How to work in America

DaveyBruen

Hi guys, I am currently looking into moving to america to work, However the whole process has me really confused If anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it

Thanks
Dave

Tom Dunne

Depends on your circumstances.

Are you a student? If so, J1 visa, only valid for the summer.

Do you have a PhD and loads of specialised experience? If so, you may be able to get and American company to sponsor you.

Are you a lucky person? If so, do the Green Card lottery and see if you are lucky enough to be picked for a Green Card. Do the Irish lottery while you are at it, you never know.

Are you in love? If not, got find yourself a hot American babe, woo her, knock her up, and marry her.

In short, it is not at all easy to get into the US to work. There are quite a lot of unemployed over there and given the post 9/11 xenophobia, working legally there can be very difficult.

s8n

Is there any other way. Must you be highly skilled (PHD level ??) or is it possible to do on specific experience and limited higher level education ??

galwaydude

anyone know good IT work websites for the states as im moving over there myself in march. I found a good one www.dice.com but as i dont have my visa yet (getting mine in 10 days ) and before anyone asks its not a J1.i cant apply for any jobs as most applications i found online have an option whereby you have to check off if you have a valid work visa.

dbnavan

you must have an employer sponser you if your not a student, in order to get a green card, and they most prove you have specific skills that they want, or u can enter the green card lottery

DaveyBruen

I have allready applied to the green card lottery but the odds on that are not too favourable. I'm not a college graduate however I do have a good bit of experience in the IT sector ranging from networks to desktop and server support and mobile data solutions. So hopefully I'll be able to get in on this experience.
I have looked through that website (thanks galwaydude) and will contact the companys in the area im interested in living about their willingness to sponsor me for a visa.

DublinWriter

tom dunne wrote:

Do you have a PhD and loads of specialised experience? If so, you may be able to get and American company to sponsor you.

I wouldn't go that far about the qualifications for sponsorship. Back in 1997, I was 27 and had a degree and about 8 years solid IT under my belt. I had a firm offer from a consultancy based in Boston who were interviewing in Jurys for people.

In the end I turned it down because basically your visa is employer specific. If things end up going sour with the company you work for then it's bye-bye USA. It always gives the company the upper hand with you once you get over there. Still, the company has to shell out about 5K USD on legal fees to get you over, it's a complex legal process, especially post 9/11, so they have to be pretty confident in you in the first place.

I wouldn't discount the Green Card Lottery entirely. The great thing about it is that you can apply more than once. I know of one Irish guy who got it in the late 90's. The embassy used to plague him with calls after he never used it and threatend to recind it if he didn't get his ass over to the states. I've been toying around with the idea of sending in about a dozen applications per week.

There are a couple of US-Government backed investment schemes, but we're talking about buying about 500K USD's worth of stock in American equities to qualify.

And last, but not least, you can always marry an American!

Dub13

There is another way but it will cost you....as you have to buy a business,this kind of thing is big in Florida.It does not have to be a big business once it has a couple of employee's,I have heard of people buying swimming pool cleaning company's and hair salon's basically small business just to get a visa.

Gandhi

I don't want to repeat info, so you can check out these threads:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=304622

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=192140

And to add one more job site: I have heard that www.jobcircle.com is pretty good, though I have not used it myself.

You could also try to find some IT recruting agencies in the City/Region you are interested in. A lot of companies will just go straight to the recruiters when looking for new employees.

- Good luck
- Gandhi

[edit]
PS Feel free to PM me if you need more specific info.
[/edit]

Tom Dunne

DublinWriter wrote:

I wouldn't go that far about the qualifications for sponsorship. Back in 1997...

There's the key - back in 1997. Thing have changed a lot since then.

I don't want to be completely and utterly negative about it, but the cances of getting in are quite slim. I don't want to give Davey any false hopes.

WizZard

Dub13 wrote:

There is another way but it will cost you....as you have to buy a business,this kind of thing is big in Florida.It does not have to be a big business once it has a couple of employee's,I have heard of people buying swimming pool cleaning company's and hair salon's basically small business just to get a visa.

Dub13, any more info on this? PM me or post here if you have. Thanks.

boardy

Just curious lads: why America? (From a social aspect).

