ummm im not sure this is the right place to post this… then again it is your oppinion im asking for so… here goes…
Im 21 years old… living in denmark, europe… I have what would be eqvivilant(sp?) to highschool and one year of college worth of education… i have 2 years experience in customerservice and internet support…
I speak english with hardly any accent, im good with computers, a very fast learner, is good with my fingers too (meaning im not just a desk jokey i can fix my car too and shit like that) dont feel too good to take whatever job is available… (worked as a garbage disposal guy during the summer coz the money was awesome and it was something else to do than just sit at the office)
Anywho… im asking what you think my chances for finding a decent job in the states would be… and if im completely insane for wanting to do this…
so you might wonder WHY i wanna move to the states… well… i hate denmark… not hate hate but im unhappy with the way the country works… like paying 50% tax, 25% sales tax… when i turned 16 i decided that i wasnt gonna grow up in this damned country and well now i feel is the time for me to leave…
also… 7 months ago i met this girl online… we seem absolutely perfect for each other… she goes to school in TN so i guess thats where i would go… anyone here familiar with the employment situation in Johnson City and the surrounding cities btw ?
Anyways im totally in love with this girl… who feels the same way… we are a perfect match… we never had a big fight… we talk for hours on the phone nearly every day(good thing i work for a phone company) and we both feel like were meant to be… I met her earlier this summer and we had the time of our lives together… im going back in late october to see her again and thought about looking around for a job by then…
anywho… what do u reckon my chances of making it in the states would be ?
i figure theyd be ok seeing how low unemployment is and the number of jobs being offered… but id still love to hear your oppinion on this… sorry for making this post so long and possibly boring but… yea well what can ya do
Hi Skummet! If you move to the States, do you think they’ll let me have your place in Denmark?
The first thing you need to do is go to the nearest US Embassy or Consulate and ask what you need to do to get a Visa and Green Card (work permit). To be honest, I have no idea how hard it is to get one of those. I wouldn’t recommend going without because it is very hard to find reputable employment without having the proper documents. Are you interested in going to college? A student visa might be easier to get, but again, I’m just guessing.
As for employment, that really depends on where you go. We are lucky to have very low unemployment rates in the States right now, but of course, that varies by region. I have no idea what the situation is like in Johnson City, but as you are willing to do all kinds of work, I’m sure you’ll be able to find something. I think the cost of living is quite low there, too, so it will be much easier to get by on entry level wages.
If you don’t mind an old biddy butting in, please don’t make any long term plans just yet. Try it for a year and see how you like it. The USA is a great place, but you might be suprised at how homesick you might get. Just have fun and see where it leads.
yesh i would love to go to school there… but tuition and cost of living and so-on is in the area of $15.000-$20.000 a year and i have no money to start out on… as it is i have a loan i have to pay back to my bank first…
What is making me think twice about just going there is… that well i would really like to have an education… and uni here is free… so maybe i should just wait and in 4 years ill have a BA in computer science… but then again… i want to be with the girl i love… and i wanna do that now… and well ive always belived in doing what made me happy… otherwise life isnt really worth living is it?
And yea i know if i dont like it i could always go back.
What i plan on doing in october is to go ask some of the companies in Johnson City if they would be willing to sponsor me… meaning they help me get a working permit… wich if on the point of impossible if i dont get a company to sponsor me. but im thinking with the emplyment situation as it is now, it might actually work this way.
Another way could be to marry my girl… but we both dont want that just yet… we could see each other marrying but it just wouldnt be the right time… with her in school and everything… besides we want to be able to live together first too…
Hey, if you’re planning on going back to school anyways, perhaps you could see if there is an exchange program at one of the Danish Universities that would allow you to study in the States for a year. It’s worth a shot, and there are many colleges in Tennessee that you could choose from.
Is it a possibility for her to go to Denmark for a semester or year? True, you’d still be in Denmark but at least you’d be together. Plus, I’m a big fan of everybody spending at least a few months in a foreign country.
I do know that lots of technology firms sponser foreign workers, but I’m not sure what level of expertise and experience you need to make it worth their while. It will probably be much easier if you have a college degree first.
And you’re right not to get married. I was a little afraid that you might be planning something crazy like that (I don’t know you afterall, and I have known people to do that), but I didn’t bring it up directly for fear of insulting you. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, young man.
She cant come here coz what she is studying isnt offered in any of our universities…
Yea the reasonable thing would be to take the forst 2 years of my edu here and then i could take one your in an american college and have the BA… but i want to be with her NOW… lol i guess thats the whole problem… im not a very patient person… and even if i do belive ill end up with her as my wife one day… its hard to think about waiting 3 years to be with her u know…
i guess i like the fact that i would be going there just taking a big chance too u know… just to see how things work out and all… i like that whole uncertainty thing…
but yea it would be easier with an education… but do you think it would be impossible without one ?
No, definatly not impossible. Have you been to the US Consulate yet? Maybe we have a severe shortage of Danes in our country…who knows, weirder things have happened. The hardest part will be getting the work permit, but if you’re a little patient (hard, I know) I’m sure you can get one. Once you get to the States, things will fall into place.
