Nib

After applying for the DV Lottery since 2001, I finally won the 2015 round! When I first started applying I was a fresh graduate, however my life has changed a lot since. I am now in my mid thirties and by the time I get the green card I will have entered my late thirties. My husband will be mid forties.

I had a good career in IT marketing(having many big name brands as clients) until I moved to Brazil 3.5 years ago. Now I have a large gap on my CV where I have been self employed and not in my field, as it's impossible to find work here as a foreigner. My husband is Brazilian and works in heavy industry manufacturing for an American multinational. He's mid management level with a degree in engineering and an MBA in business management. He also speaks good English.

I am really unhappy in Brazil but my husband refuses to move to Europe(no jobs) or Canada(too cold). I feel that winning a green card gives us the chance to move somewhere that could work for both of us, where there is an established Latin culture, good weather and many different options regarding locations. I really want to give it a shot. However my husband has cold feet, indicating that he is too old to move and start again. I understand his fears but at the end of the day I have a good 30 years left in the working world. I don't want to spend it wasting away in a violent third world city with very little quality of life. I know it would be crazy at our age to drop everything and move, without at least one of us with a job lined up.

Is my husband's age going to be a big barrier in finding work? What states/cities are best for heavy industry manufacturing? Do I have a change of getting my career back on track(I am willing to drop way back down the food chain)? Will we both have to revalidate our education (mine is UK/Irish and his is Brazilian). Is it possible to apply for jobs before we go there? What are the best job sites to get an idea of the market? What are good places to live in terms of quality of life, with affordable real estate and good places to raise a family?

SultanOfSwing

A good place to start might be to see what cities the American company your husband works for has a presence in. With green cards in hand from the DV lottery, they wouldn't have to worry about paying for visas for you so perhaps he can do some kind of inter-company transfer.

Once you know where they have offices, then you can choose whichever city most closely meets your other requirements regarding weather and everything else.

Nib

Unfortunately the two factories are in very small towns with less than 10,000 people in the middle of Kanas, right by the tornado belt. I'm not sure that would be the best move for us. We would like to stay close to a big city, if possible.

SultanOfSwing

Ah, that does throw a spanner in the works, somewhat but at least you can rule that one out and concentrate on something else.

Nib

Any ideas about the key job sites in the US? I've found one called indeed.com but it is a little difficult to navigate. Are companies like Michael Page, who I found very useful before I moved to Brazil, any good in the US? Is my husband's age going to be a big issue?

Guindalf

Try...

Monster.com
careerbuilder.com
dice.com

for a start.

As for his age, it's an impossible question to answer. I'm 55 and it's my last day in my current job. I start a new position on the 16th, so it's certainly possible.

Bink

Michael Page are certainly active in Houston, can't speak for the rest of the States but they seem to do a fairly decent and quick job here at least.
Age shouldn't be an issue.

NatashaB

It's tough finding work here. I would suggest he sets up a LinkedIn profile and starts building up a network and following companies he may be interested in working for.

Bob

Move to the Metrowest area of MA...it is little Brazil and they stick together like a clan, he'll have no trouble getting a job.

Depending on what kind of heavy industry, there's still a fair bit in and around, mostly gear for construction industry.

Also you've got Boston and the burbs for IT.

Nib

It will be around a year before we actually make the move. In the meantime I am prepping myself with courses to update my skills. I will probably look for junior positions in project management, as I already have a lot of experience in that field. Do you think that there has been any improvement in the job market since the start of the downturn?

Nib

He makes high tech tractors for Massey Ferguson, so I guess he could easily switch to gear for the construction industry.

Hotscot

"I've found one called indeed.com but it is a little difficult to navigate. "

What do you mean? I find it one of the easiest sites to use.
You enter the job skill and desired location and it returns the appropriate vacancies.

Couldn't be any more straightforward to be honest.

NatashaB

There are a lot of PM positions out there (in my area anyway), a PMP is a prerequisite for pretty much all of them, or at least a CAPM, so I would make sure you are prepared to sit that when you get there if you don't have it already. Joining PMI and attending their seminars/groups would also be a great way to network.

You might already have a PMP qualification - just thought I'd mention since the PMP is more US-specific.

Pulaski

Job first, everything else follows. Where are tractors made in the US? That's where you need to start looking; too bad if it isn't where you really want to live. ..... Otherwise, Bob's suggestion is a good one, go where your husband's countrymen are.

JAJ

If successful, you'll get an Immigrant Visa first, which will convert to a green card after you arrive in the United States. But you should be aware that they do select more "winners" than there are visas available, so you are not guaranteed an Immigrant Visa at this point. You can help yourself by ensuring yo have all documentation available, for example, birth certificates.


It probably would be a good idea to get your education credentials evaluated, and usually it's not easy to get jobs unless you're physically in the area with a green card (or U.S. citizenship).

You should be flexible on location in the U.S., at least initially. For example, the risk of being impacted by a tornado, even in the middle of Kansas, is minimal compared to the other life risks you face every day. And you can always move within the U.S. later on.

Does your husband really want to move to the U.S. and become an American?

And have you thought about whether you want to get your Brazilian citizenship (if you don't have it already), just in case you might want to return?