Wiz: There's a lot of info on the web about starting a business in Florida and in fact there are a lot of businesses for sale there. Check out British expats forums: they are loads of 'first hand experience' and tips on how to do it. In fact, some of them are selling their businesses in Florida.

And as a former visa lottery winner: Go For It ..... now. You have nothing to lose.

Spent years in the States (mainly in IT), so if any of you have any more questions let me know.

wheres me jumpa

i hope to be travelling to america this time next year and i have posted about this several times. the response is always mixed, im always hearing how hard it is, but yet there seems to be a lot of people moving across the water and doing well for themselves.

boardy, pm sent.

boardy

I’ve had a few PMs sent to me and thought it better to post my response here as it may be beneficial to others.

My work position was as high as you can get in IT (besides owning the company) for a large multi-national.
But I started off in the States as an illegal alien, washing dishes in a restaurant basement.

The good news is that there are a lot of ‘rags to riches’ stories about Irish people going across the pond and doing very well for themselves.
The bad news is that it is a bit harder to do it now (because of immigration restrictions due to 9/11).

My bit of advice is to apply for the Visa lottery now. Not only did I apply for myself when I was doing it, but I applied for 2 others (one who didn’t know) and all 3 of us got it. The other 2 are still in the States with their own businesses.

Relating to IT: There are plenty of good jobs available.
Try http://jobsearch.monster.com/
It will give you a headache with the sensory overload but it will also give you an indication of the amount of jobs that are available out there. I found that local area newspapers are also a good source for IT jobs. I have used agencies for hiring personnel but as a last resort only, because they are a bit like used-car salesmen. But for job hunters, they can come in handy. It’s pointless recommending particular agencies because I found that it depended on a particular rep, so if you are going to use an agency, try to develop some type of cordial relationship with them (so that you are always on their minds when the good jobs come in).

A lot of you will be just starting out in IT after finishing college. Even though it’s tough, there are entry-level/junior IT jobs out there too: do a search on agency web sites, online newspapers, college web sites (who may offer internships that lead to full-time employment).
“Getting the foot in the door” is the hardest thing to do for someone with no (or little) experience, so your CV needs to stand out. Believe it or not, your Irishness is also very helpful in the interview process.

By the way, do plenty of research on where you think you would like to live in the States. It’s pointless getting a good job in an area where there are few social/recreational opportunities. While there’s no place like Florida in wintertime, in the summer it’s brutal.

There is a lot of information on the web about getting into the States legally, so research that first before doing anything else. And do the lottery: you never know, you could be a winner.

David19

With regards the lottery, you can enter it every year right? Also, if you get it do you have to use it straight away? Can you sit on it for a couple of years while you finish a degree or whatever?

Dub13

WizZard wrote:

Dub13, any more info on this? PM me or post here if you have. Thanks.

The Visa is called a E-2 Visa.Your investment must be substantial. This is not defined in dollar terms, but is related to the amount necessary to purchase an existing business or establish a new business. Investments at the lower end of the range are usually between $100,000 and $150,000, but can be less than that.I have heard of people going as low as $65,000,but this was a couple of years ago.

You will need to demonstrate that the business in which you are investing will generate more than enough income to support you and your family, and will contribute to the economy, usually by employing U.S. workers. The business must be a fully operating business as you, the applicant, are expected to be actively engaged in developing and directing it. Passive investments do not qualify.

Gandhi

David19 wrote:

With regards the lottery, you can enter it every year right? Also, if you get it do you have to use it straight away? Can you sit on it for a couple of years while you finish a degree or whatever?

Check the previous threads that I mentioned in my post above, they should fill you in with that info - at least as much info as I could give you.

Dub13

On E-2 visa, you may:


Work legally in the company that is the investment vehicle in the U.S.
Travel freely in and out of the U.S.
Stay on a prolonged basis with unlimited two year extensions as long as you maintain E-2 qualifications
Bring your dependents or accompanying relatives and your spouse may also work while in the U.S.

chump

Regarding the lottery

from http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1317.html

Applicants registered for the DV-2005 program were selected at random from over 6.3 million qualified entries received during the 60-day application period that ran from 12:00 AM on November 5, 2004, until midnight, January 7, 2005.

