Twinkle0927

So, you want to move thousands of miles away to a new country that is nothing like home but you won't move to a different part of the U.K. to help fulfil this dream you have? I don't get it.

Omitting that you require sponsorship when looking for jobs might backfire on you. You could thoroughly irritate and annoy people in HR who spend time assessing your application and taking it further to find out that you need sponsorship - which they may have no interest in pursuing - and word gets around. Not a good way to get your foot in the door.

Jack8602

Here come the life police. His definition of near may be 25 miles, or 100 miles. Moving to a different city in the UK isn't a valid comparison to moving overseas, I wouldn't have left my hometown and went to London for example

Yeah, I'm sure HR will email other companies and tell them about his application.

Twinkle0927

You've just agreed with me without realizing it! Moving within the U.K. is nothing like moving overseas. That's exactly the point I was making. He's wanting to shift his whole life to the other side of the world but won't look for a job out of his nearby area in order to get there. That's a small step to take to make a big step. If he won't take the small step...

And never underestimate what people (not necessarily just within HR) know and what connections they have. It's not what you know, it's who you know. Just as many jobs are gained by networking and getting your name out there in the right circles, many opportunities are lost in the same way. A bad reputation will always follow you.

fbf2006

There's no real need to add that one needs sponsorship on their resume. Typically that is done when filling out the company's online application or speaking to HR.

I do think it's a long shot in the OP's specific situation that someone from a company he applied to would bad mouth him somewhere because he didn't mention he needed sponsorship. People hardly remember the names of people they've interviewed not to mention some random applicant.

petitefrancaise

If the resume is filed online and has the words "sponsorship" or "visa" or anything like it in the resume or in the covering letter, it almost definitely won't get through the filters applied to the job application.

it will only get through if those filters have not been applied. Whether that is because there is the possibility of sponsorship or because it didn't occur to them to add the filters is beyond your control.

I would leave in your need for visa sponsorship in your cover letter, it is being honest and that is the best way to start with a new job. I'd also do what others have already suggested and find work with a company that has positions in the US that you could potentially fill in a year or so.

Apart from anything else, how are going to answer "Why do want to work in the USA?"?

Do you have any idea of the costs involved? For you if all the company will pay for is the visa? My OH's company started bringing over employees from China and all they were given was the one way plane ticket and visa costs. No moving service, no help on arrival, no tax prep, nothing.

hh619

petitefrancaise Hi, Thanks for your reply.

Yeah i agree, I'm leaving it in my cover letter, but it is at the very bottom

I want to want to work / live in the US probably for the same as most people! Better quality of life, getting sick of the UK, love the place in general.. i know it will be different doing the 9-5 daily grind, but it would make it much more tolerable. Also, it is ultimately where I’d like to start a family.

I have a general idea of the costs involved, but i think i have enough funds to cover all the costs. If it looks like the move was imminent i would hire an immigration attorney. I have a house and mortgage with approx. 40-55k equity, which I would use to help with the transition to the U.S.

Pulaski

Why?

It is unlikely an immigration attorney would be useful even if you were applying for a visa yourself e.g. if you were being sponsored by a family member*, but on any sort of employment based visa the company will have a lawyer working on your case, so what would you want your own immigration attorney for?

Exceptions might be if you had a criminal record, or had a significant previous over-stay and needed a waiver for a ban, etc.

Jack8602

I really didn't - not worth responding.

Good luck Matt88 - i think you've got a strong chance in that field of IT.

For those questioning you on costs, i got nothing paid for except my visa and immigration lawyers by the company, I spent in the region of $8-10k to move, $3k of that was apartment rent deposit which i got back after a year.

mrken30

You're not going to get very far in the US without a degree of some sort. Even if its a degree in knitting socks.

Steve_

I agree with the people saying you should try for L-1 instead, H-1B is a very long odds crap shoot. Okay, there are a few people on here who managed to pull it off but there's a huge number of people who failed.

I had H-1B and the company I was working for went bust and I had to leave the US. That is one of the many pitfalls of it even if you get it. And that was a long time ago when the quota was bigger and you couldn't do IT remotely.

Also no-one has mentioned that the DOL has been ordered by Trump to review H-1B, the betting is that in the future they will be awarded based on merit rather than first-come-first-served and I can pretty much guarantee if they use a points system that degree will become even more important.

With your skill set (Azure automation is in big demand) you should easily be able to get a job with a local company that has US offices and then transfer over on L-1B. It's so much easier because you can get the job directly, you're allowed to work, it's just usual getting a job BS and then after a year you can transfer over.

Steve_

All I can say is, watch a few episodes of 90 Day Fiancé. I always find it fascinating watching the foreigners slowly come to the realization that the US is a lot less of an interesting place to live than they thought and they've got to get married to a dumb/ugly American to pull it off.

It does not have a "better quality of life", you get little in the way of vacation time and Americans think you're mad if you take any vacation time and their objective in life appears to be to work themselves to death, which at first makes no sense until you realize how desperate they are to maintain affordable healthcare.

No-one ever agrees with me but you're better off in Canada. This will make more sense to you when you get older and start to have health problems.

hh619

Thanks Jack, you've provided great advice. I think i would be ok on the costs, but by the sounds of it, H-1B might be a bit of a pipe dream! Although, i will still try

Steve - I might give that a watch

I think it would be a better life. If it isn't then i can always look into Canada But i've got to get in first..

In regards to vacation; i've seen countless job adverts saying PTO 4 Weeks. I guess it all depends on the role and the Salary bracket, as to which perks you will receive.

On a serious note, Canada is my backup plan. I applied for 3 jobs last year and 2 replied and were interested. Not sure i could handle the climate. Although, South Ontario is pretty warm in the summer.

Pulaski

That's pretty much it, vacation time depends on some combination of industry, length of service, and seniority. I started on 21 days then got bumped to 23 days and then 28 days after ten years service. I will get another five days after twenty years service.

I don't however get all public holidays, and that is very common - you may get the "big six", (1/1, Memorial Day (Spring Bank), Independence Day, Labor Day (one week after the August bank holiday), Thanksgiving, and Christmas), but the others are often not given. Some companies give you the day after Thanksgiving as a freebie.

I have worked in four departments and under more managers than that, and one common theme is that I have been encouraged, almost told, to take all my vacation time, and I always have! Culture in different industries and individual companies, and even under different managers, may be very different with many people not taking all their assigned vacation time

Jack8602

Never been to uni in my life, makes no odds (working in IT at least, same as OP is) so long as you've got experience. any work in IT favors experience over degrees these days.

hh619

Thanks Pulaski - That's very reassuring.. I could survive on 10 or so PTO, anything less would really suck