SSRS1

Hi Everyone,

I'm pretty new to this forum and I would love to get some advice from you guys on the above topic. In short my husband is a project manager/ business analyst for IT within financial services, and I am a learning and development consultant.

We would love to move to the USA, but we have no connections there, and are not sure how to go about finding a job. Can anyone give me any specific agencies or places to try and get a job, as it seems that the only way to live in the US is to secure a job there first before we move, which for us is ideally in the next 6 months?

Thanks in advance!

Sabrina

mikelincs

You should be aware that moving to the USA is probably one of the hardest countries to get a visa for.

Your first step should be to read the following guide to see if you do/can qualify for any of the visas.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulask...ork_in_the_USA

The easiest way to get there is to be a US citizen, so if either of you have US parents that would help, for single people the next easiest way to to marry a US citizen.

You could also get a job working for a company that has a US presence, then after a year you may be able to persuade hem to transfer you.

I wish you luck in your endeavours, but please think about other destinations as well, such as Australia or Canada. You should also remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

This thread would be better off in the US Immi and Visas forum, so could a nice mod please move it?

Jerseygirl

As the OP isn't asking specific visa questions I think the thread can stay in this forum.

Hotscot

Sabrina
There's a common misconception that agencies exist to find an individual a job, that they're out there looking for a job that will suit the individual.
It's really the converse, they're given a fee if they can slot someone into a position at the company.
To that end agencies don't really care or have any loyalty to the jobseeker. In fact in many cases the one agency is talking with 20, 100, 1000 candidates to fill that job as quickly and easily as they can do it, from that pool, so they can get their fee from the company.

In regards to I.T. you'd generally only have a shot at being hired directly, the company going through the hassle and cost of getting a visa, if you have some extraordinary skillset that very few existing American citizens have.

If your husband does have this and if that skillset is in current demand and there are few available citizens with that skillset, then he has a good shot, otherwise practically no chance going directly.

His best chance would be working with a multinational in the UK or Europe and then, certain conditions having been met, transfer over after a year or so.

Ultimately the U.S. is different but not necessarily better once you get settled. And a lot depends on which location you live in.

But anyway...have your husband check Dice.com, or Indeed.com, to see if his skillset is in demand for a start.

I'm sorry to say there won't be much demand for a learning and development consultant unless perhaps you are fluent in other European languages.

Bob

Best bet is a company transfer....but then again, plenty of threads on the subject.

IT is a tough area. Sure plenty of people do it, but plenty more don't. Also if it's a new job, it won't be within a 6 month time frame, as company wouldn't be able to apply for a visa till April and if you got it, wouldn't be able to start work till October. That would also mean you not being allowed to work...hence why a company transfer being a better option.

As for you, chances are less likely you'll be able to get a visa based on that and what you'd need to do to get certified and work if you got a visa by other means, well would depend on the state you were in.

Good luck though and welcome to BE!

Duncan Roberts

It sounds like you have 0 chance if this happening in 6 months. Maybe if your husband has niche skills or high demand skills he may have an outside chance at some sort of sponsorship. Like winning the lottery odds. However, the brief description you gave sounds like he doesn't and people like that are very easily found here without the need for lengthy and expensive visa sponsorship. I doubt you will be able to use your skills for any visa. I would put your time frame in the years and not months, maybe 5-10 is a good goal for trying. Maybe he can work at a large multinational company and eventually get transferred. However its quite possible that you will never be able to get a visa to do what you want to do.

kins

We need a learning and development consultant where I work but will not consider anyone who doesn't already have a visa (not even inter company transfers).

Sorry.

NatashaB

Does your husband have any kind of certification such as PMP or CBAP? Those are the most recognized qualifications here for project management and business analysis so probably worth looking into obtaining them to increase your marketability. There isn't exactly a shortage of qualified US citizens to do those jobs, though. I think your best option would be to find a job in the UK with a company that has US branches, prove your worth and get an intercompany visa (L1, which is also a quicker route to a green card and allows the partner the advantage of being able to work on an L2 spouse visa, even if they can't secure their own sponsorship.)

Pulaski

Outside of a few specialist niche roles, it is extremely difficult to get employers or agencies to pay you any attention when you're outside the US even IF you already have a visa, or are a USC. My wife is a USC, and getting interviews and job offers was easy, but only when we visited the US at our own expense ahead of immigrating. Prior to that I was getting no employer interest at all.

The problem you face is a brutal chicken and egg problem. The visas are mostly family or employer based, you can't apply for any employment visa yourself, only an employer can do that. But very few employers are interested in applying for visas for new recruits, so you need a visa for any potential employers to be interested in you, but you can't get a visa until you have a job.

As others have said, the six month goal you have set is completely unrealistic. If you really want to immigrate to the US, you need a multi-year plan, and more than a little luck. One of my employers in London showed some interest in relocating me to their US HQ, and I was about to get married, so they didn't need to worry about the visa. However after a successful two week familiarization visit the deal fell apart. I don't know why the US manager got cold feet, but I suspect that HR told him they wouldn't sponsor a visa, and he forgot, or didn't realize, that I didn't need a visa, and he killed the deal before I realized it was even under threat.

Casual Observer

http://ip.disneycareers.com/en/default/

Hotscot

Ok then...add that to the list.

BritInParis

If either of you are born in Northern Ireland or another eligible country outside the rest of the UK you can apply for the Green Card Lottery. Not going to get you there in six months though.

Pulaski

At the roughly 1% success rate per applicant per year for the GC lottery, it would take about 25 years for a couple to reach 50:50 probability of success if they were both eligible for the lottery, so it's not exactly a certain way of getting to the US even for those who are eligible.

BritInParis

I admit my comment was a little tongue-in-cheek though I think it's weighted to different countries and regions? So if you were born in some obscure 'stan or Pacific island nation you'd stand a pretty good chance of getting in.

Bob

Yeah, a Dutch mate got it in 8 goes, but he didn't even want it but his mother kept sending in applications for everyone every year on the off chance