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Travelling to America

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  • 25-03-2013 10:52am
    #1
    Iano_128
    Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭


    Hi Guys,

    I'm fairly new on here so apologies if this post is in the wrong section. I'm looking in to travelling to America for a year (Work and Holiday type travel) but am finding it difficult to find much online.

    The problem I'm having is that I left school after my Junior Cert but have been working full time ever since.

    I've been in the IT industry for just under 3 years now and have a good job, but it seems that to travel to America you need to have been a college student. I'd be surprised if that is the case, I'm sure there is a way to travel America having not completed/attended a college, but I can't find any info on it and anything I've found on here is a bit dated.

    Can anyone give me any advice on if this is possible, and if so what the best way to go about it would be? Thanks in advance for any help you might be able to give me :).


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    #2
    Fr Tod Umptious
    Registered Users Posts: 15,242 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    Hi

    There is no 'working holiday' visa for the US like there is for AUS/NZ.

    There is a one year visa for students or recent graduates but that's all.

    To work in America you have a few choices

    1. Get a H1B visa via sponsorship from a US company. These are difficult to come by at the moment as there is relatively high US unemployment. There were loads of them back in the mid to late 90s with the IT boom.
    The only way to get this visa is if a company sponsors you, you cannot initiate the visa application yourself.

    2. If you are working for a US company get a transfer, I thinks it's called an L1

    3. Get a green card in the DV lottery, next one opens around October

    4. Marry a US citizen and get a green card that way

    5. Go back to college and get a summer J1.


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    #3
    Iano_128
    Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭Iano_128


    Oh really? That's a shame! Not the best options in the world really! Can't see myself getting sponsored without some sort of impressive degree. Might give that lottery thing a go! No harm in trying I suppose, might also look in to going back to night college to get a degree, is there any specific qualification I need?


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    #4
    ironclaw
    Registered Users Posts: 8,004 ✭✭✭ironclaw


    Iano_128 wrote: »
    Oh really? That's a shame! Not the best options in the world really! Can't see myself getting sponsored without some sort of impressive degree. Might give that lottery thing a go! No harm in trying I suppose, might also look in to going back to night college to get a degree, is there any specific qualification I need?

    For a J1, there is no upper or lower age limit, but these are the general rules:

    http://www.j1online.ie/how-to-apply/j1-visa-requirements


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    #5
    Iano_128
    Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭Iano_128


    Hmmm... This may be harder than I initially thought.. Hopefully Barack Obama's mention of making it easier will make it easier in the near future :)


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    #6
    rockonollie
    Registered Users Posts: 1,626 ✭✭✭rockonollie


    Iano_128 wrote: »
    Hmmm... This may be harder than I initially thought.. Hopefully Barack Obama's mention of making it easier will make it easier in the near future :)

    Obama's plan is geared more towards helping illegal aliens already in the US documented.


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