new york for 3 months

Lollipops23

I'm thinking of going to New York for a few months next year...but just don't know where to start!!I would hope to get some sort of casual-type work (bar work or similar) but don't know about Visas I might need?I will also have saved up a few grand by then so it wouldn't be the be-all and end-all if I didn't land a job,I just want to experience the real city and not as a tourist!
Any advice on where to start?
Muchos thanks!!:)

moonstreet

if you are going to America as part of student travel scheme then you can find work. If you are just going over then on a normal tourist visa then you are legally not allowed to work.

Irish people travelling to American (just normally, not part of the J1 or similar scheme) are part of what is called THE VISA WAIVER SCHEME. This means that you fill out a green form ( green card) on the plane. This allows you to enter American for a maximum period of 90 days, as a tourist and by signing the form you agree not to look for or find paid work or get into trouble with the law. In the last few years, the American Government also require all people entering America on the Visa Waiver Scheme to complete an online tourist visa called ESTA.

Its not Europe, where you can just book a flight, arrive in a country and legally work from the moment you enter the country

Lollipops23

Thanks for the reply-I'm not a student unfortunately so J1 visa is out of the question. I knew I wouldn't be able to just go get work like in the UK or France but was wondering how common it was for people to get casual work anyway?

moonstreet

Lollipops23 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply-I'm not a student unfortunately so J1 visa is out of the question. I knew I wouldn't be able to just go get work like in the UK or France but was wondering how common it was for people to get casual work anyway?

working illegally in American, when you only have a tourist visa is a very dangerous thing to do, have a read of this http://www.nanniesabroad.co.nz/nannying_abroad/america/au_pair_in_america/visas_for_usa/work_legally_in_usa.htm its about nannys going to america but the info applies to anyone

Its illegal. The US government strictly warns that you may not work in America if you have a tourist visa, even if you only receive your room and board and no salary. Many people are discovered at LA airport and turned back. Others are arrested later (once in the family) and deported. Their names are put on a computerised "black list" and they are not allowed to return to the United States for many years. All 'illegal aliens' are arrested.

The warning of the American Embassy: "It is strictly forbidden to work or study in the United States with a tourist visa! This applies even if you do not earn a wage and receive compensation in the form of meals and lodging. Visitors who are found to have take up work, in spite of this warning, run the risk of being arrested and expelled from the country."

Deportation. In 1996, the American Congress passed new legislation giving the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) a budget of 748 million dollars and new draconian powers to eliminate all persons living or working illegally in the USA. The INS now has over 15,000 agents out looking for them, and in the first two years (1996/1997) - about 285,000 people were arrested and deported. While waiting for their deportation these people are usually sent to one of the many overcrowded internment centers around the country, where you can find anything but five-star comfort. (In November 1998, the prisoners staged a protest in a New York detention center: 80 people were sleeping on mattresses in a dormitory built to hold 42.

tenchi-fan

Hi
I've never been to new york but I would imagine it is very expensive. I don't know how you could "experience the real city and not as a tourist" when you're only going for a couple of months, you'll have a few grand to blow and you won't be working ... sounds very touristy to me! It could also be quite dull and a huge waste of money when you could hire a car and see a lot of the country with a few grand.

If you're <35 you can legally work in Canada with a working holiday maker visa.
New york is a short flight from Toronto if you really want to visit.