H-1B Visa help please.
Jun 9th 2017, 1:45 pm
#16
Concierge
Joined: May 2006
Location: ex ex-pat, in Taunton
Posts: 27,210
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
We have had quite a few people on here who have been offered jobs by a US company, but then the offer has had to be rescinded as they had absolutely no idea that they would have to get the applicant a visa, and just how much it would cost them, plus the fact that even if they did get a visa then it would be some 6 months before they could actually start.
Jun 9th 2017, 1:49 pm
#17
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Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 191
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
We have had quite a few people on here who have been offered jobs by a US company, but then the offer has had to be rescinded as they had absolutely no idea that they would have to get the applicant a visa, and just how much it would cost them, plus the fact that even if they did get a visa then it would be some 6 months before they could actually start.
Jun 9th 2017, 1:54 pm
#18
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Joined: Jul 2015
Location: Panama City, FL
Posts: 2,060
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
Hi,
My name is Matt (as the username suggests
)
I'm currently looking at options to move to U.S. I believe i fit the H-1B requirements albeit by the skin of my teeth. Essentially i have 12 years professional experience but no degree.
Right - I work in I.T, and I’ve been on many U.S jobsites and found countless vacancies which i fit perfectly. I've started to apply for some, but I’m not getting much feedback yet.
I've Americanised my Resume / Covering letter which should definitely help my chances!
Could someone please advise on the best way to approach possible employers? I’ve mentioned in my covering letter that I would require a sponsorship, etc.
Also, what time of year is best to apply for positions? Obviously if a position is open now, it is unlikely to stay open until the next load of H-1B petitions go through?
And finally, I can’t find accurate information about when you can actually apply for next years (2018) H-1B visas. Am I too late?
I appreciate any constructive feedback.
Matt
My name is Matt (as the username suggests
)I'm currently looking at options to move to U.S. I believe i fit the H-1B requirements albeit by the skin of my teeth. Essentially i have 12 years professional experience but no degree.
Right - I work in I.T, and I’ve been on many U.S jobsites and found countless vacancies which i fit perfectly. I've started to apply for some, but I’m not getting much feedback yet.
I've Americanised my Resume / Covering letter which should definitely help my chances!
Could someone please advise on the best way to approach possible employers? I’ve mentioned in my covering letter that I would require a sponsorship, etc.
Also, what time of year is best to apply for positions? Obviously if a position is open now, it is unlikely to stay open until the next load of H-1B petitions go through?
And finally, I can’t find accurate information about when you can actually apply for next years (2018) H-1B visas. Am I too late?
I appreciate any constructive feedback.
Matt
TBH, unless you have some niche skill set that is rare and sought-after, you're not going to get far. If you've seen countless suitable vacancies then the likelihood is that your skill-set is very common, in which case, there will be plenty of applicants already in the US who don't need sponsorship.
Any potential employer needs to see you as a valuable, hard-to-find commodity to justify spending thousands on the visa process with only a 30% likelihood of success AND then have to wait a year or more for you to start.
Without the niche skills, your best bet is to take Noorah's advice and find a company with US offices.
Or marry a nice US girl.
Jun 9th 2017, 2:05 pm
#19
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Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 191
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
What are your specialties?
What are your specialties?
TBH, unless you have some niche skill set that is rare and sought-after, you're not going to get far. If you've seen countless suitable vacancies then the likelihood is that your skill-set is very common, in which case, there will be plenty of applicants already in the US who don't need sponsorship.
Any potential employer needs to see you as a valuable, hard-to-find commodity to justify spending thousands on the visa process with only a 30% likelihood of success AND then have to wait a year or more for you to start.
Without the niche skills, your best bet is to take Noorah's advice and find a company with US offices.
Or marry a nice US girl.
What are your specialties?
TBH, unless you have some niche skill set that is rare and sought-after, you're not going to get far. If you've seen countless suitable vacancies then the likelihood is that your skill-set is very common, in which case, there will be plenty of applicants already in the US who don't need sponsorship.
Any potential employer needs to see you as a valuable, hard-to-find commodity to justify spending thousands on the visa process with only a 30% likelihood of success AND then have to wait a year or more for you to start.
Without the niche skills, your best bet is to take Noorah's advice and find a company with US offices.
Or marry a nice US girl.
Thanks for the input.
I do consider my skill-set relatively niche. I'm a DevOps / Cloud / Automation consultant. What i meant, i've seen probably 10 or so (In the whole of the US) which are asking for my skill-set exactly.
Some of the postings are months old, and yet the vancancy is still active on the employers website.
I've literally only applied for a few yesterday, so i haven't probably given it enough time.
That said, i do believe that i'm applying too soon. If a niche vacancy appears now, they will want it filled within the next 6 months or sooner, so i'm probably best to wait a little longer before searching? I think..
