British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
#1
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 15
British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
Hi everyone,
I'm in my mid-late 20s and like most people I want to move to the USA to work and live there temporarily. However, my skills and experience are kind of a mixed bag and I was wondering if you guys could help me plan my move. I currently have an IEC Canada visa and plan to move to Toronto to develop life experience and help me figure out what I want to do outside of an 9-5 office job.
Long story short:
I have a law degree (4yrs including + 10 months legal experience)
I'm a musician/producer which I've done on a semi-professional basis for 6+ years.
Currently working as a digital content specialist in a youth charity (similar to Bernados)
Over the last 6 years I've worked in digital marketing/outreach within the third sector focusing on youth development in different orgs (a mixture of internships/freelance/web design & consultancy work)
I also helped direct, research and film a short social documentary which was used as a learning aide in several schools within London (PSHE lessons)
Skills:
Audio/video production, digital marketing, outreach, Drupal 7, web design, legal experience, community outreach and development.
I'm not sure about my chances and I'm willing to develop my portfolio and work experience to ensure I stand a good chance of making it into the USA.
I am looking to continue my digital marketing work in non profits and/or possibly as a music production teacher within the next 2-3 years.
What are my chances of securing a H1B or H1B exempt cap visa?
I'm in my mid-late 20s and like most people I want to move to the USA to work and live there temporarily. However, my skills and experience are kind of a mixed bag and I was wondering if you guys could help me plan my move. I currently have an IEC Canada visa and plan to move to Toronto to develop life experience and help me figure out what I want to do outside of an 9-5 office job.
Long story short:
I have a law degree (4yrs including + 10 months legal experience)
I'm a musician/producer which I've done on a semi-professional basis for 6+ years.
Currently working as a digital content specialist in a youth charity (similar to Bernados)
Over the last 6 years I've worked in digital marketing/outreach within the third sector focusing on youth development in different orgs (a mixture of internships/freelance/web design & consultancy work)
I also helped direct, research and film a short social documentary which was used as a learning aide in several schools within London (PSHE lessons)
Skills:
Audio/video production, digital marketing, outreach, Drupal 7, web design, legal experience, community outreach and development.
I'm not sure about my chances and I'm willing to develop my portfolio and work experience to ensure I stand a good chance of making it into the USA.
I am looking to continue my digital marketing work in non profits and/or possibly as a music production teacher within the next 2-3 years.
What are my chances of securing a H1B or H1B exempt cap visa?
Last edited by callmetoots; Feb 15th 2015 at 10:19 pm.
#2
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
If it is cap then best guess is about 40%. Non cap are not limited.
Bigger issue is getting a sponsor.
Bigger issue is getting a sponsor.
#3
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Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 38,865
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
To get a visa, you almost always need to have a US company willing to sponsor you. To get an H-1B visa, the job must require a degree that's related to the job. So, what sort of job do you feel qualified to do with a law degree? You can't use it to practice law in the US... certainly not without some retraining and passing a state bar. Not likely anything related to music, or digital marketing/content/outreach. However, there are other visas for which you might be more qualified.
Start here - and when you find a visa for which you might be qualified, do some research on that visa... and then come back and ask your questions. Be sure to do the research prior to asking questions.
Ian
Start here - and when you find a visa for which you might be qualified, do some research on that visa... and then come back and ask your questions. Be sure to do the research prior to asking questions.
Ian
#4
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 15
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
Would getting a sponsor be an issue if I went for the J1 visa? I've read the guide and could probably apply for the the trainee programme but I wouldn't want to live with a host family
#5
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
If you stay in Canada long enough (5 years) you could become a Canadian citizen, which changes the work-visa landscape.
Your digital media and video direction production might be usable to support an O-1 (the requirements these days appear to be quite elastic and fall a long way short of Nobel laureates and Oscar winners), but that is specialized territory and you would need to consult an experienced immigration lawyer.
Your digital media and video direction production might be usable to support an O-1 (the requirements these days appear to be quite elastic and fall a long way short of Nobel laureates and Oscar winners), but that is specialized territory and you would need to consult an experienced immigration lawyer.
#6
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
So assuming that the OP is eligible to apply for PR at some point in his first year, and that processing takes around another year, he may become a PR in 2017, then it's 4 years before he can apply for citizenship taking him to 2021, and then around another year or eighteen months before he actually gets his test and oath ceremony and becomes a citizen (going on current timescales). So 2023 perhaps as a rough guide.
HTH.
#7
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
I feel I should caveat this by saying that it's likely to be nearer 8 years for the OP before he'd be a citizen - his time on an IEC visa won't count towards citizenship, he'd need to wait until he's a PR before he'd start accruing the required 4 years in Canada.
