NoodleNoo

Thanks Weeze

NoodleNoo

Just weighing up our options and that's option no.1

christmasoompa

Could get an H1B from the other companies though, if they're prepared to go through the hassle/cost of it and wait for him - although that would also mean the OP couldn't work, and I don't know if that would be a problem?

fatbrit

With most non-immigrant visas, you'll have to place all your eggs in one basket whether you want to or not.

fatbrit

Your eggs are still in one basket with an H1b, as we've seen clearly with unfortunate members during this recession.

NoodleNoo

Thanks for all your replies everyone
Will let you know how things go....but would still appreciate any further snippets of telecom engineer experiences

PS: Hubby now extremely depressed cos you think he's in his 50's

lisa67

You may need to take into consideration the ages of your children as well, depending on which visa your prospective employer applies of, how long you plan on staying, if your employer will file for Green Cards for you all.

Jerseygirl

Tell him not to stress...he soon will be.

Nutmegger

Don't you think that's a reasonable supposition when you said he had worked as a telecom engineer for "over thirty years"? Did he graduate at 13?!

Steve_I

I really was a telecom engineer in the UK for over 30 years! Started with BT in 1978 (never reached the dizzy heights of TO though) and moved on through Alcatel, Cable and Wireless and finally Philips before moving to South Carolina in 2010. I got here by virtue of being married to a US citizen. I honestly don't think there would have been any route here via my work experience.

I found that telecom jobs were very few and far between (certainly where we live) but there were lots of openings for cable TV people, some of them with AT&T. I looked at those, but didn't fancy climbing on roofs or crawling through floor spaces! Luckily, I had experience from working with voice mail servers and other PC based stuff, so I did a couple of certifications that most employers seemed to be asking for and moved sideways into IT and desktop support.

I'll have been in my job for a year next month, but I spent the whole first year looking for one! It's even more difficult, in fact nigh on impossible if you're not local already.

I hope I haven't spoiled the dream! Best of luck with it.......

SultanOfSwing

Looking for jobs in any field is pretty difficult these days given the competition from the amount of unemployed people currenty out there. These are unemployed American citizens who don't need a visa sponsorship et cetera.

There's nothing wrong with being realistic and it isn't anyone's intention to piss on anyone else's parade but the reality is that it is an employer's market in the USA at the moment. There are plenty of jobs in my area (accounting/clerical) but the competition is nuts. My wife and I both applied for the same position in a local firm - well over four hundred resumes were submitted for that one job alone

Best of luck to you, OP but do try to stay realistic. As has been suggested, if the US doesn't work out, Canada is always an option. Canada's a nice place, too.

NoodleNoo

Hubby started with BT in September 1980 aged 16...thanks for telling me your experience...must admit my spirits are a tad dampened, but willing to still try and see where things lead for us and if not at least we tried
Have friends who emigrated to Canada 6 years ago and they love it there

Giantaxe

Although there's no degree requirement for an L1, lack of a degree may well be an obstacle in convincing the US side of a transfer to consider someone ahead of local candidates.

And personally, I would not emigrate to the US at your age. It's just too problematic from a health insurance and retirement planning point of view.

AmerLisa

Exactly why my husband didn't become a manager.

I've sent you a pm....

HarryTheSpider

I came here on an L1 18 months ago, with Mrs HTS on an L2. I am very fortunate to work for a very progressive employer where benefits are concerned - I got 15 days vacation because of having a ton of relevant experience - I worked for my employer in the UK for 2.5 yrs before the move. Know that there is no statutory right to paid vacation in the US...

My employer's health insurance cover is excellent - about as good as it gets if you aren't a member of Congress etc... and for us at our age (mid 40s) I can't see how we will be able to afford to retire here because of medical costs - and we're both pretty healthy.

Whilst a degree is not an official requirement, given that in the current tough market you need a degree to flip burgers, AND the typical degree in the US is not the same as in the UK, it will be a squeeze...

BUT... persevere - you may not find a directly obvious route, and it may take 2-3 years... AND 99% of people here will have plenty of realistic advice for you, though given the sense of humour most of us seem to have, it can seem a tad harsh.

So maybe you come out for the experience of living somewhere different? May be you end up in Canada instead - could be a lot worse.

For me to end up here I reinvented myself in career terms, no specific aim of ending up here in the US, it just worked out that in reinventing myself, I seemed to do a bang up job of sorting out some particular issues at the Vice President level, and that was me 'sorted' as it were. My company brings in about 30 people a year on L1s and H1Bs and as it does over $25M a year revenue and employs over 1000 people in the US, it has an 'easier' time with the process - something to bear in mind if you decide to move to a different company first...

Good luck!

Harry