confused newbie

[lynne2john]

Hi All
I am hoping someone can help, i am new to all this but would appreciate some advice. I am looking to relocate to america hopefully Florida, I would like to live in Florida and work within the criminal department, I am nearing the end of my degree which is for criminology and i also have a diploma in social policy and criminology. I am eventually hoping to work either within the gang units (which i am hoping to speacialize in) or homocide. I would like to know what my chances are and how i would go about gaining employment in these areas. I am married with three children although probably only two would be moving as the other son is joining the army, what route would i need to take to achieve my dream,
cheers lynne

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forums.

It sounds like you're looking to find a job in a local police department or agency. That could be difficult for a foreigner with a new degree in criminology - and, if I daresay, someone of your age (given that you're old enough to have a son joining the army).

It can be tough getting a foreign degree recognized in the US for job hunting purposes. If you've been working in some other field, you might have a better time of it looking to segue from the area in which you have some experience to your new degree field. And, especially for a foreigner looking for work in the US, you will probably have better luck looking in private industry rather than in something like the police force (or other "civil service" type job).

The other option is to get some experience in your new field for a couple of years, and then use that to find a job in the US. (You can also use the time on the job to investigate your full range of career options in the US.) It's not easy at the moment to find an employer ready to go through the hassle of hiring a foreigner - but perhaps once the elections are over at the end of this year, things might start to change for the better.
Cheers,
Bev

[synthia]

Another problem is that police departments are run by local, state, and federal governments, and they can't sponsor you for a a work visa. There are private forensic organizations, but since the advent of CSI, forensics is one of the most popular majors in the US and there are a lot of US graduates in that field.

If you were to find a job, your husband would have a visa that wouldn't allow him to work. Also, you could only bring children under the age of 18 with you, and (someone correct me on this), if they don't continue their education in the US, they might have to leave when they turn 18.

[lynne2john]

Thanks for the info not what i was expecting bit downhearted but not put off! I'm not sure where to go from here, i quite like the idea of working in the prisons but does the same apply to this that they won't sponser a work visa, also one of my sons is special needs would this pose a problem
cheers lynne

[Bevdeforges]

It would probably depend on just what kind of visa you came over on, but if it allows you to bring dependents, I don't think the "special needs" child would be a problem - unless the "special need" was something specifically prohibited (i.e. drug addiction or criminal misbehavior).

It may take some creative thinking, or perhaps some experience in your field back home, but there are darned few occupations in America that haven't been "privatized" (they call it "deregulated" or "outsourced") to some extent. There are privately run and managed prisons. Research that and you may come across the names of the companies doing that - and see what they want for employees (especially in management positions, which would offer the best visa terms should they decide to hire you and petition you into the country).

I suspect there are privately operated criminal labs and there certainly are companies making products to sell to prisons, police forces and security agencies that might need people trained in criminology to help design the products or to market to their audiences. That's the big appeal of the US, so use it to your advantage.
Cheers,
Bev

[lynne2john]

Hi thanks for the advice, my sons special needs is quite a complex condition but the syndrome he has was actually discovered at Ohio university. Which is another reason why we chose America to hopefully move to in case of any new pioneering treatment that would help our son. I am going to look into all avenues available work wise, would i be better contacting an agent to help me with finding work etc. Thanks for all the help you are giving me it is a tremendous support.
cheers lynne

[Bevdeforges]

When I was living in the US, the rule of thumb was that you should never have to pay someone to find you a job. It's just not how "headhunters" work in the US.

Now, I've seen here on the forum that there are "agents" for immigration to other countries. I'd be wary of anyone offering to find you a job in the US for a fee. I know of people who have used an immigration attorney to get assistance with visas and such - but they are expensive (figure $1000 at least) and they don't handle job hunting.
Cheers,
Bev

[lynne2john]

Hi
Thanks for replying, i didn't know that you weren't meant to pay an agent so a big thank you for that information you have probably saved me from being ripped off, i have had a new development i am in the process of appling to become a trainee probation officer, as i presume that if i have work experience as well as my degree i might stand a better chance of gaining employment over in america with this what do you think, if only it was as easy entering america as it is into the uk! where would you suggest i go to get help and advice on getting a visa to help with the complicated process of emigrating to america (does that sound right?!!)
cheers lynne

[Rachel_Heath]

Lynne,

As for online resources, you could start of with the US Department of State's Visa website Destination USA which is pretty informative. You could also try looking at the US Embassy's visa section. The US Embassy also offers an operated assisted Visa information line at (09042) 450100 (for a paltry £1.20/min ) which you can also use to make an appointment to see someone in the Grosvenor Square, London location.

The USCIS web site is pretty tough to wade through and is of doubtful use to most people so I'd recommend avoid it.

Also take care to ensure that the only time you make any payments for a visa it should be to the US Government - there are websites out there that try to look official and charge you for services that are normally free. ALL the forms you need can be obtained online and you shouldn't expect to pay any money to receive them.