Define sponsorship in the US

[Jacques1]

Can a person only work in America if you have a company sponsor? I'm in a professional occupation. If I get a job can I apply for a work permit do I pay everything myself to get there or what is the procedure?


Regards

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by Jacques1

Can a person only work in America if you have a company sponsor? I'm in a professional occupation. If I get a job can I apply for a work permit do I pay everything myself to get there or what is the procedure?

It kind of depends... mostly on the specific type of visa you're after. There are non-immigrant visas (which are valid for a certain period of time, usually 1 to 5 years - sometimes renewable, sometimes not) and immigrant visas (which are "permanent") and then within each of those categories there are various types of visas, each with different terms and requirements.

For many visas, you need a "petitioner" (which roughly translates to "sponsor" as most people use the term here) - which can be either a family member (direct family member only - parents, children, siblings) or an employer.

What you're talking about doing (which I assume is setting up in a private practice) would require you to find a visa that doesn't involve a petitioner. (You can't act as petitioner for yourself.) Take a look at the official US Vias page here: UnitedStatesVisas.gov Homepage

It will definitely depend on the profession you're in - whether your qualifications are recognized and considered equivalent to the US qualification and just how that profession is organized in the US.
Cheers,
Bev

[synthia]

Generally in the US, at least in my experience, a 'professional' occupation usually means doctor, lawyer, or dentist. I see you are a software engineer. Even during the big boom in the late 90's, when Congress passed a law providing for additional visas for IT people, they had to have a job and a sponsor to get into the US. The pattern usually was to come over with a job and a specific length contract, find another job with a company that would assume your visa and sponsor you for a green card, and then once you had the green card, you could set up as a consultant.

However, the extra visas are gone, and it's a lot harder to find work in IT. Have you checked some of the big job sites? That would give you some idea of the need for your particular specialty.

[Jacques1]

Originally Posted by synthia

Generally in the US, at least in my experience, a 'professional' occupation usually means doctor, lawyer, or dentist. I see you are a software engineer. Even during the big boom in the late 90's, when Congress passed a law providing for additional visas for IT people, they had to have a job and a sponsor to get into the US. The pattern usually was to come over with a job and a specific length contract, find another job with a company that would assume your visa and sponsor you for a green card, and then once you had the green card, you could set up as a consultant.

However, the extra visas are gone, and it's a lot harder to find work in IT. Have you checked some of the big job sites? That would give you some idea of the need for your particular specialty.

Okay my bad..Right I',m a certified person in a professional enviroment
I'm not really a software engineer more like a Technical/project/account/sales/hardware/software/network consultant on Sun products.I have checked monster and found a whole lot of offerings which I have applied for. I wonder if I would have success...Will have to wait.

[Bevdeforges]

I've noticed on Monster sites these days (for all countries) they often say that job postings are strictly for those who already have the right to work in the country. This may also have something to do with the notion that an employer has to "prove" they have tried to hire a local national before they can even consider hiring a foreigner.

What you need to do is to set up your CV/resumé in a way that you point out any advantages you have over a US based applicant. This can be language, a certain type of experience (government contracts, any specialized industry work, etc.), having lived abroad and being familiar with international specs and regulations (say, privacy regulations for data bases in Europe - just to pull a topic out of the air).

Finding a job (and a sponsor) in the US is a matter of marketing yourself and your experience.
Cheers,
Bev

[Jacques1]

Please bear with my ignorance but what does it mean to "you are authorized to work in this country" and "I need sponsorship"?

[synthia]

Authorized to work in the country means that you already have the legal right to work and the company will not need to apply for a visa for you. In the US this would mean you are a US citizen, have a green card, have a visa under whatever that 'BUNAC' program is, have filed the appropriate paperwork under a fiance visa, or are a student seeking a legal amount of part time work. That's all I can think of at the moment.

In Europe, I think it usually means they want only people with EU passports from countries that are already in the 'work anywhere in the EU' category. Newly entered countries usually have a few years delay before they get that right.

In other words, the companies want you to show up with papers and don't want to have to lift a finger.

Sponsoring you is what the company does when it applies for your work visa or green card. You need someone to hire you before you can get either, unless you can get a lottery green card.

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by synthia

In Europe, I think it usually means they want only people with EU passports from countries that are already in the 'work anywhere in the EU' category. Newly entered countries usually have a few years delay before they get that right.

Just to clarify here, in European countries, the issue of "authorization to work" is much the same as in the US. EU nationality works (except as you noted, for newly entered countries) but there are also categories of long-stay authorization (visa or residence permit) that allow a non-EU national to work on a restricted (i.e. to an employer or an area of the country) or unrestricted basis.

One of the factors to consider when going for a visa to the US (or anywhere, for that matter) is whether the right to work is going to be limited to the employer who initially hired you (and sponsored your visa). If the employer goes out of business, or the employee loses that job for any reason, you have something like 30 days to leave the country, even if you have been there for ages and even if your severance package includes a payout of several months or years of salary.
Cheers,
Bev

[Worldwide Worker]

Do a search for H1B, if you have not already done so. It is probably one of the easiest ways of getting a visa to the USA, if there is any easy way. If you meet the requirements you may want to consider using one of the agencies as they will then find an employer who will sponsor your visa.

Sponsoring means that you must have an offer of employment and implies that the government knows that you will be employed and not a bum sitter looking for benefits. In some countries I know that the potential employer, more so if it is a private individual, has to lodge a bond with the immigration department and they only get that released when you become resident or leave the country.

Getting into the USA is extremely difficult and they protect their job market better than anyone else. Hence the reason why most SA's head for OZ, NZ or Canada.