Working in the USA

peanuthead

Hi

My boyfriend and I have just decided that we are going to head off to America for the summer, maybe for 6 months even to work in america. This was never the original plan, jus a spontaneous thing we decided last night! Even though, we are serious about it, but not really in the know. I would be really grateful of any help or advice u have, but here are the main problems/questions we have:

We want to go to the west coast, being irish we need the heat!! But we dont know where is good to be, where is safe, cheap etc...

Also we were wondering how difficult it is to get a visa? I have a degree and he has a trade, we both have papers to prove it. Does a 6month visa exist? Do you need sponsorship from a company in order to get a 1year visa?

If theres anyone out there who knows what the carpentry trade is like in the USA? Wheres the work going on? Whats the money like?

I think thats all for now, but ill post again if i think of anything else! Thanks for your help!!

danindublin

I hate to break it to ya but you cant just move to the USA. The only legal way to get a work visa (apart from a J1 or an internship) is a green card, which as you know is done by a lottery system where <400 are given to Ireland every year. You would usually have to be employed by a company in Ireland and that company could then sponsor your transfer to the states but only where they can prove that you are the only person who can carry out your particular role.

The other option is Canada which does have 1 year visas for Irish citizens.

useless

you will find it difficult to get work in the US without a visa.

To get a visa, you will either need to be successful in the 'Green Card' lottery which is held once a year, or get an organisation in the US to sponsor your H1-B visa.
H1-B visas are tough enough to come by as well- the employer has to prove they can't find an American to do the job, therefore they need the visa to bring in a non-American to do it.
If you're still in college, you could apply for a J-1 visa, which is easy enough to get but is only valid from June to OCtober.

You could work illegally, but it's high risk- ie you risk being deported.

peanuthead

what about even going for a 3 month holiday? I was under the impression that lots of people did this, i knew i would need to get a visa, but i didnt think that for 3months, 6 at the most it would be that difficult!

danindublin

peanuthead wrote: »

what about even going for a 3 month holiday? I was under the impression that lots of people did this, i knew i would need to get a visa, but i didnt think that for 3months, 6 at the most it would be that difficult!

You can go for 90 days without a visa but then you have to leave for at least 90 days. You are not allowed to work or earn any money during those 90 days in the USA. Overstay by a day and you wont get back in for 10 years.

MCMLXXXIII

Frist- The west coast is very expensive, and there are other places that are warmer. Washington and Oregon have like over two thirds of the year rain, and California has A LOT of illegal immigrants that they use for building, service jobs, etc., so your boyfriend will be competing with illegal pay wages for work. Oh, and did I mention that CA is expensive?

Second- The whole visa thing...read the previous posts. I don't know how the 90-day thing works, but I think you still need paperwork to do it. It's not nearly as hard to get, but you can't just fly in and expect a job. Canada is much easier, but not nearly as warm. Do you plan on making the trip in the summer? It's not bad then. If it's winter - you can always buy a sweater.

Third- I don't know what degree you have, but carpentry is best in the states that are building the most (obviously). Those are places like Arizona, Florida, or the Carolinas. North Carolina is probably the cheapest, and the closer you get to the coast, the better chance you have at using your degree, but the more expensive it gets. Arizona is a desert, but some people like that kind of landscape - it might be good if you want something different for 6 months. Florida is also very hot, but you will deal with either retirees or tourists. IMHO, I don't think either are very fun.

peanuthead

is it the same for mexico?

herezbex

Not sure if this will help, but it might give you some direction. I am American, with dual EU citizenship, so have lived/worked in London and NY. I work as a construction manager, and there are a good many Irish nationals working in construction (carpenters, laborers, etc.) in NYC, and NYers have a famously positive view of the Irish, which you could likely take advantage of. If you have any family/relatives over there, wouldn't hurt to contact them. NYC is hot as anything in the summer and warm through Sept/Oct, so no need for the west coast for your warmth. I'm know nothing about work permits, though, but I don't like to see your enthusiasm burst, so keep trying to figure out how to make it work. Au pair might be a legal option for you. Best of luck.

MCMLXXXIII

peanuthead wrote: »

is it the same for mexico?

