lonestarbrah

If you read my post history you can see that about a year ago, I asked a specific question regarding how the H1B restrictions apply to someone that has an undergraduate degree in a certain field, and a master's degree in a different field.

My first question is that if anyone can add to what I asked in this thread: http://britishexpats.com/forum/us-im.../#post10943118

I have put a plan into action and am currently studying a Masters in Computer Science in the UK. It comprises of one taught year, and a year in industry in which it is possible to apply for placements overseas, using a J1 visa that I could obtain through http://www.istplus.com/

This may not be appropriate for the forum, but I want to cast a wide net: Is there anyone on this forum that works within the tech industry that could help me out with finding a year long, paid placement/internship/entry level position starting from September 2015 onwards? Is there anyone who has done something like this and could point me in the right direction?

And what is the likelihood of being able to stay on after a J1 has expired using a H1B? Does this happen often, or is it very rare to happen?

I am very keen to start my proper working life in the US, and have thoroughly researched my options. I know how unlikely it is that I will ever apply for US jobs from the UK and be given the opportunity of a H1B. I also know it is unlikely and extremely expensive to do further study in the US and then use OPT as a springboard to a H1B. So I'm trying to stay away from considering these as options.

The thought of living and working here for the next 40 years while I hope in vain for an intra company transfer at a multinational makes me feel depressed.

I know there's people all over the forum that post these kinds of threads all the time, but I'm hoping for some new information from you guys that I may not have thought of before.

Last question: what is your opinion on US immigration reform (something I am following quite closely)? There seems to be a part in the new bill that is trying to go (and probably won't) that higher education degrees studied in the US will have automatic green cards available after graduating. Therefore the F1 option may open up for me if this happens.

rpjs

The company I work for is based in the US but has a big office in the UK and does internships / "co-ops" (which I think are a bit like a sandwich year in the UK) and has a graduate entry program. I don't know if we've ever recruited direct from overseas to the US using H-1Bs but I do know we have taken on the transfer of H-1Bs already in the US that have lost their original jobs.

fozzyb

If you do have to take that route don't be too depressed :-)

I once interviewed a candidate for a job in the UK. During the interview he was quite open about one of the reasons he was applying to work for this company was that he hoped for a transfer to the US. We did hire him, and did submit the L-1B petition almost to the day of his first anniversary of working with us (and in fact he is still working at one of our US offices) - so a happy ending all round.

That quick is definitely the exception not the rule (this particular candidate did have a lot of very relevant experience in a very specialist field, he certainly wan't a fresh graduate) - but intra-company transfers don't always take a long time to come- it all comes down to individual circumstances.

It was 7 years after graduating that I was offered a transfer to California (and indeed quite a generous expat package to encourage me to go), and I wasn't even trying - until that point I had never even considered the moving to the US. I'm sure if I had wanted to I could have probably got out there several years sooner.

Hotscot

Why do you feel that working and living in the US will make you any less depressed?

You seem so desperate for some reason. It's just another place and not necessarily better, just a little different.

(After 15 Years I can't wait to come home. In my opinion UK/Europe provides a far richer experience.)

lonestarbrah

I've seen you ask this question to others Hotscot, and seen that you are keen to come home. I don't want to come across as one of the many threads I've read on here over the last year posted by 18 year olds that have absolutely no idea why they want to live in the US and can't give a real answer.

I really don't want this to become one of 'those' threads but...For me, I've spent a total of about 10 months in Texas over the last 2 and a half years. I love it. I cannot think of one aspect of life that is better in the UK compared to the USA, apart from the social security aspect.

I spent a lot of time around different types of people and families out there. I noticed a few things: money goes further, quality of life for lower middle class upwards is far better than UK equivalent, people are actually happy and upbeat and it rubs off me (not so in the UK), people are kind to strangers and Americans have a real sense of community that I've never experienced, weather, space. Things that people often argue for in favour of the UK, such as "history" and "scenery" and "old buildings" don't interest me that much. I also want to add that I'm not someone who's never been out of the country before. I've been to 4 continents, maybe 15 different countries in the last 8 years (I'm 24 now), and spent more than a few weeks in some of them.

After thinking long and hard about all this, I thought to myself, why would I want to spend my life somewhere, where I'm not as happy as I could be elsewhere. That's my motivation.

