’m assuming that like any other profession there should be ways to tell if an individual is qualified, experienced, charges reasonable rates, and if they’re only ripping you off.
Doc, for starters, tell your friend to ask whether the person is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), and whether they specialize in immigration law and have extensive experience with that specific situation.
If you are into the Usenet, you can post or read: alt.visa.*** groups.
Lots of people in them know the scoop, I remember reading it & asking in there once about UK?USA stuff.