So assuming that the OP is eligible to apply for PR at some point in his first year, and that processing takes around another year, he may become a PR in 2017, then it's 4 years before he can apply for citizenship taking him to 2021, and then around another year or eighteen months before he actually gets his test and oath ceremony and becomes a citizen (going on current timescales). So 2023 perhaps as a rough guide.
HTH.
So assuming that the OP is eligible to apply for PR at some point in his first year, and that processing takes around another year, he may become a PR in 2017, then it's 4 years before he can apply for citizenship taking him to 2021, and then around another year or eighteen months before he actually gets his test and oath ceremony and becomes a citizen (going on current timescales). So 2023 perhaps as a rough guide.
HTH.
#8
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 15
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
To get a visa, you almost always need to have a US company willing to sponsor you. To get an H-1B visa, the job must require a degree that's related to the job. So, what sort of job do you feel qualified to do with a law degree? You can't use it to practice law in the US... certainly not without some retraining and passing a state bar. Not likely anything related to music, or digital marketing/content/outreach. However, there are other visas for which you might be more qualified.
Start here - and when you find a visa for which you might be qualified, do some research on that visa... and then come back and ask your questions. Be sure to do the research prior to asking questions.
Ian
Start here - and when you find a visa for which you might be qualified, do some research on that visa... and then come back and ask your questions. Be sure to do the research prior to asking questions.
Ian
Its all about thinking outside the box. There are many charities that are devoted to helping young people off the streets, many who have experienced a life of crime, or trying to rehabilitate them back into society. A number of them run creative workshops or need digital marketing experts.
#9
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Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 38,865
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
Ian
#10
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
This is a full time job?
#11
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Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Berkeley, CA
Posts: 927
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
J-1 is used for a very wide variety of purposes. Typically J-1 trainees or interns do not live with a host family.
#12
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
but would be happy to continue my work in a non-profit.
Its all about thinking outside the box. There are many charities that are devoted to helping young people off the streets, many who have experienced a life of crime, or trying to rehabilitate them back into society. A number of them run creative workshops or need digital marketing experts.
Its all about thinking outside the box. There are many charities that are devoted to helping young people off the streets, many who have experienced a life of crime, or trying to rehabilitate them back into society. A number of them run creative workshops or need digital marketing experts.
#13
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
Like the NFL?
#14
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Joined: Sep 2010
Location: Maryland (via Belfast, Manchester, Toronto and London)
Posts: 4,802
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
However, my skills and experience are kind of a mixed bag and I was wondering if you guys could help me plan my move. I currently have an IEC Canada visa and plan to move to Toronto to develop life experience and help me figure out what I want to do outside of an 9-5 office job.
Long story short:
I have a law degree (4yrs including + 10 months legal experience)
I'm a musician/producer which I've done on a semi-professional basis for 6+ years.
Currently working as a digital content specialist in a youth charity (similar to Bernados)
Over the last 6 years I've worked in digital marketing/outreach within the third sector focusing on youth development in different orgs (a mixture of internships/freelance/web design & consultancy work)
I also helped direct, research and film a short social documentary which was used as a learning aide in several schools within London (PSHE lessons)
Skills:
Audio/video production, digital marketing, outreach, Drupal 7, web design, legal experience, community outreach and development.
I'm not sure about my chances and I'm willing to develop my portfolio and work experience to ensure I stand a good chance of making it into the USA.
I am looking to continue my digital marketing work in non profits and/or possibly as a music production teacher within the next 2-3 years.
What are my chances of securing a H1B or H1B exempt cap visa?
Long story short:
I have a law degree (4yrs including + 10 months legal experience)
I'm a musician/producer which I've done on a semi-professional basis for 6+ years.
Currently working as a digital content specialist in a youth charity (similar to Bernados)
Over the last 6 years I've worked in digital marketing/outreach within the third sector focusing on youth development in different orgs (a mixture of internships/freelance/web design & consultancy work)
I also helped direct, research and film a short social documentary which was used as a learning aide in several schools within London (PSHE lessons)
Skills:
Audio/video production, digital marketing, outreach, Drupal 7, web design, legal experience, community outreach and development.
I'm not sure about my chances and I'm willing to develop my portfolio and work experience to ensure I stand a good chance of making it into the USA.
I am looking to continue my digital marketing work in non profits and/or possibly as a music production teacher within the next 2-3 years.
What are my chances of securing a H1B or H1B exempt cap visa?
#15
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 15
Re: British citizen looking to move to the USA via Canada
Fair enough! Are your skills worth them spending a lot of money to sponsor you for a visa? I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but the reality is that there are many people already unemployed in the US, who have skills equal to yours, who don't need to be sponsored for a visa, and who can start work tomorrow if asked. They are your competition. I just don't want you to have unrealistic expectations. It's certainly doable... but it will be an uphill climb. Good luck to you.
Ian
Ian