USIT 12 month usa work programme

EmmettD06

I applyed for this and got an email saying it will cost me 2000 euro for all the costs and flights to San Diego. Also in the email is "the minimum payment required to process your application is EUR 880" I would like to think thats included in the price.Anyway I think its very steep considering i will have no job or place to stay when i arrive in the us..

Is there any other way to live in the us for a year for a cheaper price? Really need some advice here thanks.

ultron

Quite simply this is probably your cheapest and best option of obtaining a year work visa to the US. If you have a job offer then you could apply for a visa through the embassy here and the company might put up some money to process the visa, however, i think this is still pricey enough, over a grand anyway. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but its the only surefire way you can go stateside and work legally. You could also enter the green card lottery but as the name suggests there aren't guarantees. I think the prog fee with usit is about 700, add 300 for insurance, cost of flights, 150 for embassy fee, maybe a sevis fee and thats the lot, so yeah its looking like about 2000. Its a joke considering OZ and Canada visas are a fraction of the price to process.

lil_lisa

You might find it cheaper going through SAYIT and also the time of year can be a big factor. If you go late in the year as opposed to the dead of summer you could save half the flight costs. Also you don't have to buy return tickets, no matter what they say. Most airlines won't even allow you to book flights over nine months away. Immigrations won't have an issue with it and you can save up your money while you're here.

However as ultron said, there's not many other options. My total costs came to roughly the same amount and I'm currently still paying them off.

RCNPhotos

This is how I'm going. I'm flyin out next month to Philly for a year. Don't forget, you have to get a job(internship) related to what you did in college. You can't just work in a bar etc.

EmmettD06

Thanks for the replys, Yeah i think it will be hard to find a job in graphic design out there. Are any of you doing this programme now or have done in the past, if so do you recommend it??

RCNPhotos

I'll let ya know once I get over. But don't forget, you can now look for the job once you get over. So handy. I'm looking for one in photography and think I have one already so graphic design shouldn't be too hard. I'd say go for it.

EmmettD06

Aye photography/editing would be perfect for me, im building a pretty strong portfolio at the moment.

How did you get one already, applying online just? I would love to have one lined up before i leave, make the whole thing a lot less stressful. The thing is im not going till October and any job openings i find are for as soon as possible..

lil_lisa

I'm over on the 12 month internship visa, I got a job through a contact here though. I came over on the 5 month summer visa straight out of college, searched for a job and then flew back to Ireland and got the 12 month visa from October onwards, so I'm under the 1 year from graduating still.

EmmettD06

lil_lisa wrote: »

I'm over on the 12 month internship visa, I got a job through a contact here though. I came over on the 5 month summer visa straight out of college, searched for a job and then flew back to Ireland and got the 12 month visa from October onwards, so I'm under the 1 year from graduating still.

Are you in San Diego at the min? Do you think it would be a nightmare to get a job/housing there on my own with no contacts? Ive sent my form away the other week but not sure wether to go through with it.

lil_lisa

Housing isn't extremely difficult but I found its tough to get a job, especially right now, its the summer J-1 season so the place is flooded, college is finished, students are back home and graduates are just out of college.

greenbrain

hey, ya i looked into this, i thing go4less.ie is the best option for the 12 month visa, i know usit are renowned for overcharging on everything and sayit said they are not going ahead with the programme anymore. I rang go4less about it and they sounded v.good, you should probably give them a try.

ashmo1989

Hi guys most of you seem to have provided a fair bit of information about this so I'm hoping you'll may be able to answer this.
How stringent are the sponsors/embassy (i'm not sure which) in terms of the type of employment you find when you get over there. I know you are supposed to gain employment in your field but often this can be troublesome as everyone knows. I'm seriously thinking about going over however I feel my job opportunities in some instances won't be the best. And so if I needed to get another job that wasn't exactly in the skilled sector could this happen.

All information greatly accepted! Thanks!:)

Darren1o1

lil_lisa wrote: »

I'm over on the 12 month internship visa, I got a job through a contact here though. I came over on the 5 month summer visa straight out of college, searched for a job and then flew back to Ireland and got the 12 month visa from October onwards, so I'm under the 1 year from graduating still.

Same as, aside from I came out on the 5 month visa after graduating. 2 J1 internship and I am now on H1B. Been here 4 years now.

