# Would like to move to USA



## shahid-h (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi all

I'm a graduate from UK and have just over 12 years experience in the IT industry. My wife is a housewife and we have 2 young children, 7yrs and 2yrs old.
My in laws have been in US for 11 years and are now US citizens.

We're now interested in moving to US so would like some information.

I'm obviousley interested in knowing which would be best route for myself, family sponsor or H1B work sponsor.
I'd like to know the length of time it takes for both visas to be processed?

Since I'm an IT professional, do I have to have someone sponsor me for an IT job or can any company sponsor me for any job?

If I go on a H1B visa, am I free to look for another job and move state?

Any info would be usefull and many thanks in advance. If you require more info then pls ask.

Thanks


----------



## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

To move to the US on a work visa you need to find an employer who will sponsor you i.e apply for the visa on your behalf.

Finding the employer is the hardest part. Once you have a job offer and the employer applies for the visa is should not take more than a few months to get the visa, although there is a cap on the amount of H visas available.

You can only work for the employer who provides the H visa.

Your parents, as US citizens, could sponsor you but this will take several years - last I heard it was about 10 years.


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Do some homework. Start with the stickies at the binning of the US forum. They explain the basis of US visas.
Short - H1B is tied to a specific position. Your family can sponsor you but the wait is considerable. You are looking at 8 to 10 years. I cannot log in right bit have posted the link several times in the recent past. H1B can lead to Green Card but it is not a given.

What triggers this desire to uproot your family and move to the US?


----------



## shahid-h (Apr 21, 2011)

Thanks for quick replies, much appreciated.

It sounds like there's no easy option to move abroad any more. There seems to be similar requirements for Canada. 

Finding an employer who will sponsor, I don't expect this to be easy at all, doubt if there are many employers who will inconvenience themselves and wait for months to get someone from abroad.

Are there any visitors or members of this forum who have found employers to sponsor them?

If I'm an IT professional, can I find someone to sponsor me for a totally different job?

Are there no other options or ways of moving to US that any one knows off? Legal ways ofcourse,


----------



## mamasue (Oct 7, 2008)

shahid-h said:


> Thanks for quick replies, much appreciated.
> 
> It sounds like there's no easy option to move abroad any more. There seems to be similar requirements for Canada.
> 
> Are there no other options or ways of moving to US that any one knows off? Legal ways ofcourse,



I believe Canada is easier to emigrate to than the US. 

I know it's a long way round.....but I think your only possibility is the in-laws.


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

shahid-h said:


> Finding an employer who will sponsor, I don't expect this to be easy at all, doubt if there are many employers who will inconvenience themselves and wait for months to get someone from abroad.
> 
> Are there any visitors or members of this forum who have found employers to sponsor them?
> 
> ...


With employment sponsorship, the whole point of the exercise is that the employer has been unable to find someone with the necessary qualifications or experience in the local labor pool. Basically, you need some unusual or hard-to-get training or skill as there are plenty of IT professionals unemployed at the moment in both the US and Canada.

Be aware, too, that the sponsorship process costs the employer a significant amount in both money and effort. You need something that makes it worth their time and effort on your behalf.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

mamasue said:


> I believe Canada is easier to emigrate to than the US.
> 
> I know it's a long way round.....but I think your only possibility is the in-laws.


It depends on OP's actual skill set. IT is still issuing H1B. I would have expected networking on all the big sites, a blog, reaching out to professional contacts ... The usual approach in IT. Not to mention research.


----------



## Pinkjellybean (Aug 5, 2011)

Hi,

As the pp's have said it depends what in IT you do?! It must be specialised and the company must be unable to fill it with a USC and they have to prove it which isn't easy and it costs lots of money. 

My husband has just been granted his H1B to work in IT  for a company in NY (not our ideal location mainly due to how expensive it is). He found the job purely by chance by networking through LinkedIn. The company has probably paid out in excess of $10k just for the visa application so companies will only sponsor someone if that person is extra special.

Good luck 

Vicki


----------



## shahid-h (Apr 21, 2011)

Hi Vicki

Thanks for your post. It's good to hear someone in IT has managed to secure a job and visa.

Can I ask what job your husband does in IT pls? Some specifics about that would be very usefull to me, or if you can let me have his LinkedIn details, I can look him up as I'm registered on that also.

How long did the process take?

Is he going to US on his own or are you all going together?

To be honest I'm willing to pay part (or maybe all) of the costs if I can find an employer to sponsor me.


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

shahid-h said:


> To be honest I'm willing to pay part (or maybe all) of the costs if I can find an employer to sponsor me.


Be careful with that. Last I knew, it is very illegal for the employer to ask for or to receive reimbursement for the costs of securing a visa for a sponsored employee. If you offer to reimburse for their share of the visa costs, chances are an ethical employer will withdraw any pending offer. It's ok to offer to pay your own relocation costs, but not the costs of sponsorship.
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## Pinkjellybean (Aug 5, 2011)

shahid-h said:


> Hi Vicki
> 
> Thanks for your post. It's good to hear someone in IT has managed to secure a job and visa.
> 
> ...


Hi,

He is an Altiris Consultant/Architect. He doesn't have a degree so had to go down the 12 yrs of progressive employment route, which was simple enough. He had to provide his CV and a minimum of 12 yrs references, he got 15yrs just to be safe lol  Must of the references just confirmed the dates he had worked for the companies, there were a lot too as he has owned his own company for must of it and had contracts from 2wks and upwards. Also included were copies of all of his certificates which he had obtained in the last 15yrs relating to the job, there were over 30 of them! The company attorney then sent this all off to a university in the US to be verified and they came back saying it was equivalent to a BSc from Princeton Uni (of all places ) 
Once all the info was gathered by the Attorney, they submitted the application under priority processing. It only took a week for them to authorise the visa, although they had up to 15 days to respond to the application. After that you have to attend your local US Embassy with your passport etc and they issue you with the final decision re the visa.
All in all it took 2 months from the job offer to the Embassy visit. 
As a pp said you cannot pay your own way for a H visa, the whole point is the company has to want you that much that they are willing to pay for it. It has cost the company $10+K.
We are all intending to go over, although my husband is going over first in Sept and we are following on later once he knows it's definitely the right thing to do. All the interviews have been done over the phone, they are yet to meet him! Madness if you ask me! 

HTH Good luck

Vicki


----------