From what I have read, it's actually a lot harder to get a legitamite job in Mexico...nothing that would require a degree. However, an under-the-table job would be easy. Your boyfriend would find work easily. Maybe you should check out San Diego...you could work there and your bf could work in Tijuana.

peanuthead

OK. So im the lazy one out of the two of us, so i had no problem taking a 90-day holiday, so i spoke to my boyfriend, and he doesnt mind either, so we are just going to have a holiday. But is that as easy as it sounds? What do people do? Is it expensive to rent there?

peanuthead

oh, and how do i go about applying for a holiday visa?

board om

a holiday visa is just straight forward, you buy your tickets and when you get to the airport in the US the customs official will decide if you are getting in or not. you will have to show that you have enough money and clothes to do you 90 days. you may also have to prove what you intend doing for the 90 days i.e. travels plans, hotels you have booked, proof of rental cars for tavelling. i definitly wouldnt recommend your BF to brings tools or work clothes with him. that is the kind of stuff they look for if they decide to go through your suitcases. bascially they want to be 100% sure you are not going to be working once they let you in to the country. if they even suspect for a second that you cant afford to stay 90 days without working then they will put you on the next flight home. i had just sold a house before i travelled to the US so i brought a letter from the bank saying that i had X amount in tha bank so i could to live off that. they were happy enough with that. so maybe bring a bank stsatements and your credit cards so they know you have access to money.

an idea might be to book a flight arriving in one state and then leaving in another state, that way you can say you intend travelling around different states. another thing that you used to be able to do was book your holiday for maybe 3 or 4 weeks in the US, but then once you get into the country you change your return flights by a few months. i dont know if you can still do that becuase obviously they knew people were doing it. just dont stay over the 90 days becuase you wont be getting in again.

peanuthead

thanks thats great advice! So i dont have to apply for a holiday visa at all, i can just get it when i arrive?

Ruu_Old

It is not really a visa as such, it is called the Visa Waiver Program. A number of countries, Ireland included, participate and citizens of the countries are allowed to travel and stay in the US for up to 90 days providing that you are not working. You fill out the below green form in the airport and bring it to an immigration officer before your boarding gate. You will have a white customs form as well for turning in when you land in the US. If the officer is happy and you don't look suspicious will staple part of the green form (I-94) to your passport and you are on the way. You will be fingerprinted and have your picture taken too. You should have no problems.

estebancambias

Hate not to have a social security number!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But this does sound like a sweet idea....

MCMLXXXIII

Also, in my experience, the airline provides these forms to everyone when there is about an hour left on the flight. They ask if you are returning home to the US or visiting the US, and they give you the appropriate form to fill out.

Mind, I have always flown a US based airline. They did not do this when I flew Virgin, but that was in 2001. Who knows if it's changed?

useless

MCMLXXXIII wrote: »

Also, in my experience, the airline provides these forms to everyone when there is about an hour left on the flight. They ask if you are returning home to the US or visiting the US, and they give you the appropriate form to fill out.

Mind, I have always flown a US based airline. They did not do this when I flew Virgin, but that was in 2001. Who knows if it's changed?

Depends on whether you cleared immigration in Dublin/Shannon or not. If you did, the US Immigration people will have seen your forms and stamped your passport there. If not, the airline sometimes hands out the forms to save time for people when they land in the US and have to queue up and go through immigration there.

celticsinner

board om wrote: »

a holiday visa is just straight forward, you buy your tickets and when you get to the airport in the US the customs official will decide if you are getting in or not. you will have to show that you have enough money and clothes to do you 90 days. you may also have to prove what you intend doing for the 90 days i.e. travels plans, hotels you have booked, proof of rental cars for tavelling. i definitly wouldnt recommend your BF to brings tools or work clothes with him. that is the kind of stuff they look for if they decide to go through your suitcases. bascially they want to be 100% sure you are not going to be working once they let you in to the country. if they even suspect for a second that you cant afford to stay 90 days without working then they will put you on the next flight home. i had just sold a house before i travelled to the US so i brought a letter from the bank saying that i had X amount in tha bank so i could to live off that. they were happy enough with that. so maybe bring a bank stsatements and your credit cards so they know you have access to money.

an idea might be to book a flight arriving in one state and then leaving in another state, that way you can say you intend travelling around different states. another thing that you used to be able to do was book your holiday for maybe 3 or 4 weeks in the US, but then once you get into the country you change your return flights by a few months. i dont know if you can still do that becuase obviously they knew people were doing it. just dont stay over the 90 days becuase you wont be getting in again.

