Moving to the US

Dj Sk8tr

Hey Folks,

Who here has experience with moving to the US? I'm talking about pretty recent experience too, not really needing to know about what things were like 10 years ago!

I am very interested in moving to the US in about November 07, and reckon now is as good a time as any to start planning. Reading about the various visa's and permits that are required is pretty daunting.

Some background which is probably going to be relevant, I'm a Network and Systems administrator, with no college degree / certification but currently with about 8 years experience in various aspects of the IT industry here in Ireland. This puts me as a skilled worker, Employment Third Preference (E3) according to what I've read on various US government websites. I will have just turned 25 in Nov next year. I am Irish.

I would like to be able to line up a job prior to going to the US, but this may not be possible for a few reasons, so, what other ways could I go about getting a Visa. What are the likelyhoods of my getting a visa, and when should I start applying, and what should I start doing?

Any info that you think may be at all useful would be very much appreciated. If any more details are required, just shout!

Ruu_Old

Very slim chance of getting a visa without a certificate afaik but the experience might be enough. Have you any friends over there that might be able to vouch for you or something? Theres also the lottery and marrying a US citizen (but I doubt you'll want to go that far).

Lust4Life

Any ideas on where you're going to live in the US?
Lots of IT jobs here in the midwest. And the scenery is beautiful too.

Do you have ANY sort of degree? Employers are thrilled to see a degree - doesn't matter if it is in your field of work.
A Temp Agency could probably place you somewhere. A lot of companies like to go through Temp Agencies so they don't have to do all the interviewing. There is always a chance to get hired full time. And you also get health insurance through the temp agency.

Any more questions, feel free to PM me.

L4L

Dj Sk8tr

Lust4Life wrote:

Any ideas on where you're going to live in the US?
Lots of IT jobs here in the midwest. And the scenery is beautiful too.

East Coast is where I'm headed, off to NYC with a bit of luck.

Whilst I don't have a formal college degree, I have some industry recognised certifications (a la Cisco et al), whilst I know these will be taken into account with employers, how do US Immigration view them?

Ruu_Old

Well industry known certifications would be good enough for the US Immigration, I would say so anyway. Temping would a good idea, and there are plenty of companies that do that sort of thing to get yourself on your feet. Im east central IL and there are many IT jobs available as one of the Universities of IL is in the town I live.

eiretamicha

Good God, man, what the hell's wrong with you?! Why on earth do you wanna come to this crap-hole?!

I'm American, born and raised. Husband's from Tyrone. Got a fiance' visa, moved to the good ol' USA, got married in November...and he still doesn't have authorization to work. We've spent thousands on fees, plane tickets, and more fees. He's been sitting here trying to find things to do for seven months now. SEVEN MONTHS. He's also in the IT field, actually, in the same situation as yourself.

Anyway, unless you end up engaged to a yank, it's gonna be pretty hard to get over here and work legally. And I wouldn't try the illegal route...they're gettin booted out left and right.

At any rate, if you're still interested in living over here, check out the USCIS website and maybe have a peak over at VisaJourney--take a look at peoples' timelines...and make your decision wisely.

Good luck.

Black Swan

Try this. Many US corporations have divisions and subsidiaries in Ireland. Contact their (Irish based) Human Resources departments to see if they will check for employment opportunities Stateside. All Fortune 500 Corporations need IT skilled workers, not just the tech companies. They might even let you interview in Ireland?

Hobbes

Blue_Lagoon wrote:

Try this. Many US corporations have divisions and subsidiaries in Ireland. Contact their (Irish based) Human Resources departments to see if they will check for employment opportunities Stateside. All Fortune 500 Corporations need IT skilled workers, not just the tech companies. They might even let you interview in Ireland?

In order to do that you need to have worked for the company for a minimum of 3 years and have skills that are unique that allow you to enter the country to work.

Abbey Lass

Dj Sk8tr wrote:

Hey Folks,

Who here has experience with moving to the US? I'm talking about pretty recent experience too, not really needing to know about what things were like 10 years ago!

Any info that you think may be at all useful would be very much appreciated. If any more details are required, just shout!

I just did it November 1st 2005, and boy was it hell, and I'm married to an American for the last 3 years. Have you any friends over here who are American Citizens that would sponsor you ?

See my post on the green card thread. I'm happy to answer any questions.

dave2pvd

I did it 10yrs ago and love it.

Moved over with a DIT ElecEng degree.

Applied for and received a green card on the strength of having:

a) a US sponsor (friend of a friend)
b) Diploma in Elec Eng (at the time)

Now: 1 wife. 1 kid, 1 dog. 4 cars. Happy salary.

Dave
Atlanta
Georgia

Royale with Cheese

dave2pvd wrote:

I did it 10yrs ago and love it.

Moved over with a DIT ElecEng degree.

Applied for and received a green card on the strength of having:

a) a US sponsor (friend of a friend)
b) Diploma in Elec Eng (at the time)

Now: 1 wife. 1 kid, 1 dog. 4 cars. Happy salary.

Dave
Atlanta
Georgia

Why the hell do you need 4 cars? One for you, one for your wife, one for your kid who I'm guessing is under 10 years and one for your dog?

dave2pvd

Who cares what I need them for? It's not like I drive all of them at the same time. Although I've never tried.

OK, maybe this will explain a bit:

My daily driver
Wife's car
Weekend fun car (Alfa GTV6)
Previous daily driver, now for sale.

Ruu_Old

dave2pvd wrote:

Who cares what I need them for? It's not like I drive all of them at the same time. Although I've never tried.

OK, maybe this will explain a bit:

My daily driver
Wife's car
Weekend fun car (Alfa GTV6)
Previous daily driver, now for sale.

Try it I bet it would be fun! It looks like you are doing well and happy, so well done.

dave2pvd

Ruu wrote:

Try it I bet it would be fun!

I can pilot 2 bicycles at the same time...


Back on-thread: if anyone needs my advice on the subject, just let me know. I'll pass on what I can remember.

davidphicks at hotmail dot com

cousin_borat

Hi DJ,

go to www.usit.ie and take a look at the Working in North America section. There is a scheme called Professional Career Training USA (PCT USA). It's essentially a J1 Trainee Visa as opposed to the normal J1 Student Work and Travel Visa. These are the conditions.


* Be at least 20 years old (and generally not older than 40)
* Have graduated from secondary school
* Possess demonstrable professional skills developed either by acquiring a university degree, earning a professional certificate from a trade/technical school, completing an apprenticeship of at least two years or having 2 consecutive years of full-time experience in your field.
* Secure a full-time trainee work placement in the US. This placement should be related to your current career field. If you completed your degree within the two years previous to the start date of your training then your placement should relate to your coursework and current career path.
* Not work in an unskilled occupation or prohibited J-1 job as defined by the US State Department. Please note that a list of "unskilled occupations" and jobs prohibited to J-1 visa holders is available here.


Maybe you could use this Visa and then begin the process of obtaining a H1.

Anyway hope this helps