Approximately 90,000 applicants have been registered and notified and may now make an application for an immigrant visa. Since it is likely that some of the first *50,000 persons registered will not pursue their cases to visa issuance, this larger figure should insure that all DV-2006 numbers will be used during fiscal year 2006 (October 1, 2005 until September 30, 2006).

90 000
6 300 000

1.4% chance ... not great

FGR

If you're not in you can't win..

Plus. The world is divided into six geographical regions for green card dispersal. The continents with lower emmigration (ie. Europe) have higher chances of winning.

I'm in it; although I really shouldn't be..but hey .

Also. You cannot apply more than once into the current lottery. It's immediate disqualification.

But; that said. If anyone wants to apply without the hassle they should consider www.usafis.org

boardy

ForegoneReality wrote:

The world is divided into six geographical regions for green card dispersal. The continents with lower emmigration (ie. Europe) have higher chances of winning.

That's a very important point. The year that I applied, loads of Irish people got it.

FGR

http://www.usafis.org/green_card/prev_years.asp

Select Ireland and see what was won. This doesn't Northern Ireland which was awarded a certain figure as well.

The Trend goes up and down. This year is reckoned to be a good year however.

Tom Dunne

ForegoneReality wrote:

But; that said. If anyone wants to apply without the hassle they should consider www.usafis.org

Slightly OT, but these kind of websites are the type you need to avoid like the plague when applying for the green card lottery. They have nothing whatsoever to do with the American Government. They are not neccessarily a scam, but they are a private company attempting to get money from you for a scheme that is free.

See here for more details.

FGR

I was aware that GC Applications were free; however it was nice to use this crowd to ensure that my entry was completely legit and didn't have any fundamental flaws which would lead to it's dismissal during selection.

Think about it; if you look at a number of the years the lottery was held; several million applications were disqualified on every occasion. Also; for what I paid; If I win I get the bureacracy dealt with by them and also receive a plane ticket to a city of my choice.

I think it's worth the 50 dollars, if you ask me.

MrPinK

Just getting a company over there to offer you a job and sponsor you is not enough. Even with this it is extremely difficult to get the visa. Only 65,000 H1-B visas are given out each year, 6,800 of which are reserved for applicants from Chile and Singapore. This year, well over 65,000 applications were submitted on the very first day (and mine wasn't one of those first 65,000).

Applications for the next lot of H1-B's aren't until next August. You'll have to find a company to sponsor you then, and hope you get lucky and get in there first.

Dr. Dre

Gah! Seemed to have just missed this round of the lottery
Going to be made redundant in June, was thinking of packing up out of this sodding country.

Our man in Havana

ForegoneReality wrote:

I was aware that GC Applications were free; however it was nice to use this crowd to ensure that my entry was completely legit and didn't have any fundamental flaws which would lead to it's dismissal during selection.

Think about it; if you look at a number of the years the lottery was held; several million applications were disqualified on every occasion. Also; for what I paid; If I win I get the bureacracy dealt with by them and also receive a plane ticket to a city of my choice.

I think it's worth the 50 dollars, if you ask me.

It seems the 2007 lottery is already closed.

When does the next one start?

plynch

I live here (US) and am looking to move home, I'd be happy to answer anyones questions on living in the US. I haven't read through all the threads but been here for 11 years and did the whole immigration thing.

galwaydude

what part are you in? Is it difficult to find a job in IT.

Im moving to the states in march after i was granted my fianca visa yesterday. Im moving to the MA,NH region.

FGR

Congratulations Galwaydude.

Bond 007 - The next lottery won't take place until February 2007 at earliest..Application periods vary but it's between October and December most years.

You can still apply with one of those companies as they'll automatically submit your application the moment it's required.

MisterAnarchy

I think it's worth the 50 dollars, if you ask me.

You must be joking M8
The Official Visa site only takes online applications so its almost impossible to make a hash of it.
All you need is a personal photo and the site checks if its the correct format and size,your basic details,name ,address,nationality,date of birth and a few others.
I applied for my whole family and it took me about 10 minutes.
$200 for 10 Mins work .:rolleyes:

plynch

Galwaydude, I live west of Chicago in the suburbs, I'm also in IT. the job market's not great where I'm at although it's probably better in the city.