Again, good luck. BTW, did you get to try some of our Tennessee style BBQ pork while you were there? I think that alone is worth immigrating for.
lol no i havent tried that… but ill be sure to when i get there… i havent been to TN before… i visited her at home in VA when i was there and before that ive been to Cali, MI and NY…
anyways thanx for your help… ill go to the embassy sometime next week and be sure to let you know how it goes
Depending on exactly how “good with computers” you are, you might be able to get an H-1B visa which would entitle you to live up to six years in the States. You’re supposed to have a Bachelor’s Degree, but if you have enough work experience you might be able to get around that.
If not, you’re probably out of luck as far as a work visa goes. A student visa would be your best option. Or you could always get married …
I was hoping someone would mention this, because this option is something that’s crossed my mind in the last month (for reasons I have no idea why…). I seem to recall that the “marry an American” way to getting citizenship has been slowed a bit by some legislation.
In other words, that might not work.
To answer the OP, though, there’s always room in the tech world for new folks here. Especially if you know what you’re doing, and speak English well.
There’s no way to get an H1B visa without a college degree, I’ll tell you that much. Your chances in the department for you are 0.00
If you want to visit the US you can do so on a tourist visa for six months at a time. That will not allow you to work legally though.
I will tell you one thing: most people do not have a clue as to how immigration law works and by asking for advice from people who do not know you are just going to get yourself confused and frustrated. If you want good advice fast, consult with an immigration lawyer (and even what he tells you will be quite discouraging). If you are willing to spend a lot of time studying the subject you can get a fair idea.
I have suffered (and still suffer) this crazy system and have learnt quite a bit but I cannot condense it here. I still get very stupid questions every time I meet people because they have no idea of how the system works and make all sorts of assumptions.
You need to learn the types of visas (two big groups: immigrant and non-immigrant) and what each of them entails.
Also be aware that these matters concern two departments: the department of Justice and the department of State.
Not a lawyer, but until six months ago I was a US immigration paralegal.
Marrying an American won’t automatically confer citizenship on you, but it will entitle you to a green card (assuming you meet a few very simple requirements, such as actually being in a marital relationship with the person). When you’ve had the green card for three years you can apply for citizenship.
sailor:
That’s simply not true, one of our client companies at the last firm I worked for brought over loads of H-1B workers without college degrees. But the skill level they required was so high that the DOL/INS considered anyone who had that skill to hold the equivalent of a college degree. These folks were the exception to the rule, though.
I think the best/easiest way to go about it would be to get a temp. work visa for 6 months to a year or something… and then if everything works out with my girl we can look into other options… marriage ofcourse being one of them but as of now its not even an option… i mean im 21 shes turning 21 tomorrow (happy birthday sweetie!! :)) and we just both feel its way too early for that big a commitment… even if we feel like were gonna be together for the rest of our lives
About my computer skills… well… just how good do they expect you to be? I could easily be system administrator for a smaller company/office running NT… i could easily design/run and maintain there webpage… and whatever else they could want me to i im pretty confident i could learn fast enough. But no i dont have skills equal to people with BA’s…
Would it be totally impossible to just get a 6 months temp work visa for any old desk job… or even some manual labour type thing ? if i get the company to help me get it ofcourse!
I think i heard somewhere that any kind of relatives you had in the states would be a good idea to mention as it could help your cause… well my grandma’s sister is living in Anaheim and has done so for 30 or more years… would that help my situation somehow ?
i mean shes fairly old… in her late 70’ies… could i go there to function as some sort of “nurse” or something ?
I know i still wouldnt be in TN… but id be a helluva lot closer… and id get to live in the states and work there wich im sure would be a great help later on? what do u think… could any of this work ?
Also to those of you who seem to know about it… any chance to get a H-2B issued? it seems to cover a very broad range of work?
Oh and would you please comment on my english ? i know its far from perfect, but would it atleast be considered good?
I think your English is very good, perhaps it could do with a little polishing (for resumes and such) but I can very easily understand what you are saying.
I do think that you can have relatives sponser you into the United States, but I don’t know anything about it. Be sure and mention it when you go to the Embassy. She would probably have to promise to be responsible for your upkeep, but that shouldn’t be a problem if you’re on good terms. I know a lot of Asian immigrants go this route.
lol it shouldnt be a problem polishing it up a bit… i mean this is me typing practically with my eyes closed and im sorta too lazy to do the whole grammar thing i mean i know I should be capitalized and i know i should use ’ those thingies and i know i shouldnt use words like thingies and well u get the picture
ruadh, yes I know full well you can get an H1B without having a college degree but Skümmet’s chances are zero. As you said, the law says a college degree or demonstrable equivalent experience which he doesn’t have. So when I say he’s not going to get an H1B I think I am quite right.
Skümet, if you just want six months, come over on a tourist visa and do your exploring from here. After that you can ask for an extension or leave the country for a while and return for another six months.
You can come for three months without a visa (I am assuming Denmark is on the visa waiver pilot program) or for six months with a visa.
Regarding relatives, that is another point that many people assume wrongly. Check the law at the websites I gave you and don’t waste your time thinking a second cousin twice removed and three times bleached is going to help you any.
Yea the tourist visa seems good… but i need to work… i dont have the money to not work for half a year… and if i do go over there and work illegally… that could screw my chances of eventually citizenship up for good!!! and that wouldnt be too good an idea now would it ?