Try the Irish immigration center in Boston, they seem to be the cheapest. http://www.iicenter.org/services/J1-iwt.htm I have heard only good things. I did mine through Intrax, who were helpful the first time round, but were a little frustrating second time around (I think they have a high turn over of staff.).

lil_lisa

ashmo1989 wrote: »

Hi guys most of you seem to have provided a fair bit of information about this so I'm hoping you'll may be able to answer this.
How stringent are the sponsors/embassy (i'm not sure which) in terms of the type of employment you find when you get over there. I know you are supposed to gain employment in your field but often this can be troublesome as everyone knows. I'm seriously thinking about going over however I feel my job opportunities in some instances won't be the best. And so if I needed to get another job that wasn't exactly in the skilled sector could this happen.

All information greatly accepted! Thanks!:)

For the 12 month visa, your employer is required to complete the DS-7002. This is a placement plan. It is explained here. Basically, if the work you are doing seems to be connected with your education and there is some "training" plan in place then you should be fine.

Just to clarify, with the 12 month J1 visa you can only have one job.

USIT: Simone

Hi all,

The 12 month US visa runs as part of an exchange system between the Irish and the American Embassies. This is why you must go through an organisation to obtain a visa. Each country has a different agreement with each separate country’s embassy, hence the varying programme fees and accessibility to obtaining certain visas. For example, it is a lot easier and cheaper to obtain an Australian visa than it is an American. This is because the US is far more stringent than other countries with their visa regulations.

While it is expensive to acquire a 12mth visa for the US, it is important to remember that there is a limited window as to when you can apply for one. While you can get a one year working visa to Australia and NZ until you’re 30, you can ONLY go to the States to work
a) Within a year of graduating from college
b) If you are eligible for a Practical Career Training Visa
c) If you get sponsored by a company (far more likely in the event that you work in the States for at least one year)

So there is a time limit as to when you can go to the States which is far narrower than it would be with other countries. A good option for those who just finished their degree is to go on the summer J1 work & travel visa for up to 5mths to make contacts and do a bit of research. If you love the States and have found an employer / want to go back for a year, work for 3mths in Ireland to save some money and go back out on the graduate visa. You can do this once it is all within a year of graduating.

Some people are questioning the pricing. These fees are for the whole part compulsory to ensure you are in keeping with your visa requirements, which are quite strict. They are as follows:

• Programme Fee - €699. This is to cover the admin costs between USIT and your US sponsor CIEE which are expensive. CIEE is a US Department of State who support you 24hrs a day while you are in the States. They check if the company you work for is eligible etc. It is mandatory that you have a US sponsor for the embassy to allow you to work in the States. CIEE provide an online orientation to make sure you know exactly what steps you need to take during your visa process.
• Embassy Fee - $140. Paid directly to the Embassy in Dublin on the day of your interview by bank draft.
• Sevis Fee - $180. US Government Tracking Fee introduced after 9/11 to keep them up to date on the whereabouts of each individual in the States. More expensive than the Sevis fee for the Summer J1 visa because of the differing lengths of the programmes.
• Insurance - €300. Fully comprehensive cover for work and travel during your stay in the US. Required by the US government. My colleague from America is working here on her 12mth visa to Ireland and was required to purchase insurance to the value of $600; so it is the same coming from the States to Ireland.
• Postage - €7.95. This is to cover the paperwork between USIT and the Embassy and also the US which can get quite costly.
• Flights – Vary from East to West Coast. Return flights with a validity of 12mths ensure that you are in keeping with your visa requirements and are returning to Ireland within the 12mth period your visa is valid for.

Usually the total cost should come to about €2000. If you can secure a job on arrival, this will help to alleviate the pressure. There IS work in America at the moment and I would urge anyone go on the 12mth programme to research beforehand and to send off as many resumes as possible, following them up with phone calls (if you call from dialwise.ie you can ring for local rate). American employers love persistence – it is what they are used to!

If you are eager to work in America, now is your time to do so. Work experience from the States looks great on your CV, especially when things are so dismal at home right now.

I wish you all the best and if you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to email programmes@usit.ie or consult our website http://www.usavisa.ie/12-month-usa-work-programme/ - the FAQs can be particularly helpful!!

We also have talks on the following dates which will discuss our range of visas:

Cork: Tue 18th Jan 6.30-8pm Imperial Hotel

Waterford: Wed 19th Jan 6.30-8pm Granville Hotel

Dublin: Sun 23rd Jan 1-2, 3-4pm Aston Quay Office

Limerick: Tue 25th Jan 6.30-8pm Savoy Hotel

Galway: Wed 26th Jan 6.30-8pm Harbour Hotel

Sligo: Thur 27th Jan 6.30-8pm Sligo City Hotel

Good luck! J