SanDiego-Hello

Hello Everybody!!

I have been in very sunny San Diego for 3 weeks, having moved here from, what I hear is, a rain drenched London with my boyfriend, who has taken a role at the University of San Diego.

He is sorted with a 3 year H1B visa, a contract with the university and all the benefits that go with that. We are currently living on campus and have an apartment lined up in La Jolla from the beginning of August. We have a temperamental 2nd hand Saab, that having just got it out of the menders, fingers crossed, will keep us going for a while. So, there are already a lot of boxes ticked in a short space of time. I am currently enjoying my lady of leisure-ness but need to find a JOB!!

My situation is this, I have a B-2 visitor visa for 6 months which can then be renewed however I do want to find a job and have already started looking.

My concerns are this - how easy is it to find a company to sponsor me? I have a business studies and marketing degree and have worked in marketing and events in the hospitality industry for over 12 years, is this the type of role that I could get sponsored for? Am I allowed to do unpaid work while I look for a job? Could I work for an american company and get paid in to my uk bank and not have to have a work visa?

I would be really grateful for any of your thoughts on this. I think I know the answers which is there arent really any straight answers but your input would be appreciated!

Looking for to hearing from you.

Oh and if any of you have any ideas on cool things to do and see in SD do let me know.

THANK YOU!!

Katie

Noorah101

Depends on whether the position and your experience both meet the requirements for an H1B, and whether the company can and wants to afford paying several thousand dollars to hire you, when they can hire someone who already has work authorization, for free. You should be able to bring something very special to the table that will make then want to spend the money on you.

You are allowed to do truly volunteer work. This means a job which no one at all ever gets paid for. For example, volunteering in a soup kitchen, shelter, food bank, etc. You cannot offer to do a job for no pay which others would get paid to do.

No, you can do no paid work while physically in the USA, without the proper work authorization/visa.

I would be really grateful for any of your thoughts on this. I think I know the answers which is there arent really any straight answers but your input would be appreciated!

Eat at Sadaf Restaurant in La Jolla.

Rene

Noorah101

I forgot to ask....are you on a Co-habitating Partner B-2? Or just a plain old B-2? If co-habitating partner, might be able to be extended more easily than the plain old B-2.

Rene

Bob

You must have an idea what kind of ballache the OH went to in finding a job willing to sponsor his visa?

That's exactly the same battle you will have, but added issue that your potential job won't be in academia or research, so you wouldn't be able to start till October even if you did get a H1 of your own.

SanDiego-Hello

Hi!

Thank you for your quick response Rene, that's really helpful and what I thought would be the case on all points. Guess it's going to be like trying to find a neddle in a hay stack but I'll have to keep trying.

thanks for the recommendation too! looks yummy.

Thank you!!

Katie

SanDiego-Hello

I have a co-habiting B-2 visa based on Paul's H1B so should be good to renew as long as he is employed here.

Katie

SanDiego-Hello

The thing is that it wasnt a ball ache at all. He found the job advertised by chance, applied, had 2 phone interviews, got offered the job, accepted the visa was arranged by their attourney and 4 months later we're here!

What do you mean by "but added issue that your potential job won't be in academia or research, so you wouldn't be able to start till October even if you did get a H1 of your own."

Thanks for your input Bob

Bob

Uni related jobs and certain research jobs don't fall under the quota of the H1B, so can start as soon as they get the visa.

Most jobs on the other hand do fall under the quota, which means the visa opening up in April, and employers applying from that date onwards, but any employee being granted the visa wouldn't be allowed to start work till that following October.

So even if you did find someone willing to sponsor you and give you a job, you wouldn't be allowed to start for a few months.

Reason his visa might have seemed easy to get, because research jobs are also able to get out of paying a couple of the fee's, which add on a few extra grand to the cost of the visa, which makes you even less attractive of a candidate.

scrubbedexpat099

Perhaps there is a bit too much negativity, you have the advantage of being here and nothing much else to do so what is the downside in trying?

meauxna

I don't think those jobs will fall under 'specialty occupation' for the H-1B, but, that is not the only employment visa there is. Considering where you live and your field, you might look for a Brit-owned business that could hire you with an E visa, or another creative option.
Read some basic descriptions about the visas here, but it may be that you can not get a visa to work in the US. http://london.usembassy.gov/nonimmigrant-visas.html

lisa67

OP, try looking at www.volunteermatch.org

Bob

Never said it isn't worth trying, as you say, already here...just that it won't be easy.

tahminawatson

Hi there, I agree with other replies you have received. With a B2 visa, you have limited time in the US and may not have enough time to find a suitable employer. If you were to marry your boyfriend, you could change your status to H4. While you are not permitted to work on an H4, you will have more time to find a suitable position. From H4, you could change to an appropriate work visa in due course. Good luck.

ian-mstm

To clarify, she has a cohabiting B-2 visa... a tad different from a regular B-2 visa with respect to how long she is able to remain in the US.


Good advice... as long as they are prepared to marry!

Ian

SanDiego-Hello

Great, thank you. That's really handy. There are plenty of different visas so there probably is a way in somewhere. I just need to keep looking for a job.

Thanks!