Advice on visa situation

formerResident

I'll try to keep this short.

I will graduate with a degree in electronic engineering next year.
Lived in the US from age of 2 for 4 years. Completed 1 year of school there.
Mother had green card lost through abandonment. No idea about fathers situation. Both EU citizens.
Want to bring my girlfriend who will find it difficult to be sponsored.

From what I can find there are 4 options.
12 month internship visa for graduates. The easiest option but also shortest and cant bring girlfriend.

Sponsored by a company or transfer between Irish branch to US branch. I think I may be able to sponsor my girlfriend if we were married but theres no guarantee a company will transfer me or would like having me around if I'm actively trying to leave them.

Diversity lottery. Well good luck with that one.

Will my previous living there go for/against me or will it have any affect?
Has anyone been in this situation before and how did you find it?

Ponster

Welcome to Boards !

formerResident wrote: »

Will my previous living there go for/against me or will it have any affect?

As far as I know it will have no effect.

formerResident wrote: »

Has anyone been in this situation before and how did you find it?

Well, you're situation is pretty much the same as most people who post here and most often the advice is that going to the US is a long-term process that may take several years (of working for that multi-national company for example). The entire post seems to be about how to get your girlfriend to the US with you but it's you that needs to work at getting over there, no ?

Perhaps aim to leave Ireland for a country that is easierr to get into ?

formerResident

Ponster wrote: »

Welcome to Boards !

Thanks but Im just new to this forum, thought it was better to use a different account for privacy reasons.

Ponster wrote: »

As far as I know it will have no effect.

Thats good, I have no idea how to deal with awkward questions about my parents, why the left etc.

Ponster wrote: »

Well, you're situation is pretty much the same as most people who post here and most often the advice is that going to the US is a long-term process that may take several years (of working for that multi-national company for example). The entire post seems to be about how to get your girlfriend to the US with you but it's you that needs to work at getting over there, no ?

Perhaps aim to leave Ireland for a country that is easierr to get into ?

Thats pretty much it. Me getting there isnt much of an issue as I could just do the graduate visa and hopefully they keep me on. People are saying it can take 3 years to get someone in so I would be 4 years without my girlfriend(or wife I suppose) which is a bit longer than I would be comfortable for a LTR. Would a company also help getting your family over? I could see them doing it if they wanted me there but if I'm the one asking for it they might see it as too much effort and cost.
Thought about other countries. Canada was one we mentioned but it is the US we want to go to so Canada is more for just for the sake of leaving the country than actually wanting to be there. Maybe it would be USish enough for us so worth a try. Can a person still attempt the green card lottery if we were living in Canada?

silja

Yes you can enter the greencard lottery no matter where you live- even if you are in the USA on some sort of work visa.

Most companies will include a visa for the spouse (legally married) if they are willing to get one for you- that is for proper work visas, not the 1 year internship one. It shouldn't take 3 years, not sure who told you that; it would be processed at the same time as your visa.

spideog7

I see a good few people on here bringing up that company transfer visa. That's a terrible reason to take a job somewhere and presumably no company would really want to hire you if all you had on your mind was to get a transfer to somewhere else. It is also a costly process so I can't imagine they'd go to the effort for someone who hadn't been working there for more than 3 or 4 years already.

If I were you I'd take the graduate visa, it's a great opportunity and if you commit yourself to it a lot will change between now and end of that. I came over as an EE with IAESTE, I actually wasn't looking to come to the US but it was the only job I got.

DM addict

spideog7 wrote: »

I see a good few people on here bringing up that company transfer visa. That's a terrible reason to take a job somewhere and presumably no company would really want to hire you if all you had on your mind was to get a transfer to somewhere else. It is also a costly process so I can't imagine they'd go to the effort for someone who hadn't been working there for more than 3 or 4 years already.

Spideog makes a valid point here - to be eligible for the company internal transfer visa (L1) you need to have been working for your employer for three years outside of the US first.

The H1B (specialised worker) doesn't have the same restriction, but it is dependent on your degree status and some other bits, I forget the details.

Graduate visa is your best bet. No harm in applying for the diversity lotto if moving to the States is in your long term goals.

ProudDUB

formerResident wrote: »

Thats pretty much it. Me getting there isnt much of an issue as I could just do the graduate visa and hopefully they keep me on.

If they want to keep you on after your one year on the graduate visa is up, the company will have to sponsor you for a visa. It's not just a matter of their offering you a new contract. Sponsoring an employee for a visa can cost $5,000-10,000. It involves lots of paperwork and hiring immigration attorneys. You can not do any of this. The company has to do it. I am not saying it never happens, but getting a company to go to all that trouble and expense for an employee who is only a year out of college, has very little work experience over all & who has only worked for them for a year, would be a tall order.

Your visa would also be linked into to the company who hired you and sponsored you for the visa. So you can't leave them and go to work for someone else. If you get laid off, you would have to leave the county. The company may also have to prove that no US citizen is available to do the work that they are sponsoring you for a visa to do. Then there is still the problem of your girlfriend, if that is all she still is at the time.

I don't mean to come across as overly negative, but unfortunately these are all things that you will need to be aware of.

formerResident

Thanks for the replies. Knew it wasn't easy but I have no idea how people manage to get there with all these hurdles. Looked into how to get a visa for Canada and its much easier. May just have to go for there.

spideog7

formerResident wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Knew it wasn't easy but I have no idea how people manage to get there with all these hurdles. Looked into how to get a visa for Canada and its much easier. May just have to go for there.

I'd advise you to go for the graduate visa if you can, it's a great opportunity that you won't have again. You might not even like it over here, worst case you'll go home with great experience. You can go to Canada anytime.

Getting a company to sponsor you for a H1B is hard but not impossible. I did it on the back of my J1 experience and an interview only (I was on my J1 with a different company). I had no intention of staying when I came out here and wasn't too pushed about getting a H1B but I was interested in the job they offered.

To borrow a GAA cliche look after the points and the goals will take care of themselves. In other words; work hard and put in your time and doors will open for you.

DM addict

formerResident wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Knew it wasn't easy but I have no idea how people manage to get there with all these hurdles. Looked into how to get a visa for Canada and its much easier. May just have to go for there.

If you're interested in living in the States, go for the graduate visa and see how it goes. Long term, Canada may well be easier - but the graduate opportunity is worth taking while it's there. Just see how it goes, and take a look at what's on offer.

ProudDUB

It is definitely doable, especially as you have a profession and a degree to bring to the table. But short of winning a green card in the diversity lottery, or having a family connection, the vast majority of people who do it, do so via their jobs. This is because they bring a lot to the table in terms of what they can offer an employer.

If you have skills and experience that are in high demand, there will always be companies who are willing to go to all that effort to hire you and/or transfer you to the US branch from a different country. Someone just out of college (no offense) doesn't really do that. You may in time, but you don't now.

If you are really serious about moving over there focus on your career, research fields in your profession that are in high demand there & companies that are hiring. If you do go to Canada, try to get work with a company that has a presence in the US as well. Do the same if you wind up staying here. Moving to America is certainly doable, but it is generally a long term process that will take you years. There are no quick fixes or easy solutions. In the short term, use your time on the one year graduate visa, to really impress your employer and who knows what may happen.

daycent

DM addict wrote: »

- to be eligible for the company internal transfer visa (L1) you need to have been working for your employer for three years outside of the US first.

Just to clarify this for anyone else interested; it's one year, not three (certainly for L1B anyway).

DM addict

daycent wrote: »

Just to clarify this for anyone else interested; it's one year, not three (certainly for L1B anyway).

My mistake. It's one year within the previous three, for both L1A and L1B.