P.S. Hotscot, I remember you posted in another thread about the company you own or are a part of, having internship opportunities. Can you pass me any information on this?

Thank you all for the responses so far

Hotscot

Well, if these are the things that make you happy

Yes, I do have a company. I sell scientific instrumentation to National Labs and universities across the US and Canada. I may have need for employees/interns at some point in the future but I'm sorry, not at the moment.

Good luck...I just didn't want to see you depressed if you never get the opportunity to move to the US.

Bob

Couple of problems and this will probably depend on location, but where I am, many internships are unpaid....some might stump for a J1 cost but that's often it if you're lucky, so you've still got living expenses and the like to worry about.

The problem with J1 and going into H1 tends to be that most people get a J1 for period x, which expires in the summer, leaving a few months gap before being able to start work in October for the H1.

I know a few people where this was the problem and ultimately the reason their companies ended up not going a head with the H1B after being interested to begin with. One person ended up going off and doing another masters so that they could do OPT afterwards, one did manage the H1B but they had to move back to the UK for a few months before the H1B and the other returned home permanently.

TMR

Where are you living? I've been in the UK most of life (married to an American) and I would disagree with all of those points. There's no fundamental difference over there for any of those things.

I'm sorry you don't know enough people who are happy and upbeat. I do. Maybe you just associate with the wrong crowd?

christmasoompa

Or possibly living in a city, I'd imagine location plays a big part in it too.

I can't imagine a better sense of community than where I live (rural Berkshire), when we moved in we had cakes and casseroles dropped off, we know most people in the village and many have become great friends, and we have all sorts of community events going on.

But I'm sure if I lived in the middle of London I'd feel very differently about the friendliness and positivity of people, or about the community.

TMR

I live in London (albeit not in the middle) and it's ok. Obviously nothing like the rural Home Counties. That said, how would living in e.g. Houston or Dallas be an improvement?

bewildering

Back on topic.

I went this route, but I have a PhD. It is very standard for post-docs to move from J1 to H1B.

Have you considered grad school in the USA?

lonestarbrah

Thanks for your response. I know it may never happen for me, but I want to try.

Hmm I have thought of this. UK companies often have a "placement scheme" for people with sandwich courses such as mine, and there seems to be no equivalent in the US. I will have to investigate and only apply to paid internships and entry level positions. My hopes for this are not high. internsv.com is something that looks perfect for me, but is probably ridiculously competitive.

Regarding the J1 to H1b, I know. It seems futile really. I suppose I will have to wait and see. The placement year is a part of my course and so I will have to complete it, whether in the US or the UK. So I suppose I'll be able to focus on the long term after that is completed and I'll be able to assess my situation.

Of course there are nice friendly communities in small, rural villages and towns, such as those in Norfolk. But there's not much going on there for a young person looking to start a career in tech/IT.

I agree with that in some respects. Some places such as New York and LA are no different to the UK in a lot of ways. The people are, by and large, the same. This wasn't my experience with the Southern US though.

lonestarbrah

I have yes. I have researched the requirements and the cost. It seems as though this may be an option for me in a few years, however the sheer cost of two years in the US with no income, makes me think "is this the best way i could be spending 70+ thousand dollars?" - and what I mean by that is, I could perhaps be saving that money instead for some type of investment-based visa.

It's definitely on the cards though. Like I said, with the immigration reform bill that is up for discussion right now, if it passes, students graduating with postgraduate degrees from US institutions may be given green cards upon request. If this happens then it is a sure bet that I will be doing this. If I'm going to be putting so much money into one method of immigration, I want it to be certain...not just a "well maybe you can find OPT and maybe they'll keep you". I don't want to have spent 3 years in the US studying and on OPT and come home at the age of ~30 and be back at square one.

bewildering, considering that you did managed to succeed doing this, what would you say contributed to your success in finding something? was a lot of luck involved? what subject area was your PhD in?

Bob

Might look to do a university exchange. Plenty did when I was at uni, but the uni had a relationship one San Fran, so you only had to pay living expenses as tuition was reciprocal, but I know a couple of people that organised directly with a couple of other uni's they wanted to go to that the uni didn't have a relationship with.

lonestarbrah

Yes I also knew people who did this during their undergraduate degrees. However I'm doing my Masters degree now (1 year study, 1 year work placement).