Good luck in MA or NH wherever you end up. You will find plenty of Irish so you'll feel quite at home. Your smart coming here legal, it's pretty nerve-racking being an "illegal alien" as they say here.
The first couple of things you should do when you get here is get your social security (SS) number and a drivers license.

galwaydude

we havent decided yet where we are moving too. It all depends where my gf gets a job as i cant get one till after we get married.

There seems to be alot of IT jobs in boston and on the outskirts of the city.

First thing i have to do is learn to drive pronto when i get over there.

plynch

believe me you'll pick driving up really quick a friend once told me as lond as your arse in next to the white line your ok (and that also applies to Ireland).

where's your gf from?

galwaydude

she is from new hampshire.

I have been to the states 7 times in the last 2 years.Last time i was over i had some trouble with the immigration offers at logan who quized me about all my trips to the states.

I hear its pretty easy to learn to drive too over there. Would love to go to chicago sometime.

Our man in Havana

I have been to the states 7 times in the last 2 years.

That would flag up immediately. How did you talk yourself out of that corner?

WizZard

MisterAnarchy wrote:

You must be joking M8
The Official Visa site only takes online applications so its almost impossible to make a hash of it.
All you need is a personal photo and the site checks if its the correct format and size,your basic details,name ,address,nationality,date of birth and a few others.
I applied for my whole family and it took me about 10 minutes.
$200 for 10 Mins work .:rolleyes:

This year, DV-2007, was the first year they took online applications, before that it was quite easy to have your posted application incorrect.

galwaydude

Bond007

That would flag up immediately. How did you talk yourself out of that corner?

Well to be honest i was lucky my gf was travelling with me otherwise i would have been sent back to ireland. They just asked me where i was staying in the states, why i was travelling to the states so often etc and then when they saw my gf's passport they let me through.

But it was the first time they gave me a hard time so im lucky now that im legit now to move there. Looking back it was morelike 5 times.

FGR

You're using a K-1 Fiance Visa, correct?

Was there a great difficulty in obtaining a hold of it?

Gandhi

WizZard wrote:

This year, DV-2007, was the first year they took online applications, before that it was quite easy to have your posted application incorrect.

It wasn't that tough, man. All you needed was your name, nationality, postal address, and two photos. They had restrictions on envelope size etc. but they basically meant that you had to use a standard size white envelope and normal air mail postage.

FGR

Gandhi wrote:

It wasn't that tough, man.

Still didn't stop millions of applications from being disqualified in the past..

Gandhi

They get disqualified for arrving at the wrong time, coming from countries that do not qualify for the lottery, sending more than one application from the same person etc. Seeing as the countries that do not qualify are (by definition) the ones from which people most want to emigrate, I'd imagine there was a huge crowd that would fire off an unqualified application "just in case".

Once you got through the lottery phase, then you have to start proving that you are reasonably healthy, have no police record, never been illegally in the US, well educated etc, which I imagine disqualifies a lot of people.

If you have your act together at all, you could manage your own application. Although remembering some of the crumpled up, illegible sh!te that people were producing the day I went for my interview, I don't doubt there are plenty out there who could screw up writng their own name and address on a piece of paper.

twentycentshift

my wife's from Australia, and it took her 6 months before she could work here (we're in texas).

it was a hassle, but after we let the time pass, she was able to wrk, and now she's doing fine. she's got a great job......

any help?

plynch

Galwaydude, look me up when you get here I'll invite ya over for a weekend. Chicago's a cool city

Rayzor

I would strongly recommend you stay far away from usafis web site and their other similarly named web sites. Its a money making racket.. why pay for a shoddy service when you can get the real thing for free

MisterAnarchy

WizZard wrote:

This year, DV-2007, was the first year they took online applications, before that it was quite easy to have your posted application incorrect.

Thats incorrect.
They have been taking online applications for the last 3 years,I applied every time.

chump

People applying this year?

2008 DV Lottery Instructions

* The English version of the 2008 Diversity Visa Lottery instructions is available in PDF format for your convenience.
* After you have carefully reviewed the instructions, access the Diversity Visa electronic Entry Form during the registration period, between noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) (GMT-4), Wednesday, October 4, 2006 and noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) (GMT-5) Sunday, December 3, 2006.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_1318.html