"Or marry a nice US girl" Do you think my GF will mind?
Jun 9th 2017, 2:57 pm
#21
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Joined: Jul 2015
Location: Panama City, FL
Posts: 2,060
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
Thanks for the input.
I do consider my skill-set relatively niche. I'm a DevOps / Cloud / Automation consultant. What i meant, i've seen probably 10 or so (In the whole of the US) which are asking for my skill-set exactly.
Some of the postings are months old, and yet the vancancy is still active on the employers website.
I've literally only applied for a few yesterday, so i haven't probably given it enough time.
That said, i do believe that i'm applying too soon. If a niche vacancy appears now, they will want it filled within the next 6 months or sooner, so i'm probably best to wait a little longer before searching? I think..
I do consider my skill-set relatively niche. I'm a DevOps / Cloud / Automation consultant. What i meant, i've seen probably 10 or so (In the whole of the US) which are asking for my skill-set exactly.
Some of the postings are months old, and yet the vancancy is still active on the employers website.
I've literally only applied for a few yesterday, so i haven't probably given it enough time.
That said, i do believe that i'm applying too soon. If a niche vacancy appears now, they will want it filled within the next 6 months or sooner, so i'm probably best to wait a little longer before searching? I think..
I came over in 2003 when the H1-B process was much quicker, less strict and less demand. I also had no degree but 15+ years' experience.
My niche skill was (and still is) Citrix, so I did weeks of research and direct-emailed 250+ Citrix partners across the US (stating that I would require H1-B sponsorship). I received exactly 5 replies. 2 were a flat 'No'. 1 was No with suggestions on what I needed to improve my chances and 2 maybes. 1 maybe was for a company in Michigan and had an interview in London. The other was in Florida and I flew to FL for an interview which was ultimately successful.
As an aside, while in Florida, I was contacted by the Michigan company about a follow-up interview. I advised the FL company and they made me an offer there and then.
It was another 6 months before we moved over.Tell her it's for your career. I'm sure she'll understand.
Jun 9th 2017, 3:18 pm
#22
i hate cabbage
Joined: Mar 2015
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 438
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
What specific systems are you working with cloud wise? Azure, AWS? and what sort of Automation?
Jun 9th 2017, 3:50 pm
#23
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 191
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
Primarily Azure with some AWS exposure. I come from an infrastructure background with all the certs, etc. However, I’ve transitioned into DevOps role as that is my passion. I also have Office 365 experience 1000+ user migrations.
Automation wise: PowerShell DSC, Terraform (Infrastructure As Code.. love it!!), Azure automation (DSC and runbooks) exposure to the likes of Puppet for Config management.
I’ve used the likes of Azure scale sets, Availability set, load balancers, etc. Tons of Microsoft OS exposure, SQL clustering the list goes on..
Plus CI / CD tools Cruise control, Octopus Deploy, and source code control.
Please PM me for more.
Jun 9th 2017, 3:53 pm
#24
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 191
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
I came over in 2003 when the H1-B process was much quicker, less strict and less demand. I also had no degree but 15+ years' experience.
My niche skill was (and still is) Citrix, so I did weeks of research and direct-emailed 250+ Citrix partners across the US (stating that I would require H1-B sponsorship). I received exactly 5 replies. 2 were a flat 'No'. 1 was No with suggestions on what I needed to improve my chances and 2 maybes. 1 maybe was for a company in Michigan and had an interview in London. The other was in Florida and I flew to FL for an interview which was ultimately successful.
As an aside, while in Florida, I was contacted by the Michigan company about a follow-up interview. I advised the FL company and they made me an offer there and then. It was another 6 months before we moved over.
My niche skill was (and still is) Citrix, so I did weeks of research and direct-emailed 250+ Citrix partners across the US (stating that I would require H1-B sponsorship). I received exactly 5 replies. 2 were a flat 'No'. 1 was No with suggestions on what I needed to improve my chances and 2 maybes. 1 maybe was for a company in Michigan and had an interview in London. The other was in Florida and I flew to FL for an interview which was ultimately successful.
As an aside, while in Florida, I was contacted by the Michigan company about a follow-up interview. I advised the FL company and they made me an offer there and then.
It was another 6 months before we moved over.
Thanks for sharing your success story with me
Tell her it's for your career. I'm sure she'll understand.
Jun 9th 2017, 4:43 pm
#25
i hate cabbage
Joined: Mar 2015
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Posts: 438
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
I moved across on an L1B visa - I specialize in ConfigMgr.