My girlfriend and I have 3 weeks holiday booked for US. The only thing is I have a criminal record. My girlfriend contacted the American Embassy and they told her that I'll need to be interviewed by the American consul beforehand. We have no intention in staying there only for the duration of the holiday. I'm in two minds what to do, whether to chance my arm, or to go through the proper channell of interview etc. What do yuou think or do you have any insite into this situation ?

useless

Do the interview. Otherwise you run the risk of being refused entry, either at US immigration in Dublin or US immigration on the US side.

peanuthead

celticsinner wrote: »

My girlfriend and I have 3 weeks holiday booked for US. The only thing is I have a criminal record. My girlfriend contacted the American Embassy and they told her that I'll need to be interviewed by the American consul beforehand. We have no intention in staying there only for the duration of the holiday. I'm in two minds what to do, whether to chance my arm, or to go through the proper channell of interview etc. What do yuou think or do you have any insite into this situation ?

Oh goodness i wonder what constitutes a criminal record, because my boyfriend would have one or 2 driving convictions.

peanuthead

Okay,

so with just under 2 weeks to go, we have finally put together a list of the places we are going to go to, so Im wondering if people would now be able to help me pick out interesting things to do along the way.

We will start off in San Francisco, and spend about a week there. We plan to go wine tasting, visit chinatown and alcatraz while we are there.

Then we will go to L.A and San Diego. Im not sure how long we will stay there yet, though I imagine a week between the two places (The times we plan to spend in each place dont include the time it will take to drive there!!)

Then onto Vegas, where I would imagine we will spend a few days, less than a week. We want to visit the casinos and the Grand Canyon.

From there we hope to go to Chicago, via Route 66. We would almost spend a week or 10 days doing this drive, so there is plenty of room for stop overs in places of interest, if there are any recommendations!!

When we get to Chicago we will stay there for maybe 4 days or so, then on to Florida, where we would like to stay for about 5 days.

From Florida we will then travel to New York, where we will remain until the holiday is over. I would imagine a week in New York would be plenty of time.

Now unlike my original post, I am now only going for 2 months instead of three. I would appreciate if people would tell me if I am being too ambitious with this itinerary, or is this do-able in 2 months. I suppose you are looking at roughly 5 1/2 weeks of visiting places and 2 1/2 weeks driving. Does this sound okay? What do people think?

When I say places of interest, I'm talking about things like national parks, natural wonders, fun and interesting cities...

also, if anyone thinks I plan to spend too much/little time in any area, please let me know what you think.

MCMLXXXIII

peanuthead wrote: »

Oh goodness i wonder what constitutes a criminal record, because my boyfriend would have one or 2 driving convictions.

Driving records don't count in the US. They are considered Civil Infractions, which do not make you a criminal. A criminal record would include a Misdemeanor or a Felony. Both of those would require jail/prison time.

As for your route...
I would recommend going to Florida and then Chicago, before you go to NYC. Route 66 is historic, with many cute towns along the way, but it will take you at least 40 hours instead of the 25 hours that Google Maps suggests. If you go south first, you can stop in places like Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, etc. on the way to Florida. Then you can go north to Chicago and make one or two days stops in Atlanta, Nashville, and any other small towns. It's slightly backtracking, but it might be worth it to see those other cities. The only things you will be missing are the smaller towns and farming communities. I have driven coast to coast, and honestly thought it interesting to see literally hundreds of miles of corn, wheat, livestock, etc. farms, but the cities give a better feel of the culture, because there are more people you can interact with. From Chicago, you can stop at places like Cleveland or Pittsburgh on your way to New York. Also – there are many more options for hotel/accommodations in the larger cities.

IMHO, it’s best to plan to not plan…if you know what I mean. Los Angeles was cool to see “in real life” but two days there was enough for me. The shopping was better in most other cities – even home (Detroit), there are worse traffic jams in Atlanta (I-75 with 8 lanes in each direction with cars just sitting in a line), and there are better looking people in Miami (plastic surgery capitol). Everyone’s different though.

peanuthead

Ok we will look at going to Florida before Chicago so, if the route is a better one, then that would make sense!!

Also,, is it possible to pick up cheap flights over to Hawaii on last minute deals?

Would you think our trip is achievable in the time we have?

MCMLXXXIII

Last minute you can get a flight for about $700 per ticket...if there is room on the plane. Also, it's about a 6 hour flight from California, and since they are large airports, you need to be there at least an hour and a half early to make your flight. And don't forget that you will need to wait for your luggage once you get there. So that would be about an extra day of travel each way. Plus, the more often you fly, the better chance your luggage will be lost.

