# What to do next?



## GrayMatter (Nov 12, 2010)

My wife and I would love to migrate to the US. It's something we are actively preparing for (sold house, etc) but are now at a point where we need to decide what our next steps are. My wife and I have a small business (only she is presently employed by it). I also have a degree and I am in a senior software architect at a company. I have oodles of enterprise level experience (10+ years) but don't know what to do next. 

I have applied for a couple of positions (one was quite favorable but I would need to go across there for an interview which is madness to do for just one interview) that I saw on Stack Overflow. Should I be looking at doing this through some sort of broker? Where should I be looking for jobs?

I would be happy to start with an H1B visa but would definitely want to go for green card sponsorship as soon as possible because I hate uncertainty. There is also the possibility that the company that I am presently working for could transfer me to the US under a L1 visa. Would I be able to apply for a green card with that visa?

We even applied for the lottery so hopefully we get lucky on that side.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

GrayMatter said:


> My wife and I would love to migrate to the US. It's something we are actively preparing for (sold house, etc) but are now at a point where we need to decide what our next steps are. My wife and I have a small business (only she is presently employed by it)..


Are you not putting the cart before the horse? A one-man start up may be nice in your market but that is it.



GrayMatter said:


> I also have a degree and I am in a senior software architect at a company. I have oodles of enterprise level experience (10+ years) but don't know what to do next. .


IT is booming contrary to public opinion but only if you are top notch in sought after niches. Oodles of experience are available all over the US.



GrayMatter said:


> I have applied for a couple of positions (one was quite favorable but I would need to go across there for an interview which is madness to do for just one interview) that I saw on Stack Overflow. Should I be looking at doing this through some sort of broker? Where should I be looking for jobs?.


Employers generally refrain from buying the cat in a bag:>) A recruiter will only touch you if you have a) qualifications b)qualify for a visa c) he has a client willing to buy and pay.




GrayMatter said:


> I would be happy to start with an H1B visa but would definitely want to go for green card sponsorship as soon as possible because I hate uncertainty. There is also the possibility that the company that I am presently working for could transfer me to the US under a L1 visa. Would I be able to apply for a green card with that visa?.


You cannot apply for a Green Card. That is up to them employer.



GrayMatter said:


> We even applied for the lottery so hopefully we get lucky on that side.


Have you bothered to read up on anything pertaining to US immigration visas?
Start with uscis.gov


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## GrayMatter (Nov 12, 2010)

twostep said:


> Are you not putting the cart before the horse? A one-man start up may be nice in your market but that is it.


It's not so much as putting the cart before the horse but preparing. A house can take quite a long time to sell here unless you are willing to take a big knock on price. The last thing I wanted was to get a position in the US and be prevented from taking it because we are rooted here. We can always go out and buy another house.

Our business is not a one man startup but a company (with other investors) that has been in business since 2004 and has been steadily increasing income every year. Presently my wife is the only employee drawing a salary to keep the costs low while we save money to move. I am contracting to the company I work for in that same vein.



> IT is booming contrary to public opinion but only if you are top notch in sought after niches. Oodles of experience are available all over the US.


It's good to know that there is a high demand in the US for top notch people. I am very good at what I do. I have architected systems that are used by governments around the world. High capacity, high availability systems.



> Employers generally refrain from buying the cat in a bag:>) A recruiter will only touch you if you have a) qualifications b)qualify for a visa c) he has a client willing to buy and pay.


Am I understanding correctly that by "cat in the bag" you are referring being on a brokers book? The problem that I have is that it feels to me like I should have someone on that side looking out for my interests, organising interviews, etc. What does concern me is the number of jobs specifically requesting that brokers *don't* contact them. There are hundreds of web site purporting to offer H1B jobs and hundreds more offering positions. Which ones are any good? Thats the type of information you pick up when you live in a country, not something you pick up looking from the outside in. Resume formats are different, the US puts a lot of weight on cover letters. Here most placements happen through an employment agency so there is more weight on your competency and less on the layout of your CV.



> You cannot apply for a Green Card. That is up to them employer.


Sorry, thats what I was meaning. Could the company motivate for a green card if I have an L1 visa? I know that I can switch from an L1 to an H1B visa but all of these things take time and add complications.