As others have mentioned, you may benefit from getting into a big organization in the UK, stay there for the year and ask for an L1 transfer to one of their offices the US. (exactly what i did, and i was their first overseas hire on a L1)
Jun 9th 2017, 5:29 pm
#26
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Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 191
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
I'd personally say keep persisting with the applications, that's a strong resume you've got, especially with all the certs to backup the experience, you might strike lucky with an employer who wants some background and is willing to pay for it.
I moved across on an L1B visa - I specialize in ConfigMgr.
As others have mentioned, you may benefit from getting into a big organization in the UK, stay there for the year and ask for an L1 transfer to one of their offices the US. (exactly what i did, and i was their first overseas hire on a L1)
I moved across on an L1B visa - I specialize in ConfigMgr.
As others have mentioned, you may benefit from getting into a big organization in the UK, stay there for the year and ask for an L1 transfer to one of their offices the US. (exactly what i did, and i was their first overseas hire on a L1)
Jun 9th 2017, 5:51 pm
#27
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,439
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
If you can find a British owned business (assuming you're British - your nationality and your employer's home country is critical, other pairings would work too: German/ German company, French/ French company, etc, though not Chinese, Indian, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil, and some smaller countries), you would likely be eligible for an E-2 visa which isn't subject to the limited numbers of H-1Bs, and doesn't have the L-1 requirement that you have worked for the company for a year outside the US.
Last edited by Pulaski; Jun 9th 2017 at 5:54 pm.
Jun 9th 2017, 6:23 pm
#28
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Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Washington State
Posts: 120
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
OP. Get a job with a US company in the UK. Do well, make contacts and then get them to move you on an L1b.
I say this for several reasons:
1) The elapsed time may well be the same as the H1b route (June 2017-October 2018).
2) If you marry your GF she can work here on an L2 - but not on the H visa equivalent (H4). If you are not up for marrying then she probably can't come.
3) You get a year in the UK to work out if it's a good company, make US contacts, and possibly even travel over to get the lay of the land at their expense.
4) No 30% chance H1b lottery - imagine having the offer but only a 1/3 chance of going - boo! L1b is more certain if you fit the criteria and does not have a degree requirement.
5) Moving once in the UK (and having a good clear out in the process) will make it easier to move to the US.
Just my 2p's worth.
I say this for several reasons:
1) The elapsed time may well be the same as the H1b route (June 2017-October 2018).
2) If you marry your GF she can work here on an L2 - but not on the H visa equivalent (H4). If you are not up for marrying then she probably can't come.
3) You get a year in the UK to work out if it's a good company, make US contacts, and possibly even travel over to get the lay of the land at their expense.
4) No 30% chance H1b lottery - imagine having the offer but only a 1/3 chance of going - boo! L1b is more certain if you fit the criteria and does not have a degree requirement.
5) Moving once in the UK (and having a good clear out in the process) will make it easier to move to the US.
Just my 2p's worth.
Jun 9th 2017, 7:43 pm
#29
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 191
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
OP. Get a job with a US company in the UK. Do well, make contacts and then get them to move you on an L1b.
I say this for several reasons:
1) The elapsed time may well be the same as the H1b route (June 2017-October 2018).
2) If you marry your GF she can work here on an L2 - but not on the H visa equivalent (H4). If you are not up for marrying then she probably can't come.
3) You get a year in the UK to work out if it's a good company, make US contacts, and possibly even travel over to get the lay of the land at their expense.
4) No 30% chance H1b lottery - imagine having the offer but only a 1/3 chance of going - boo! L1b is more certain if you fit the criteria and does not have a degree requirement.
5) Moving once in the UK (and having a good clear out in the process) will make it easier to move to the US.
Just my 2p's worth.
I say this for several reasons:
1) The elapsed time may well be the same as the H1b route (June 2017-October 2018).
2) If you marry your GF she can work here on an L2 - but not on the H visa equivalent (H4). If you are not up for marrying then she probably can't come.
3) You get a year in the UK to work out if it's a good company, make US contacts, and possibly even travel over to get the lay of the land at their expense.
4) No 30% chance H1b lottery - imagine having the offer but only a 1/3 chance of going - boo! L1b is more certain if you fit the criteria and does not have a degree requirement.
5) Moving once in the UK (and having a good clear out in the process) will make it easier to move to the US.
Just my 2p's worth.
I have a lot of decisions to make then! I think i will continue with my pursual of a H-1B sponsor, whilst also looking for US company in the UK
hopefully this will increase my odds!Thanks all who have replied, i appreciate it.
Matt
Jun 9th 2017, 8:20 pm
#30
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2016
Location: Idaho
Posts: 197
Re: H-1B Visa help please.
I would say best way in would be US company in the UK and transfer over. The reason being is there are a ton of people here doing what you do, have degrees (which is deemed as a basic requirement in the US) and with no requirement for a visa.
Wish you luck!
Wish you luck!