Marocco

You don't. You must get a job offer from a potential employer who is willing and able to sponsor you for a visa (H1B). Since it would cost them thousands of pounds and they'd have to wait several months before you can start working, you'd have to be really exceptionally qualified in this economic climate for it to happen.

Bill_S

You don't. You must find an employer willing to go to the time and expense of hiring a foreign worker. If there is a match between the job, your qualifications, and the visa type, the employer will file an application for a visa. If the application is approved, you go to the embassy for an interview. If you pass, the visa will be placed in your passport. That's the point at which you can pack your bags.

caleyjag

It's not going to be easy. Getting a job offer is one thing, but there are other issues.

You need to be so amazing that a company will petition for an H1 for you.

The typical ballpark figure we use for the cost of the visa application is around $5000, which generally must be paid by the company.

Additionally, it takes a while to process everything.

So the result is that your connections are going to have to secure you a job offer from a company who are willing to pay the extra money and wait the extra time for your visa.

Additionally, a lot of large companies have relocation policies for new hires. Relocating someone from Europe is more expensive, so this can put them off hiring foreigners (the HR policies in large corporations are not always very practical or flexible).

Finally, any company that got TARP bailout money from the government is explicitly banned from hiring people on H1 visas. This knocks out quite a chunk of large financial institutions.


Too bad you both gave up on physics. If you had PhDs it would be much easier to get out here.

RhiTom

I understand, I am still fully optimistic we will find employment so it's really a question of timescales. You mention it will take several months aside from the job offer in the first place, I was under the impression the bureaucracy was the crux of the slow process, is this correct?

Bill_S - thanks for this perfect clarification! Exactly what I was looking for.

Caleyjag, the physics hasn't gone anywhere! I understand what you mean though, I haven't persued a career specifically within this field as I found you can actially make far more of a living for yourself applying this knowledge to any real world job. I'm not working with 'Physics' excplicitly but it has certainly differentiated me as being more of a problem solver in any given context throughout my working career. You make an excellent point about TARP, hadn't thought of this at all. Thanks for this.

Duncan Roberts

That's good. There are probably tens of thousands of unemployed people just as qualified as you already and authorized to in the US who may argue that point.

You have many issues. It's tough for a single person to come over but very tough for a couple to do it. If you are not married you have to independently get visas. if you are married and one gets a visa the other can come but depending on the visa the other might not be able to work. If one gets sponsored for a greencard by a family member, not being married is a problem and being married will cause the time frame to be extended. It sounds like you need to do a lot more research into visas and the general work situation here. Optimism is fine but you are pretty close to delusion.

scrubbedexpat099

Can one of you not get an internal transfer with your Employers?

Much the easiest way.

RhiTom

Thanks for this. My questions are more geared around the bureaucracy of getting a visa in terms of the physical process and the basic fundamentals of what comes first and how long the process takes, assuming that I were able to get a job, rather than opinions of my likelihood of getting the job - considering that is impossible for anyone to comment on seems I could be absolutely anyone on this forum. Naturally I am fully aware of how incredibly difficult it is to find employment most places at a time like this let alone the US, I remain totally confident and hope my deluded optimism might take me a little closer than the next guy who gives up! Having said that I've probably voiced a number of questions along this post which related back to likelihoods, we have just started to investigate this process so I'm certainly looking for as much information as possible.

RhiTom

Boiler, if only. Our office in Miami has ceased to exist. Also, my partner works for a private firm with no US office. You're absolutely right though, that would have been ideal and I was actually offered this placement last year in a previous role. Live and learn!

Ozzidoc

Can you go back to that previous company? Would their offer still be open to you? From a visa point of view, there's some qualifying time that needs to be spent with the UK company - you may have already met it or part of it.

Sally Redux

If you currently have good jobs in the UK I would think carefully about this. It's not a good time to move, and while you think your qualifications are exceptional, to be honest they are not. See your MIL for nice holidays and you'll get the best of both worlds.

ian-mstm

I'm not sure you do, since you seem to be missing the point. Job = easy. Visa = difficult. You could have 10 excellent jobs lined up, but if you can't get a visa, you're screwed.

Ian

Noorah101

Again, it depends on which visa you are able to get. We can't really comment on how the visa process works until we know what visa you can get.

As for what comes first, the employment part comes first. You either have to have an employer in the USA willing to sponsor you, or you need to be working for an employer already who will transfer you to the USA. Those are very different visa processes, and with different timelines for processing.

Either way, you probably need to be married in order for both of you to end up in the same place at the same time in the USA, with both of you having the ability to work. If you aren't willing to get married, the trailing partner might be able to get a "cohabitating B visa", but won't be allowed to work in the USA. Also, the spouse of an H1B holder (H4) cannot work either. However, the spouse of an L visa holder (L2) can apply for an EAD and work in the USA.

So really it all boils down to what visa you can get.

Rene

scrubbedexpat099

Like ozzidoc said, now you do know you can act.

RhiTom

Rene, thanks for this information as this is really helpful. We would consider marriage, having been toegther for over 5 years now it's about time anyway!! We have a US solicitor so this weekend we will be discussing all these options.

Ian mstm - If a job you say is easy then surely this potential employer is fully aware of our nationality and need for a visa? Are you saying I could be hired for a position and then instructed by the company to get a visa in two different processes? Surely they wouldn't offer me a job if I wasn't avilable to take it?

Ozzidoc

1. What do you think that you'll get from a US solicitor that you wont get here? What immigration experience does this solicitor have?

2. Most companies seem to be clueless about visas. YOU need to meet a bunch of visa criteria, as does the JOB and the COMPANY.