> Have you bothered to read up on anything pertaining to US immigration visas?
> Start with uscis.gov


I have read a lot. This is not a decision we have taken lightly. The problem is that there is almost too much information and most of it by some companies that have an agenda of their own. Thats why I was so happy to find a site like this, because the posters here are unlikely to have an agenda. We applied for the green card lottery here because between my wife and myself, we have about a 2% chance of getting it which is not such bad odds.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

GrayMatter said:


> Am I understanding correctly that by "cat in the bag" you are referring being on a brokers book? The problem that I have is that it feels to me like I should have someone on that side looking out for my interests, organising interviews, etc. What does concern me is the number of jobs specifically requesting that brokers *don't* contact them. There are hundreds of web site purporting to offer H1B jobs and hundreds more offering positions. Which ones are any good? Thats the type of information you pick up when you live in a country, not something you pick up looking from the outside in. Resume formats are different, the US puts a lot of weight on cover letters. Here most placements happen through an employment agency so there is more weight on your competency and less on the layout of your CV.


You are not familiar with IT recruitment in the US. In-house jobs particullarly at a lucrative compensation level are not easy to get especially for someone who needs a visa and the expenses/waiting periods associated with it plus someone who has no US network. I do not know your professional particulars so I have to stay pretty general - your information will be added to a database and automated correspondence will go out making you feel like you are in the loop. The trend is H1B farming of contract employees and that is very much in Indian dot hands. Contractors handling jobs associated with and/or paid by US government often have to provide employees with security clearances which is something you cannot obtain or proof of citizenship. 
I do not know where you got the information about cover letters being important. IT is a different industrie.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

GrayMatter said:


> Am I understanding correctly that by "cat in the bag" you are referring being on a brokers book? The problem that I have is that it feels to me like I should have someone on that side looking out for my interests, organising interviews, etc. What does concern me is the number of jobs specifically requesting that brokers *don't* contact them. There are hundreds of web site purporting to offer H1B jobs and hundreds more offering positions. Which ones are any good? Thats the type of information you pick up when you live in a country, not something you pick up looking from the outside in. Resume formats are different, the US puts a lot of weight on cover letters. Here most placements happen through an employment agency so there is more weight on your competency and less on the layout of your CV.


To add a bit to what Twostep has told you. There are brokers and there are recruiters in the US - either are (or should be) paid by the employer, NOT by the job candidate. Employers post jobs stating that they will not accept broker or recruiter applicants simply because they don't want to pay the fees, which can run to several months' to a year's salary.

I would also run from any website, broker or recruiter offering to find you a job for a fee, or even just offering a list of "H1B jobs" for a fee. In the US it's the employer who pays the recruitment fees. There is no such thing as an H1B job - each potential foreign hire has to be justified in order for the employer to sponsor the candidate's visa, and if a qualified local candidate were to turn up at the last minute with no visa requirement, any rational employer would hire them in a heartbeat rather than go through the hoops (and expense) of "petitioning" a foreigner. 

And the last time I checked, it was still very illegal for a sponsored job candidate to "reimburse" the employer for any of the employer's fees for sponsoring a visa. (Another favorite scam of the fly-by-night "we'll find you a job with a visa" recruiters.) As they say, it's a jungle out there...
Cheers,
Bev


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

You can send me your information and compensation expectations as confidential PM. I will gladly run it by some IT recruiters to feel their pulse.


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## GrayMatter (Nov 12, 2010)

twostep said:


> You are not familiar with IT recruitment in the US. In-house jobs particullarly at a lucrative compensation level are not easy to get especially for someone who needs a visa and the expenses/*waiting *periods associated with it plus someone who has no US network.


Thats my biggest problem. I know almost nothing about the IT recruitment in the US. I believe that I have a lot to offer US companies but have almost no way of showing them that. I would think that the time delays involved in getting a visa are one of the biggest detractors with most companies needing to place their people as soon as possible.



> I do not know your professional particulars so I have to stay pretty general - your information will be added to a database and automated correspondence will go out making you feel like you are in the loop. The trend is H1B farming of contract employees and that is very much in Indian dot hands. Contractors handling jobs associated with and/or paid by US government often have to provide employees with security clearances which is something you cannot obtain or proof of citizenship.


This is the type of stuff that really does concern us. I almost get the impression that there are some companies that are happy to take advantage of unwitting people looking for H1B visas. I value honesty and integrity very highly but not everyone feels the same way.



> I do not know where you got the information about cover letters being important. IT is a different industrie.


Thats good to know. The cover letter perception was one I gained from looking at job specifications and searching on the cover letters which are totally foreign for me.


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## GrayMatter (Nov 12, 2010)

Bevdeforges said:


> To add a bit to what Twostep has told you. There are brokers and there are recruiters in the US - either are (or should be) paid by the employer, NOT by the job candidate. Employers post jobs stating that they will not accept broker or recruiter applicants simply because they don't want to pay the fees, which can run to several months' to a year's salary.


That similar to how it works here although typically employers would pay an employment agency roughly 3 months worth of salary for a placement. I can understand the hesitancy with a placement fee higher than that.



