Planning to go to New York on the one-year visa

shtory

Hi,

I'm a recent graduate looking to take up the one year J1 visa option to the US this year. I went on the J1 to New York last year and loved every minute of it and I'm dying to go back.

By September I should have enough money to get me over there and cover myself for 3 months while looking for work. I know exactly how much i'll spend having been there last year for 3 months and only getting an internship, which was good experience, but i'd need a paying job this time!

I've even contacted my old landlord and there should be an apartment available in the building (in Manhattan) in September, and i'll be able to get a rolling lease so i won't have to sign on for the year.

To make it affordable though, i'd need a roommate, preferably someone going over themselves, i'm not sure will any of my mates be able to do it, so i'm just asking, "would anyone be interested?"

I'd like to hear from anyone going on the 1 year US visa program, wherever you're going. I've been into USIT now a few times and it's looking pretty certain i'll go, wouldn't mind hearing what other peoples plans are.

clarelad

do you not need to have a job set up before going over?

imported_guy

clarelad wrote: »

do you not need to have a job set up before going over?

this...

and depending on what profession you are from, (atleast for doctors) you need a declaration from the irish government says they need trained people in your profession, and then you apply for a J1 on that basis, and you have to come back after your training/internship finish, and you cant go back to america for the next 2 years, and will have to work in ireland or some other country unless the irish government declares it doesnt need you here, i would suggest looking into the H1 visa rather than a j-1, time spent in america on the H1 visa allows you to get a green card/citizen ship after some time

lonestargirl

imported_guy wrote: »

this...

and depending on what profession you are from, (atleast for doctors) you need a declaration from the irish government says they need trained people in your profession, and then you apply for a J1 on that basis, and you have to come back after your training/internship finish, and you cant go back to america for the next 2 years, and will have to work in ireland or some other country unless the irish government declares it doesnt need you here, i would suggest looking into the H1 visa rather than a j-1, time spent in america on the H1 visa allows you to get a green card/citizen ship after some time

Imported_guy you are inncorrect here.

There is a 1 year J1 intern visa available to recent graduates of university that requires no job before you go. You are supposed to seak employment in the area of your degree. The 2-year rule does not apply to this visa (it is specific to the phsician J1 and educational programs funded by the government). FYI here is the USIT link.

OP, sounds like you've thought your plan through. You know the area you are going through, are being realistic about the time it will take you to get a job and know what living in Mathatten costs. Having a J1 before presumably you have a SSN and bank account already. What area are you looking to get a job in?

imported_guy

lonestargirl wrote: »

Imported_guy you are inncorrect here.

There is a 1 year J1 intern visa available to recent graduates of university that requires no job before you go. You are supposed to seak employment in the area of your degree. The 2-year rule does not apply to this visa (it is specific to the phsician J1 and educational programs funded by the government). FYI here is the USIT link.

OP, sounds like you've thought your plan through. You know the area you are going through, are being realistic about the time it will take you to get a job and know what living in Mathatten costs. Having a J1 before presumably you have a SSN and bank account already. What area are you looking to get a job in?

well i didnt know j-1 visa was different for every profession

http://www.internationaldoc.com/

7A. The J-visa

The J-1 non-immigrant visa permits completion of an accredited residency or fellowship program of up to seven years duration which leads to board certification. Following this, the resident *must* return to his/her native country or country of last residence for a period of at least two years. ECFMG issues a form called a DS2019 which tells the consulate that you are eligible to enter the US. The American consulate in your own country will decide whether to issue the visa.
Your governmental health office must sign a document indicating the need in your home country for physicians trained in your prospective speciality. Occasionally (this is often an issue for Canadians)the country does not recognize a need for residents in a particular area and refuses to issue the form, but for most it is a simple formality. J-1 visa applications are usually processed quickly, though some countries have a longer processing time due in part to the events of Sept 11, 2001.

It is important to note that coming to the US on a J-1 visa absolutely limits you to staying here only until the completion of any training (be that six months or five years) up to a MAXIMUM of seven years. This is a training visa, so you cannot use to practice independently as an attending. If you think there is a chance that you would like the opportunity to stay in the USA after your training, you should take the USMLE 3 and come on a H1B visa.
There are four ways to stay in the US on a 'waiver' of this two year home residency requirement. For most, the only practical way to avoid having to return to your home country is to agree to practice in an underserved area for three years after you have completed your training. These positions are competitive and the competition for them is expensive. For specific information on J-1 visa waivers, click HERE .Again, please consider coming on a H1B visa to avoid these problems.

lonestargirl

imported_guy wrote: »

well i didnt know j-1 visa was different for every profession

http://www.internationaldoc.com/

It's not different for every profession but there are a number of categories.

Exchange Visitor Categories Au pair and EduCare Student, secondary Camp Counselor Summer work/travel Government Visitor Teacher Intern Trainee and Flight Training International Visitor (Dept. of State use) Physician Pilot Programs Professor and Research Scholar Summer work/travel: Australians Short-term Scholar Summer work/travel: New Zealanders Specialist Intern work/travel: Irish Student, college/university Work/English Study/Travel: South Koreans

lil_lisa

Correction:

There are three one-year visas. The intern visa, the training visa and the IWT work and travel visa. The intern and training visa both require jobs before going out. The IWT however was set up so you can go out without a job and get one whilst over there. However, afaik, they only give you 30 days to find a job, after that you will have to fly back home. They are strict on this.

shtory

Yeah, i'm going for the IWT visa so don't need to have a job before i go.

