# H-1B degree verification



## arbee2604 (May 23, 2011)

Hi all,

I'm about to start a US job search, with a view to relocating my family (me, wife, 2 toddlers) to the US (NY preferably) and have begun preparing a resumé for this purpose.

I've read a lot about H-1B visa, the application process etc, and know that it's a long shot that I'll find someone willing to sponsor me, but nothing ventured nothing gained, right?

My Bachelor's degree was from a British (ie not American) university, and I understand that at some point I'll need verification that this meets the H-1B criteria for equivalency. 

At what point should I be looking into this? Is it something I should do BEFORE I start my search, or only if/when someone is interested in employing me? And how do I go about getting said verification - is it done through official channels, or commercial third-parties?

Like everything else H-1B related, there seems to be a lot of websites willing to take money before they'll give out any details.

I may be worrying about this too much of course - the 14 years industry experience I've gained since should be enough to compensate for any degree shortcomings, but I'm not wanting to leave anything to chance.

Any advice gratefully received!


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

Ignore all the job sites,... pretty much all scams ... 
you job offer has to come from a US company ..with the recession in efffect the chances are not god


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

What industry are you in and at what level? That determines how to search for open positions.


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## arbee2604 (May 23, 2011)

Thanks for the replies!

I work in the IT industry, as a web application developer. Currently I lead the development team (4 people) within a small UK-based company. My current job title is Senior Developer.

I'm looking for a similar role in the US, and my current plan is to apply for jobs via Monster, Yahoo etc. I'm also hoping to build relationships with one or two recruitment agencies, in the hope that they can match me with suitable positions.

Craigslist seems to have a fair number of jobs that appeal and suit my skillset, but I'm not completely convinced that a company cutting corners by advertising there is likely to sponsor a visa, and therefore this route might be a waste of time.

At this stage, though, I'm not discounting anything.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

arbee2604 said:


> Thanks for the replies!
> 
> I work in the IT industry, as a web application developer. Currently I lead the development team (4 people) within a small UK-based company. My current job title is Senior Developer.
> 
> ...



Getting blood out of a turnip:>) Well, lets work with what little info we have.

What is posted on the big job boards runs apps such as PeopleSoft. Your information will only hit an actual desk if it matches the set criteria. You will get a lot of "thank you we received your information". Use IT specific boards or good ol' networking. Use search function - I posted about a recent IT recruiting scam which cost several folks a bit of money.


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## arbee2604 (May 23, 2011)

Sorry if I'm not giving you the right/enough info, didn't want to overload! Looking back through some of your older posts, though, I'm guessing you've got some sort of IT background, so...

10 years PHP experience (4 and 5) plus similar Javascript/CSS/HTML. I've worked mainly on Windows systems during that time, but have some Linux experience, including server admin, and in previous jobs have worked with various Unix flavours. Other languages I've worked with include Java, C, and I recently wrote an Add-In for Outlook in C#. Database wise I'm experienced with MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, and in a former life Interbase. I'm involved in a lot of infrastructure management (network, mail/database/web servers). As lead developer, I'm responsible for a lot of product design, and have considerable input into which feature requests we're going to implement and how. 

In addition to technical skills, I've been involved in a lot of pre-sales work (customer meetings, presentations, bid writing) as well as customer support.

All of the above gives me a good skillset which I think would be a good fit for both startups and established firms.

I saw you mention LinkedIn and Dice in previous posts - Dice I wasn't aware of, so that's useful. I notice a lot of the same recruiters mentioned there - CyberCoders, TEKSystems etc. Is there much worth in posting a resume with them, or am I better applying for individual jobs?

It's a long time since I've been on the lookout for a job in my own country (10+ years) let alone thousands of miles away!

Thanks again for your help. All advice gratefully received.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

See PM as I think this may not be of interest for other posters.


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## JimJams (Jan 11, 2010)

twostep said:


> See PM as I think this may not be of interest for other posters.


Hi twostep

Could you post on here or send me the PM too... think it may be of some interest to me too. I have similar experiece to OP but in C# arena. I was looking at US (and still am to a certain extent) but have focused towards easier places such as Canada and Australia... I should keep all options open I guess!

thanks


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