> I would also run from any website, broker or recruiter offering to find you a job for a fee, or even just offering a list of "H1B jobs" for a fee. In the US it's the employer who pays the recruitment fees. There is no such thing as an H1B job - each potential foreign hire has to be justified in order for the employer to sponsor the candidate's visa, and if a qualified local candidate were to turn up at the last minute with no visa requirement, any rational employer would hire them in a heartbeat rather than go through the hoops (and expense) of "petitioning" a foreigner.


I understand. Thanks for the advise.



> And the last time I checked, it was still very illegal for a sponsored job candidate to "reimburse" the employer for any of the employer's fees for sponsoring a visa. (Another favorite scam of the fly-by-night "we'll find you a job with a visa" recruiters.) As they say, it's a jungle out there...


Thank you. I had heard that it was the employers responsibility to pay the visa fees but had no idea it was illegal for the new employee to pay the fee back to the employer.


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## GrayMatter (Nov 12, 2010)

twostep said:


> You can send me your information and compensation expectations as confidential PM. I will gladly run it by some IT recruiters to feel their pulse.


I can't send PM's at the moment. It probably because I have not yet met the post limit or something along those lines. Could you enable this function on my profile in some way?

On the expected compensation side I am a bit in the dark and can only give my present compensation. From the looks of it, salaries vary significantly from state to state and even across different areas within a state. I have a fair understanding of the cost of living that I have managed to glean from different sources on the internet but even that is based on national averages so there is an awfully lot of learning we still need to do.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

GrayMatter said:


> I can't send PM's at the moment. It probably because I have not yet met the post limit or something along those lines. Could you enable this function on my profile in some way?.


I do not know how to override the required post function. Maybe Bev or Brit can do this.



GrayMatter said:


> On the expected compensation side I am a bit in the dark and can only give my present compensation. From the looks of it, salaries vary significantly from state to state and even across different areas within a state. I have a fair understanding of the cost of living that I have managed to glean from different sources on the internet but even that is based on national averages so there is an awfully lot of learning we still need to do.


Why do you want to move to the US? What do you know about this place its ups and downs its bright sides and dark holes but what you found on-line? ???? What you post sounds pretty clueless especially for an IT guy. That species tends to flock together as long as they have a connection to their particular world:>)


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

GrayMatter said:


> I can't send PM's at the moment. It probably because I have not yet met the post limit or something along those lines. Could you enable this function on my profile in some way?


You're now over the required number of posts. Just click on the name in the upper left corner of the message and there should be an option to send a private message to the poster. If not, then perhaps your intended recipient does not yet have enough posts. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## parklandgroupohio (Nov 15, 2010)

Hi GratMatter

Having a green card is so easy for you to have, just wait for the company you are in. Well soon you will be in america, then invest first your money to something that will earn even a little that will be add on to your financial income. That will help much while your in america. thanks


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## GrayMatter (Nov 12, 2010)

twostep said:


> I do not know how to override the required post function. Maybe Bev or Brit can do this.


I can post PM's now so it has been changed. I will send you something now.



> Why do you want to move to the US? What do you know about this place its ups and downs its bright sides and dark holes but what you found on-line? ???? What you post sounds pretty clueless especially for an IT guy. That species tends to flock together as long as they have a connection to their particular world:>)


There are a number of reasons for our move:
1) We value freedom of speech very highly. Presently in South Africa there are two Acts that the ANC are trying to push through that will significantly impact that on this. We also have a lot of safety concerns for our children.
2) The business that my wife is now running either needs to be in the US or Europe to grow to the next level. Both of us are happy to move to the US but not to Europe.
3) We see massive potential for our children in the US.

I am not naive in any way. I previously worked in New Zealand for a year and am well aware that there are good and bad things about every country. My reason for mentioning salary ranges is that I have seen architecture positions in the US ranging from $60000 to $150000. Thats a massive swing and mostly related to where the position is located.


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## GrayMatter (Nov 12, 2010)

Bevdeforges said:


> You're now over the required number of posts. Just click on the name in the upper left corner of the message and there should be an option to send a private message to the poster. If not, then perhaps your intended recipient does not yet have enough posts.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Thanks, must have been my post saying that I couldn't send PM's that pushed me over the limit


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

GrayMatter said:


> My reason for mentioning salary ranges is that I have seen architecture positions in the US ranging from $60000 to $150000. Thats a massive swing and mostly related to where the position is located.


Location is a big factor in salaries, but so is the hiring company. Small, local firms pay small, local salaries. Big, international firms pay big, international salaries. There can also be a "hardship factor" depending on the job, or even a "discount factor" where the employer believes you're eager enough to work for that company or in that position and will work for slightly less than the "going rate." (And there are circumstances where it is well worth going for such a position, even if the initial pay is somewhat lower than normal.)
Cheers,
Bev


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