Urbanscot

Hello, I am new here and I am looking for some advice from someone in the know, an opportunity to move to the USA from Scotland with a job offer. What I lack is the steps required from A to b or is that Z? It looks complex with all the visa's Is there a checklist of things to be done, timescales, and such. I am just starting out on this journey and I realize from reading some posts there are many very knowledgable people, Thanks for any help.

scrubbedexpat099

I would start by having a chat with your Employers Lawyer, what visa they are going for, timeline etc, once you have that down to pat come back here and people can fill you in.

Urbanscot

Hi, The Visa that they are going for? SO the visa is tied to the job, Just to clarify
what you mean here,, Thanks.

scrubbedexpat099

Assuming they are not sponsoring you for Permanent Residency, yes, most people coming through work are on at least initially a work visa.

Urbanscot

The company that I will be working for in the future is just starting out, So I am trying to find out as much information as possible on best visas, rout, what is required from myself for moving to the USA as much information as possible so I can try to make some sense of it, and also share with my future employer. Thank you to anyone reading this who can share some information.

Urbanscot

And there are many work visas, so would the visa depend on the type of work?

scrubbedexpat099

As mentioned initially the Employers Immigration Lawyer would be the best person to discuss this situation with, they can advise best having an understanding of the bigger picture. Sounds like a US Company? So unlikely there are any immediate options but how long etc depends on the specific details.

scrubbedexpat099

Lots of different types. An alphabet of them.

Urbanscot

So what would be the difference with permanent and a work visa, the requirement and consequences of these two types of applications? I do not mean one is permanent and one not, More so on the legal sides of things required by myself and employer. Thank you for your help.

Pulaski

Timing - a work visa can take as little as a few weeks, with accelerated processing, whereas a green card ("permanent visa") can take as long as couple of years, so typically it's "work visa first", then submit a green card application and let that run through the system. and so long as you apply early enough the green card will come before your work visa expires.
And your nationality, and that of the employer - assuming that you're British, and if the prospective employer has a British HQ, then there is another visa option.

Urbanscot

Timing - a work visa can take as little as a few weeks, with accelerating processing, a green card ("permanent visa") can take as long as a couple of years, so typically it's "work visa first", then submit a green card application and let that run through the system. and so long as you apply early enough the green card will come before your work visa expires.

As for the work Visa, there are loads of them, how do you begin to make sense of the type that would be best ? . this may sound stupid, and it may well be, but what is the financial position I would need to be in before applying for a work visa, and are there any other legalities that would be required by myself before working through the process? Cheers.

Nutmegger

What everyone is telling you is that it is the employer who should start the ball rolling on applying for a visa for you, thus you should ask them which visa they are applying for, and what they require you to provide — such as info on your degrees and experience.

SanDiegogirl

It sounds as though the company has never applied to sponsor a foreign worker before.

Note that not all jobs qualify for a work visa. Note that the most 'common' visa - the H-1B - requires the applicant to be at degree level.

The company has to apply for the visa - not the applicant.

What type of work are you being offered? At what level?

Pulaski

You don't apply for a work visa, your employer does, that's the beginning, middle and end of it.

Bear in mind that several times a year we see someone come here to BE and start asking all the questions that you're asking, when in truth there may be no way for them to get a work visa. Getting a visa isn't easy, and for many jobs, it isn't possible, full stop.

So our experience here, on BE, is that when someone comes asking, because the prospective employer has asked them to find out about getting a work visa for themselves, they are almost certainly the latest in a long line of people who have been "offered a job" in the US, but there is no way for them to get a work visa to take up the offer.

SanDiegogirl

There is no financial position for the applicant to be in, when applying for a work visa - That is the responsibility of the company - THEY have to prove you are capable of the job and have the correct qualifications/experience.