sarahanddave

Hi all,

As per the title, my partner and I are looking to live and work in the USA, preferably west coast/ California area.
Weve spent a fair amount of time looking at visa requirements, possibilities for sponsorship, emigration magazines and the internet but were still struggling to see a clear way in for us.
My girlfriend and I are both 28 years old, healthy and have clean criminal records.
My gf graduated her Phd in Chemistry from Edinburgh university afew years ago and has been working in regulatory affairs (pharamceutical) since graduating.
I have an honours degree in Business, and have been working as a Practice Manager in an optical practice for the past couple of years.
Neither of our employers offer sponsorship to work in the USA as far as we can tell. Im actually employed by Costco, so could probably get an offer of work easily enough, but again no sponsorship.
I also have a fair few family members who have been in the USA for over 20 years, although none close enough to help our application as far as Im aware (aunts, uncles, cousins etc.).
We would both look at changing employers if there are any notable companies who are helpful in relocating their employees. My gf has also considered post-doctorate (post-doc) study in America.
We are not married at present, but would do so quickly if it helped us to relocate together.
So, any ex-pats out there that can see a way into the USA for us?
I wondered if my girlfriend would qualify for an EB-2 visa, having a Phd and afew years work experience? Obviously she would also need an offer of work from a U.S. company.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

Manc

You seem a lot more qualified than the usual plumber and Asda cashier we get asking, my advice is to just keep plugging away.

lifehouse51

Post-Doctoral positions will be a good stepping stone to an instructor/assistant professor position is she wants to go for the academic route. If she wants to work for say, a Pharm company, biotech company, that's another option. Sometimes even if she works for a company that sponsors H1-B but not EB, being present in the U.S. also makes it easier to look for jobs to switch to and attend job interviews.

If she gets a job that requires her Chemistry PhD, then that'll qualify for sponsorship under EB-2.

If you two get married and she comes on H1-B, then you'll be under H-4 unless you have your own working visa. H-4 holders cannot work.

You mentioned you worked for Costco, is it in a position that will qualify for the L-1 intra-company transferee visa? Spouses of L-1 visas hold L-2 visas, and can work.

The Horticulturalist

I'd concurr with Manc that you have better odds than most (based on your girlfriends career) of getting here. If you do find a route to getting here it would be simpler to be married.

Graduate school could be an option, but it's pricey I think. Others can tell you whether the terms of the visa would allow you to work as a spouse or not. I'm sure there are a few post docs on the board that may be able to offer more specific advice in that regard.

Minty

Hi Sarah and Dave!

I can't offer specific advice but I could give you details of an excellent immigration lawyer based in north San Diego who I am sure would offer some practical advice to you regarding options via email. (By the way I am not on any commission with them!!!)

Let me know if you would like the info.

Ozzidoc

Many CROs move people across borders. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrac...h_organization) I know a few people who joined Quintiles in Europe and were transferred to the US.

I imagine that your girlfriend will know the names of several others.

dunroving

I'm not sure if a post-doc is exempt from the H-1B cap, but if your girlfriend were interested in an academic position, this would be exempt from the cap (*see below). There's quite a bit of competition for higher ed jobs at the moment, but you never know, and this might be among your most straightforward options.

*Put simply, H-1B visas are for up to 6 years, but other than cap-exempt positions, they are a bit like a lottery or fishing license in that only so many are awarded each year (so your potential employer applies, but no guarantee you'll get one). When the new year rolls around (can't remember what date that is), there's a waiting list consistng of more applications than there are available visas and you either are lucky or have to wait another year.

Ray

They need a job offer ..not a damn lawyer ..sheesh ..

sarahanddave

Hi Ozzidoc, do you know which department in quintiles those people in Quintiles worked for that transferred to the USA - currently work at Quintiles myself....... my current department will not support transfer to USA (reg affairs) but have been looking at moving to CRA roles - any info you have would be appreciated!

Cheers,

Sarah

meauxna

Threads merged; please don't cross-post between forums.

JAJ

If the job offer falls within EB-2 classification, it may be quicker/simpler to forget H1-B and go straight for an EB-2 Immigrant Visa.

Contrary to myth, there is no obligation to have a H1-B first.

lifehouse51

If your Girlfriend is doing a postdoctoral position, chances are it'll be with a university or research institution. These are usually exempt from the H1-B annual cap that everyone's talking about.

It's unlikely that the institution/university will sponsor EB while she's a Postdoc...because postdocs are considered temporary positions usually with a defined short duration (3 years is common). However, postdoc is a stepping stone to a full time instructor/Assistant professor/whatever entry level academic position title. The institution may then be willing to sponsor EB.

So the tough part is, if your girlfriend goes for H1-B (Which will usually be the case for PostDoc), and if you're married, then you will get H-4 visa as a spouse. With this visa type, you can't work in the U.S. So the way I see it, both of you should work on getting your own working visa, unless somehow you qualify for the L visa from Costco or another international company.

Bob

Last year the cap wasn't met till well late in the year, and I don't think this years cap has been met yet either. Once you've got the visa, it's an October start though.

caleyjag

I haven't been on here for a while. I had half-written an article about how to get here with the academic route. I must get around to finishing it.

I would highly recommend looking at the post-doc route. California has some of the best universities in the world.

Universities have more options when it comes to visas, so you might not have to wait too long to get out here.

You should be aware that post-doc salaries are very low. She can probably expect to earn about $40k, which in San Francisco, for instance, won't go far. If you get married, you could come on H4 or J2 but those are very limited.

I'll see if I can dig out my unfinished article. It has the complete gameplan on how to go about getting a postdoc at a top school.

caleyjag

Also, I'm not up to date, but I think universities are in general exempt from the cap and all the associated timelines.