Moving to the USA & finding work - Advice on Visa's & Recruitment Please?

Zascar

A mate of mine wants to more to New York as his Girlfriend (now Fiance) is American and has had to go back to the US after finished her studies here. He works for a large multinational and is trying to get a transfer with work internally to the NY office but it is proving very difficult. He thinks he may just quit, go over and try to find work and sponsorship when there. Personally I think that would be much harder.

Can anyone please offer advice as to what is the easiest way to do this? He works in IT sales and there are probably plenty of jobs appropriate to him, but he has been unsuccessful in getting any reply from companies or recruitment agencies etc. Will US companies give you a job and sponsor you when over there, or is far too much hassle form them. Is pursuing the transfer with the company he is in by far the best way (that is if there is a job for him there). Are there any irish companies that place people in Jobs in NY?

Any advice appreciated.
Thanks

homeOwner

Can anyone please offer advice as to what is the easiest way to do this?

I dont think there is any easy way to do this. If his company is not going to allow an internal move to the US, the next best thing is for him to go over there and apply for jobs himself. Meet recruitment agencies and use email address and a US phone number as a contact (can his girlfriend's family help out here). Large US companies sponsor foreign workers for visas all the time so that is not going to be a hinderance.

I am fairly sure that as a finance of a US citizen he is entitled to a visa (probably not allowed to work but worth looking into) but once they are married he is entitled to a green card within 6 months. So even if the job hunting process doesnt go well, once they are married he will be able to work within 6 months....mind you he still has to find a job!

damnyanks

From what I understand this year there are **** all visas going around. They issue something like 65k a year and its a long and difficult process to get htrough. I was being itnerviewed for a position in the states and was told it could take up to a year before they can even get me into the country.

There is some special visa where you can work for a year or something like that, but it complicates things after that (Much like J1 puts extra criteria on your application).

All in all, he is up against it.

damnyanks

P.s maybe get them to consider canada, its right next to new york and meant to be easier to get a visa for.

Gandhi

Your best bet might be to ask the mods to move this thread to Region->Abroad. There are a few lads on there who moved to The States on fiancee visas.

Also, check out the "Green Card" sticky at the top.

Tom Dunne

homeOwner wrote:

Large US companies sponsor foreign workers for visas all the time so that is not going to be a hinderance.

That is a very misleading statement.

They sponsor foreign workers all the time, when the foreign worker has highly specialised knowledge and they can't source somebody within the US.

No disrespect, but I would be very surprised if IT sales would qualify for one of these visas.

Green Card Lottery is about the best bet.

Zascar

tom dunne wrote:

That is a very misleading statement.

They sponsor foreign workers all the time, when the foreign worker has highly specialised knowledge and they can't source somebody within the US.

No disrespect, but I would be very surprised if IT sales would qualify for one of these visas.

Green Card Lottery is about the best bet.

I disagree. He is already skilled at the necessary tasks to do the particualr job. Something that would take at least 6 months to train someone from outside the company to do. This would give him an advantage...

Tom Dunne

Not doubting the specialisation of your friend's skills for a moment, but I'm talking in the realm thermo-nuclear physicists and the like.

The kind of skills that would take 5-10 years to obtain.

damnyanks

It doesnt matter as he's missed the application deadline for these forms. This years batch is filled. He will have to apply next year which takes another few months on top of that.

pow wow

And you can't get a visa whilst you're in the US, so even if he did find a job he would have to fly back to Ireland to do all the visa stuff then head back to America. If he's intending to marry the girl soon he can get a fiance visa but I am fairly sure they stipulate a time period during which you have to get married once you arrive.