I guess what I'm saying is: it might not be worth it since you shortened your trip and will add thousands if there is room on a plane.

PS - I have never been there, so I don't know, but I live near loads of water/beaches, and I don't like palm trees. I'm sure it's a nice place, but tickets are usually around $1200 plus the expenses of being there...maybe someday I will go, but there are many other places I would like to see first.

peanuthead

Oh ok!! So it may not be all its cracked up to be then!!

Well I have one other question for you, we are looking to rent a car over there, we have been looking online, and the prices seem quite expensive. Now mind you, we are looking for a pricey car. Something 4x4, rear wheel drive. A Chevrolet Suburban is the one they picture online, which looks good.

Not that we need all that room, but we are looking for a car that will hide our suitcases well, something that will handle well off road, and the boyfriend wants to drive something big and real wheel drive.

Ive been told to organize my car rental before I go away. People are saying that the online prices are cheaper. Is this true? Can you get special offers/deals on the day? Are all the available rental companies listed online? We are looking for a one-way rental, from San Fran to New York. I suppose our budget is about €2500 which is roughly $4000.

We have the international licence, named driver is 25, we are aware that we will have to pay a drop off fee, but im just wondering if I would be better off waiting until I get over there to actually rent a car?

Kernel32

peanuthead wrote: »

Oh ok!! So it may not be all its cracked up to be then!!

Well I have one other question for you, we are looking to rent a car over there, we have been looking online, and the prices seem quite expensive. Now mind you, we are looking for a pricey car. Something 4x4, rear wheel drive. A Chevrolet Suburban is the one they picture online, which looks good.

Not that we need all that room, but we are looking for a car that will hide our suitcases well, something that will handle well off road, and the boyfriend wants to drive something big and real wheel drive.

Ive been told to organize my car rental before I go away. People are saying that the online prices are cheaper. Is this true? Can you get special offers/deals on the day? Are all the available rental companies listed online? We are looking for a one-way rental, from San Fran to New York. I suppose our budget is about €2500 which is roughly $4000.

We have the international licence, named driver is 25, we are aware that we will have to pay a drop off fee, but im just wondering if I would be better off waiting until I get over there to actually rent a car?

I usually rent from Avis or Enterprise. I doubt very much you will get any deals of the day at car rental places. They all have an online presence and my recommendation is to set it up online before you go.

Keep in mind you may not get the exact model you want, it's all based on class. Petrol runs over $4 a gallon now, worse in California and a suburban is going to drink it. Do you have a credit card, Visa or MasterCard? If so check with them about car insurance. The car rental company will try and sell it to you. If you don't buy it they will lock out an amount on your credit card. In my case my credit card covers me for this insurance so I don't buy it and just accept the lock on my card for a certain amount until the rental is returned.

Also when you hit New York at the end of the trip and want to see more you can catch a train out of New York to Boston and even from there as far North as Maine which is where I am. It's a long run to Maine though, but you could take an early train to Boston, stay a night and a late train back the next day. It runs through some nice little towns and right along the coast for a while, I have taken it to New Jersey myself and liked it a lot more than flying.

useless

Kernel32 wrote: »

Do you have a credit card, Visa or MasterCard? If so check with them about car insurance. The car rental company will try and sell it to you. If you don't buy it they will lock out an amount on your credit card. In my case my credit card covers me for this insurance so I don't buy it and just accept the lock on my card for a certain amount until the rental is returned.
.

Be careful with this advice- normally Irish credit cards don't offer you car insurance (lots of American-issued cards do!), nor do Irish car insurance policies allow you to drive a hire car on the driving-other-cars extension to the policy.
This means you pretty much have to buy car insurance from the rental company.

There are generally 2 types of insurance. CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) covers damage caused to your hire car and anything else you hit. The snag is that the excess (the amount YOU have to pay in the event of a claim) is generally high, maybe up to 1500 euro.
So, if you crash and cause 8000 euro worth of damage to the hire car (or someone elses car), you would have to pay 1500, and the CDW insurance would pay 6500.
Generally, the CDW insurance is included in the online quote if you give your country of residence as Ireland. Double check though.
Also, some car rental companies reserve/block the amount of the excess on your credit card when you pick the car up, and take away the block when you give the car back. This might prove a bit of hassle if you have a low limit or plan to spend a lot on your card.

