Recent Graduate wanting to move to the US

[darksymphony]

Hello all,

I'm a UK resident keen on moving to the US, and having just got my BA, am hoping for the opportunity to move and work over there. I have a few questions and would be grateful for any advice.

I'm most interested in moving to California, as it's a kind of hotbed for my industry (I'm a concept artist/modeller/animator currently looking for work with video game companies). Looking at the visa requirements on the US Embassy website, it seems my best option is to secure a job in the US and apply for a work visa through the employer. Would requiring a visa cause a long delay before I could work, or are there any other forseeable problems with this route? Is this a hassle for employers and would they be likely to pass me over for candidates already in the US? Come to that, will it come off as cheeky to apply to companies in the US without having a visa to work there?

Any additional suggestions and advice also very welcome!

James

[Fatbrit]

Originally Posted by darksymphony

Hello all,

I'm a UK resident keen on moving to the US, and having just got my BA, am hoping for the opportunity to move and work over there. I have a few questions and would be grateful for any advice.

I'm most interested in moving to California, as it's a kind of hotbed for my industry (I'm a concept artist/modeller/animator currently looking for work with video game companies). Looking at the visa requirements on the US Embassy website, it seems my best option is to secure a job in the US and apply for a work visa through the employer. Would requiring a visa cause a long delay before I could work, or are there any other forseeable problems with this route? Is this a hassle for employers and would they be likely to pass me over for candidates already in the US? Come to that, will it come off as cheeky to apply to companies in the US without having a visa to work there?

Any additional suggestions and advice also very welcome!

James

Know of folks with exactly these skills + experience + permanent US residence who can't get a reasonable paying job in this field at the moment.

Apply for any job that doesn't specifically exclude those who aren't currently legally able to work in the US if you want to. Don't be surprised if you don't get more than a couple of even a basic replies after submitting your first hundred applications. Don't bother wasting your money with a recruitment agency -- they'll send you an expensive list of companies they Googled for. Reality is you haven't much of a chance. But never say never! Once you've found one who's interested, you can enter the H1b visa lottery.

Best bet: get employed in the UK by a company with US offices and beg for a transfer.

[darksymphony]

Thanks for the response and suggestions.

I'd been planning for a while to travel to the US once I got my degree, but when I actually started doing research, it seems I was being a bit naive thinking it would be that easy. I'm feeling a bit deflated now! But I'm prepared to give it a shot. However, I have another question... I was told on another forum, regarding applying for jobs in the US without already having a visa:

"It isn't only "cheeky" it's illegal. I can tell you from personal experience that the regulations on immigrating from a Western European country to the US involve proving that you aren't taking a job slot away from a US citizen."

Is this true? I've never heard anything like it anywhere else. If it is, it seems there is a staggering lack of options.

[Fatbrit]

Originally Posted by darksymphony

"It isn't only "cheeky" it's illegal. I can tell you from personal experience that the regulations on immigrating from a Western European country to the US involve proving that you aren't taking a job slot away from a US citizen."

Is this true? I've never heard anything like it anywhere else. If it is, it seems there is a staggering lack of options.

You can apply for as many jobs as you want in the US. Before they offer you a job, they can only ask whether you can legally work in the US. After, the job offer, you complete an I-9 form to show you are a legal worker.

In your case, you're not legally allowed to work in the US -- so they'd need to sponsor you. Personally, I'd tell them in your application since otherwise you are just wasting your time and theirs. This is pretty well guaranteed to place your application in the trash, however. You'll find a lot of job offers actually state that you must be legally allowed to work in the US -- not worth applying for those at all.

There is more than one method of getting you to the US -- and if you were outstanding (i.e. you were the chief animator on the last Shrek movie) you could bypass the limitations. However, the common ones would be an H1b or an EB3. The former is an annual lottery that opens once a year and the latter has a delay so long before you could come that most employers wouldn't be interested.

So:
find job that will sponsor + apply + get offered job despite the fact you need sponsorship and nobody will know when/if you can start + either wait it out for half a dozen years while the job is held open for you OR enter the lottery and win
=
not very likely!

[twostep]

A potential employer has to prove he went above and beyond to fill a position with someone allowed to legally work in the US but could not find that person. With this reason he can sponsor someone through H1.

[darksymphony]

OK, thank you both. That makes more sense, though it isn't too encouraging! I'm pretty good at what I do, but I'm far from producing a Shrek movie at the moment.

However, I've come across a trainee programme which places foreign students and graduates with US companies for eighteen months, and which looks more promising (I'm assuming that, after spending that time with a company, it would be easier finding the means to stay on than trying to get in somewhere from scratch). It sounds like the best method for me to try right now, as I'd be able to assure potential employers that I had access to a temporary "just training" visa through that system.

Their website is at CIEE.org, in case it can be of benefit to others here.

[Fatbrit]

Originally Posted by darksymphony

OK, thank you both. That makes more sense, though it isn't too encouraging! I'm pretty good at what I do, but I'm far from producing a Shrek movie at the moment.

However, I've come across a trainee programme which places foreign students and graduates with US companies for eighteen months, and which looks more promising (I'm assuming that, after spending that time with a company, it would be easier finding the means to stay on than trying to get in somewhere from scratch). It sounds like the best method for me to try right now, as I'd be able to assure potential employers that I had access to a temporary "just training" visa through that system.

Their website is at CIEE.org, in case it can be of benefit to others here.

Much more realistic. Good luck!

[shrestha12]

Visit websites.

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by darksymphony

However, I've come across a trainee programme which places foreign students and graduates with US companies for eighteen months, and which looks more promising (I'm assuming that, after spending that time with a company, it would be easier finding the means to stay on than trying to get in somewhere from scratch). It sounds like the best method for me to try right now, as I'd be able to assure potential employers that I had access to a temporary "just training" visa through that system.

CIEE is a good organization and can offer you a valuable experience in the US for 18 months. Don't however pin your hopes on staying after that time. In the long run, it could be a better strategy to go back home and work for a while, then do the job hunt again from home, with the CIEE experience featured on your CV.

The US is wary of folks who come over on exchange programs and then don't want to go home and they do make it very difficult to change visa types while you're still in the country. Then again, with a change in the administration in Washington, there may be some hope for movement in the visa terms and requirements over the next couple of years and that may be your best opportunity.
Cheers,
Bev

[synthia]

A few years ago I met two people in your field who were working in the US, but doing commercials rather than games or movies. I think one was from England and the other from the Netherlands. What they did was get masters degrees in the US, then used the one-year post-degree visa to do an internship. The employer then sponsored them, and had a case that could be made for unique talent, etc, etc. Things have changed a lot since they came over, but it's another path you could consider.