# South Africans wanting to emigrate to California



## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Hi all!

My husband and I are looking at the possibility of emigrating to California. Are there any South Africans on here who could give advice regarding their experience and time periods for the process?

Any advice from non-South Africans would also be appreciated


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

Start by asking what are your skill and qualifications that would interest a 
US employer degree a must ...Masters a bonus, PhD best

do you know which visa would best suit you


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Davis1 said:


> Start by asking what are your skill and qualifications that would interest a
> US employer degree a must ...Masters a bonus, PhD best
> 
> do you know which visa would best suit you


Thanks for the reply. We are trying for an H1b visa for my husband. He has two master degrees and I have two bachelor degrees.


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

californiawills01 said:


> Hai ..
> 
> my opinion support to you...
> But
> Why do you move out of South Africa?


We would just like to see the world and have new experiences. We would like to work overseas for 5 years and then return to South Africa


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

EmmaR said:


> Thanks for the reply. We are trying for an H1b visa for my husband. He has two master degrees and I have two bachelor degrees.


Tht reaaly helps you 
2 H1Bs then .or the losing side gets an H4 and can never work 

employers can file for H1 on april 1st for an Oct start


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Thanks Davis. I was a bit confused about the April 1st cutoff, I thought if your employer doesn't file an application by then, you can only apply for the following year again. It doesn't seem like there are many companies willing to sponsor, well if it's meant to be, we'll one...


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

We are now looking at moving to anywhere in USA not just California. I was wondering if it is worth going through an immigration consultant? Can anyone share their experiences if you have used one?

Thanks!


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

EmmaR said:


> We are now looking at moving to anywhere in USA not just California. I was wondering if it is worth going through an immigration consultant? Can anyone share their experiences if you have used one?
> 
> Thanks!


Moving to anywhere in the USA is the same as moving to California.

You need a visa ; work visa, investment visa, sponsorship by close relative (spouse/parent), student visa.

The work visa you obtain by getting a job with an employer willing to sponsor you.


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Crawford said:


> Moving to anywhere in the USA is the same as moving to California.
> 
> You need a visa ; work visa, investment visa, sponsorship by close relative (spouse/parent), student visa.
> 
> The work visa you obtain by getting a job with an employer willing to sponsor you.


Hi Crawford,

Yes I'm aware that moving to anywhere else in the USA would involve the same process as moving to California Was just mentioned as an update in our decision process. My query is really regarding the value of using immigration consultants.


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

With immigration consultants it easier to put $1000 in a pit and burn it ..
that saves so much time


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

EmmaR said:


> Hi Crawford,
> 
> Yes I'm aware that moving to anywhere else in the USA would involve the same process as moving to California Was just mentioned as an update in our decision process. My query is really regarding the value of using immigration consultants.


If by immigration consultant you mean the guys who advertise they can get you any type of visa for a fee - then, personally,I would not touch them with a barge pole.

If you mean an *immigration lawyer* who could give you some sound advice if you were, say, thinking of applying for an investment visa, or wanting some advice as to whether a spouse with some immigration issues could obtain a new visa, then a couple of hundred pounds for a consultation could save months of work.


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Davis1 said:


> With immigration consultants it easier to put $1000 in a pit and burn it ..
> that saves so much time


Thanks Davis, that's pretty much the amount of the initial fee and a further $2000 once a job is secured!


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Crawford said:


> If by immigration consultant you mean the guys who advertise they can get you any type of visa for a fee - then, personally,I would not touch them with a barge pole.
> 
> If you mean an *immigration lawyer* who could give you some sound advice if you were, say, thinking of applying for an investment visa, or wanting some advice as to whether a spouse with some immigration issues could obtain a new visa, then a couple of hundred pounds for a consultation could save months of work.


Thanks Crawford, that's really helpful, this particular immigration consultant offers job sponsorship and help with drawing up resumes, so we were thinking they might be useful, but it's a lot of money and I have no idea whether they can actually deliver what they say. I think we will rather try to go it alone then or contact an immigration lawyer as you suggested should we get stuck.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

EmmaR said:


> We are now looking at moving to anywhere in USA not just California. I was wondering if it is worth going through an immigration consultant? Can anyone share their experiences if you have used one?
> 
> Thanks!


As you cannot apply for a US visa but for B1/B2 and investment - what do you want to hire an immigration attorney for?


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

twostep said:


> As you cannot apply for a US visa but for B1/B2 and investment - what do you want to hire an immigration attorney for?


Hi Twostep,

I don't want to hire an immigration attorney, we were considering hiring immigration consultants, but the consensus seems to be that they are not worth the money.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Immigration consultants seem to come into play for those countries that are actively encouraging immigration - to find "the best" fit as far as visa is concerned. Given the visa process for the US, this really isn't relevant. If you're looking to immigrate, you either need to find a job and let your employer-to-be handle the paperwork, or you have family already in the country and you wait out the (rather long) queue once your sponsorship has been approved.

There are a couple other options, but nothing a consultant can help you with.
Cheers,
Bev


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Bevdeforges said:


> Immigration consultants seem to come into play for those countries that are actively encouraging immigration - to find "the best" fit as far as visa is concerned. Given the visa process for the US, this really isn't relevant. If you're looking to immigrate, you either need to find a job and let your employer-to-be handle the paperwork, or you have family already in the country and you wait out the (rather long) queue once your sponsorship has been approved.
> 
> There are a couple other options, but nothing a consultant can help you with.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Thanks Bev, appreciate the advice!


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

EmmaR said:


> Thanks Davis, that's pretty much the amount of the initial fee and a further $2000 once a job is secured!


I have played a small part in jailing two consultants in florida 
thy scammed 100s of people


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Davis1 said:


> I have played a small part in jailing two consultants in florida
> thy scammed 100s of people


:clap2::clap2::clap2:


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Can anyone recommend a company that will help you with your resume? Here in SA we use a CV but I don't think as much importance is placed on it as the resume in USA.


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

EmmaR said:


> Can anyone recommend a company that will help you with your resume? Here in SA we use a CV but I don't think as much importance is placed on it as the resume in USA.


google is your friend 

resume - Google Search


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## EmmaR (Jan 7, 2013)

Davis1 said:


> google is your friend
> 
> resume - Google Search


Google and I are known to have a very good relationship  The problem is there are a LOT of companies offering this service and was wondering if anyone had experiences with a specific resume company they could recommend.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Often the "best" resume services in the US are the local one-person services, who have direct experience with the local employers. You probably want to take a look at resume services in the area where you are hoping to find employment.
Cheers,
Bev


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## patrickL (Mar 7, 2013)

Even theresumecenter is there who gives best service..


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## mfowler (May 29, 2009)

I changed my cv (resume) a little when I moved over to the US but it's much the same to be honest. I changed words to US spelling and tailored it to the terminology they use here in my field. I personally wouldn't waste the money on a company to do it for you. Google some job adverts and take notes on what they are looking for and the terminology used, it worked well for me! Good luck.


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