The second main type of insurance is Super CDW or SCDW. This is what the guys at the desk really try hard to sell you. If you buy this, your excess is reduced to zero. So in the example above, you would pay zero after the accident, and the insurance would pay the full 8000.
The snag is that this SCDW cover is expensive, and you often can't buy it online, only at the desk- I've paid up to 20 dollars a DAY in the past. This is going to add up if you have the car for 2 months.

One solution is a car hire excess product like this one:http://www.axacarhireexcess.ie/ . You can buy this before you go, politely decline the massive sales push you'll get when you pick the car up, and be safe in the knowledge that if you have an accident, you're fully covered.

Kernel32

useless wrote: »

Be careful with this advice- normally Irish credit cards don't offer you car insurance (lots of American-issued cards do!), nor do Irish car insurance policies allow you to drive a hire car on the driving-other-cars extension to the policy.
This means you pretty much have to buy car insurance from the rental company.

My advice was to check with your credit card company, just to be clear. I would not rely on anything other than some sort of letter from the company stating what they cover.

As an example US credit cards cover insurance for most countries except for a handful, one of those being Ireland, due to the crazies on the road. But if you have a platinum MasterCard you can get CDW waived but you need to present a letter to the car rental agency in Ireland at the time of rental from the credit card company stating that they will cover you.

useless wrote: »

There are generally 2 types of insurance. CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) covers damage caused to your hire car and anything else you hit. The snag is that the excess (the amount YOU have to pay in the event of a claim) is generally high, maybe up to 1500 euro.
So, if you crash and cause 8000 euro worth of damage to the hire car (or someone elses car), you would have to pay 1500, and the CDW insurance would pay 6500.
Generally, the CDW insurance is included in the online quote if you give your country of residence as Ireland. Double check though.
Also, some car rental companies reserve/block the amount of the excess on your credit card when you pick the car up, and take away the block when you give the car back. This might prove a bit of hassle if you have a low limit or plan to spend a lot on your card.

The second main type of insurance is Super CDW or SCDW. This is what the guys at the desk really try hard to sell you. If you buy this, your excess is reduced to zero. So in the example above, you would pay zero after the accident, and the insurance would pay the full 8000.
The snag is that this SCDW cover is expensive, and you often can't buy it online, only at the desk- I've paid up to 20 dollars a DAY in the past. This is going to add up if you have the car for 2 months.

One solution is a car hire excess product like this one:http://www.axacarhireexcess.ie/ . You can buy this before you go, politely decline the massive sales push you'll get when you pick the car up, and be safe in the knowledge that if you have an accident, you're fully covered.

This is all good advice. You can count on being given the hard sell at the counter for something you may not need, that wasn't included in the price and when you decline they will look at you disapprovingly.

useless

Kernel32 wrote: »

This is all good advice. You can count on being given the hard sell at the counter for something you may not need, that wasn't included in the price and when you decline they will look at you disapprovingly.

Absolutely

peanuthead

what about a dodge charger? Can we rent one of those anywhere? What would they be like?

Ok ive just been told that its not the "V8" one, but jus a regular one, i guess the V8's are rare/expensive!!!


Em...on rentals, a few q's, my boyfriend has a commercial vehicle here, so our irish insurance is automatically invalid over there, so I suppose then we should just get the insurance they offer us? Is visa/mastercard insurance expensive?

Also, are we good to rent a vehicle with an international licence only or do we need to produce the irish one too?

peanuthead

Could someone clear this up for me ASAP!!

While driving convictions do not matter in the US, as a result of an unpaid fine, for a motoring offence, my boyfriend had to spend ONE night in prison.

Is this going to affect our entry into the US?

At this point we have to just chance it anyway,can anyone give us any help/advice?

Bluetonic

Why do you just have to chance it?

Contact the US Embassy for a definitive answer.

peanuthead

the girl at the other end of the phone at the embassy tells me he needs to apply for a visa as he has a criminal record

he spent one night in prison because he couldnt pay the fine, not because he hadnt the money, but because the cashier at Mountjoy prison had gone home. Now i know he should have paid the fine at the time but i cant help but feeling a little pissed off at all of this, he genuinely forgot about the fine,

but we dont have time to apply for a visa as our flight is in a couple of hours.

We have been advised to chance it by the Gardai, who i know can be a bunch of fools, but its our best option at the moment.

MCMLXXXIII

We need an update!!!

How was your holiday in the US? We want details!