diagdave

Hi,

I know a lot of people come here without reading or researching, but I have read every wiki page I can. I am 30, married with kids and think the H1B will be the best route to the US for me.

I have a Foundation Degree in Applied Computing (2 year full time HE course). I also have 8 year experience as a software developer in education (FE and Sixth Form Colleges)

I know 3 years of experience can be used as 1 year of College equivalent.

So my question is with my qualification and experience will i be eligible for a H1B visa?


Thanks for any info you can provide.
David

EDIT:
Sorry just seen typo in title (Experience) not a good start.

Ray

https://www.uscis.gov/eir/visa-guide...b-requirements

diagdave

Thanks Ray, i had already seen that and also: H1B Visa Requirements | Official H1B Qualification and Eligibility | Work in America - USA Work Permit - Green Card - H1 Visa - US Work Visa - Immigration USA - H1B - H1-B - H-1B - Live in the USA - H1 Base - H1Base - Job in USA - USA VISA - Work in

There is says "A mix of further education + work experience"

But what is the definition of further education? In the UK that is anything post 16 but is that the same as H1B? I think the thing that is confusing for me is the foundation degree is only a level 5 course, so is lower than a Bsc. The foundation degree qualification hasn't been around that long and so I just want to check that I can count that.

Thanks Again,
David

mikelincs

The problem you face is that you can't apply for the visa, it has to be via the company wanting to employ you, so your first hurdle is to get a US company to start the process, and it's them that will, in the first place, be the people you have to persuade that your qualifications are suitable.

scrubbedexpat099

Do you have a job offer?

diagdave

No job offers yet; I have applied for a few positions at educational establishments, mainly because that’s where my experience will be most valued/suited but also because of the visa cap. I understand the process of the visa i.e. requiring an employer to sponsor/apply but wanted to find out if I would be eligible.

There would be no point trying to convincing an employer if I would then not be able to get a visa anyway. I know getting an offer will be the hardest step.

scrubbedexpat099

Don't educational establishments have higher minimum qualification requirements than the H1b?

ian-mstm

I suggest you ignore the information on the commercial (unofficial) site in favor of the information provided on the official government site. The former just wants your money... and has no obligation to provide accurate information.


Yes - so does the official government site.


Post secondary education. In the US, that would refer to education received after graduation from high school.


Actually, it's not. Getting a job offer is relatively easy. The hard part will be convincing them, after they've already made the job offer, that they should fork out $8K-$10K to sponsor you for a visa when there are already many hundreds of thousands of job applicants in the US, who have equal or superior skills and education, who can start work tomorrow if asked, and who don't need to drain the company coffers just to hire you!

Ian

diagdave

It varies.

Universities tend to ask for a Bachelor's degree & 3/4+ years experience.
Colleges vary depending on post. Bachelor's degree & 3+ years or Associate’s degree & 4+ years.

These are for system admin/developer posts not teaching. I did check with the College and they did say H1B could be a possibility, but that could be something they have to say to be shown as an equal opportunity employer

Thanks Ian, I have been very upfront with the visa requirement for me and I have only applied at establishments that have applied for Visas in the past so are aware of the cost/process. So if i were to get an offer I would hope this would have already been considered prior to the offer. That's why I assumed getting an offer would be the hardest part.

I'm not sure what the job market is in the education sector, here it is hard to find someone with experience in such a niche area. I've tried when employing the developers I manage. I hoped that would be the same in the US.

Guindalf

If it's for a non-teaching role, they have even less reason to hire someone requiring sponsorship. It puts them in the same position as any other employer in the country that has hundreds of applicants for every job.

Trust me, I know. I'm currently unemployed and on one particular website, every new job has 150+ applicants by the time I even hear about it!

This may put you at a disadvantage. Any college that has been through the process may be LESS likely to do it again! My wife is Executive Assistant to the Provost of a smallish college and they went through the process a couple of years ago for a professor from the Bahamas. I know that the work involved would make them think twice if another person needed the same consideration!

diagdave

Do you think moving away from the education sector would be better. I have been looking at doing the extra year of the degree to provide a BSc Honours Degree in Applied Computing. I did the first 2 years while in full time work so a third while working isn't impossible, just costly.

I'd rather be honest than waste anyone's time. Especially if there is a US candidate that could do the role as good as me. That what has ruined the H1B process in the first place.

Im open to any suggestions on things I can do to increase my chances. I know that the is no easy way to move to the US and that it is a lengthy process.

I think technically my first question (would i be eligible for H1B) has been answered. I think that in theory I would be, but convincing anyone to hire me is unlikely.

cautiousjon

If you have experience with managing developers, I would argue that an L1A (multinational manager) visa is a potential avenue, as a functional / line manager of developers. You might want to look at some American firms that have a UK presence, that have openings for development leads / architect type roles, and then see if there is an opportunity within the company for an internal transfer to a US division. It'll take at least a year to accomplish this (you have to work for the UK subsidiary for a year), but the path to a green card from an L1A is much easier than an H1B.

diagdave

Thanks cautiousjon,

I will do some research into that option.

LonelyCloud

Agree that the L1A path is much easier than the H1B.

Just a little additional information. I spoke with an immigration attorney last week as she informed me that it had to be a 4 year degree not 3. For context, I suggested that I could complete a degree to at least enter the H1B lottery while working for an employer.

I will be suggesting to a potential employer that an E3 will be easier (no route for an L1 this time around)

ian-mstm

No, it doesn't... and if that's what the attorney told you - that is has to be a 4-year degree - then she's lying to you. While a 4-year degree is common in the US, you can also substitute 3 years of experience for each year of school. So, a 3-year degree and 3 years of experience is, for US immigration purposes, equivalent to a 4-year degree.

Ian