I studied Video and Film in college, which included a much broader range of subjects than just Video and Film, (radio, TV, online media, and more) so i have a broad area to find a job in, and New York and LA are the main media hotspots in the US.

I do have a SSN and a bank account still open. Would they close it after a year of inactivity? I think i left $10 in it.

I could at least get an unpaid internship (fairly handy in my experience) to give me more time to find paid work, but i do plan to contact companies before i go.

The studio apartment i rented last time (with a friend on the J1) was really handy beacause we didn't have to sign a long term lease, which means i could change cities if need be or go home without breaking any contracts, and it was in a pretty great area of the city, Upper East Side on 1st av 73rd street. Just need to find a roomate. Or two if we wanted to really cheap it up! We did that for a couple of weeks with another fella on the couch and it wasn't as bad as you'd think, worked out at around $130 a week for those couple of weeks.

I'm just curious as to why there isn't as much chatter about this compared to the regular J1. I suppose it is a bit more expensive I guess.

deasyd

I'd love to go back to New York. I'm 24 and was there in 2006 and loved every minute of it. I lived in the Bronx tho. I want to go back and work there, but my friends are either settled here or already gone to Oz. I'm new to borads so send me an pm and we can swap email address.

lil_lisa

Its more expensive and more dependent on the job, with the summer J1s you don't have to have a job at all, with some of the one-year J-visas you must have a job and it must be related to your course. Also the IWT just came out last February and they're giving a bit of trouble getting visas, last I heard it can take about 2 months to get one. This was mostly because it was new and new operations were being carried out so they were running into problems, it may be better now but I'd call any of the visa companies and find out how long it is. Just so you know when you should apply, there's no harm in tracking it!

shtory

Yeah, keep getting paranoid there'll be some hitch with it, i've been into USIT three times now. I'll give it 3 months to go through the process, but they've explained everything to me and it looks do-able. Well, for me at least.

shtory

I just went into USIT again today. For anyone who is wondering, you are eligible for the one year J visa (IWT) from one year after the date of your graduation, not when you passed your exams.

My cert, like many others I imagine, says June 2009, but as long as you get a letter from your college stating that that you attended the course and the date you graduated, you can leave up until a year after that date. For me that's November.

Just in case anyone else is wondering how much time they have.

spideog7

shtory wrote: »

I'm just curious as to why there isn't as much chatter about this compared to the regular J1. I suppose it is a bit more expensive I guess.

It is quite expensive but not too bad, I've seen the application for about $400 + embassy interview + insurance + flights.

I think one of the big problems with it is getting work, it's quite difficult to get work over here, particularly degree related work (obviously depends what area you are in). Unless you're very outgoing and confident and can really show that you have a lot of relevant experience and valuable knowledge I think you'll have trouble getting work. It's hard enough to get work as a foreigner at the best of times but there's a lot of US citizens out of work at the minute too.

I sent out lot's of resumes recently, I have a US address, phone number, employer etc. so I never mentioned anything about the visa (didn't want to complicate things and it's nothing to do with the employer anyway since I don't require them to sponsor me) and I still didn't get any interviews or even any replies.

shtory

I'll give it a good go for 3 months anyway, if all else fails, come home and sign on i suppose.

shtory

Is it really worth it to go your own way with getting the visa and flights, or is paying the extra to USIT worth avoiding all the hassle?

Has anyone got visas directly from the embassies? And did they cost much less than USIT/SAYIT etc.? It's 699 for the 1 year J visa to the US.

lil_lisa

You can't get a visa on your own. You need a US sponsor. That's why USIT and SAYIT have this set up. There are various other companies in the US but may not be certain to get you a visa. Here's a list directly from the states in place of USIT and SAYIT but I have no idea if they are trustworthy or can guarantee you a visa.

http://eca.state.gov/jexchanges/index.cfm

shtory

yeah, youre right actually. i'll stick with USIT

sashafierce

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RCNPhotos

I'm flying out to Philly on the IWT next month.

Once your college says you've done the course and gives a graduation date, you're cool. You don't need to have graduated before you can go.

I organised it last month, was hassle free. Going to the embassy next week for my interview thing.

Just a bit of extra info, the girl in USIT said no one has ever been refused this visa yet. I'm curious about this being strict on finding somewhere to intern in 30 days or sending your ass home business? Where have you heard this? I pretty much have somewhere to go straight away but just curious.

lil_lisa

That could be outdated. When it began it was 30 days, I think they've changed it to two months now and after two months you must show that you can financially support yourself. I do know that if you are on the Intern visa or Training visa and you lose your job, you have up to 30 days to find a new one, although that may be outdated too.

sashafierce

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RCNPhotos

My family are going to help me out but yeah paid internship is the way to go I think. But yeah, it ain't cheap. My big plan is to win the lotto when I get over

RCNPhotos

Oh my bedroom here sleeps two so we're renting that out while I'm away to students etc so that money is goin towards it too.

sashafierce

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lil_lisa

Unfortunately, with the Internship visa, you can't take up extra employment so whatever you get from your employer you gotta live by (unless you find a cash in hand job in the evenings or weekends).

lil_lisa

Oh and keep in mind, you are exempt from paying social security tax. This is a pretty big chunk out of your paycheck, especially if you're on minimum wage in the first place.