Moving to WA from outside the US for study/work (Seattle: renting, insurance)

[DrKernel]

Hi Guys, my name is medo and I'm working as a consultant in an IT corporate branch at Dubai, the company HQ is at WA, I'm single and 24 years old, and can access the US only by visa

I just left my company, and I got a new job in the same area and same country with better salary, But I decided to move to the US for study and work later on

City University of Seattle, MBA program can give me F1 visa as student visa, and F1 visa is only eligble to have it as full time

My plan is to go as F1 student visa for the first quarter (full time MBA), then go search for job to find one , so I can change my visa to H1 to work full time and take the MBA as part time, is that possible? am I thinking right?

2ndly, the location of the course can be at one of the following places
Bellevue, WA (university HQ)
Everett, WA
North Seattle, WA
Renton, WA
Tacoma, WA

What do you think is the best place for me in terms of finding a job/cost/stay/make connections/transportation..etc?

my field of experience is information technology consulting and implementation


Thanks in advance

[yukiko11]

The cheapest place to live would probably be Everett, however, Microsoft is in Bellvue. You absolutely have to have a car to live here because public transportation was never built into the infrastructure and is only now being explored.
This is a haven for IT types who have multiple degrees, but a lot of IT jobs have been lost during the current financial crisis. In addition, a lot of IT jobs have been exported to places like India.
Coming as a student is a good idea but you may have to settle for a lessor job over the next few years.
I recently read that Dubai is also undergoing a financial crisis and a lot of Ex-pats who have been working there have returned to the US. This could lower the quotas of people issued work visas from your country.
I have heard that one of the projects that has been suffering is the huge casino/convention complex being built in Dubai. Why not look into Las Vegas as a possible place to relocate. The education may not be stellar, but the fact that you are from Dubai may open a lot of doors for you with some of the huge companies that have invested there. They may consider you an asset worth developing. You could return with a major employment contract in the near future. This financial crisis will not last forever so you would be definately investing in your future.

[DrKernel]

The cheapest place to live would probably be Everett, however, Microsoft is in Bellvue.

That was enough information to me to go for Bellvue, as I will be next to my x-employer, and I thought MSFT is in Redmond

You absolutely have to have a car to live here because public transportation was never built into the infrastructure and is only now being explored.

That's very useful to mention, as I'm now estimating the cost, if this is right then I think I must have a car, can you please tell me how much car cost of level of (second hand) honda civic or corola or even lancer (this category or prices). and can I own a car while I'm F1 visa? or only I can rent? if only renting, how much the average per month?

Coming as a student is a good idea but you may have to settle for a lessor job over the next few years.

yeah, I think you are right, and lesser salary too.

I recently read that Dubai is also undergoing a financial crisis and a lot of Ex-pats who have been working there have returned to the US. This could lower the quotas of people issued work visas from your country.

you should saw dubai at Aug 2008, it was the appropriate example of the most crowded city, and finding a taxi was one of the dreams! now after the crisis, 2000 work permit was cancelled on daily basis, less than 1% is americans (almost all indians, asians)

I have heard that one of the projects that has been suffering is the huge casino/convention complex being built in Dubai. Why not look into Las Vegas as a possible place to relocate. The education may not be stellar, but the fact that you are from Dubai may open a lot of doors for you with some of the huge companies that have invested there. They may consider you an asset worth developing. You could return with a major employment contract in the near future. This financial crisis will not last forever so you would be definately investing in your future.

well, WA almost is the capital of IT with a lot of software companies HQs operates there, I didnt find any place in CA offer the same degree with the same pre-requisites for an MBA

and what about converting the F1 visa to H1, any information here?

Thank you

[yukiko11]

Originally Posted by DrKernel

That was enough information to me to go for Bellvue, as I will be next to my x-employer, and I thought MSFT is in Redmond



That's very useful to mention, as I'm now estimating the cost, if this is right then I think I must have a car, can you please tell me how much car cost of level of (second hand) honda civic or corola or even lancer (this category or prices). and can I own a car while I'm F1 visa? or only I can rent? if only renting, how much the average per month?



yeah, I think you are right, and lesser salary too.



you should saw dubai at Aug 2008, it was the appropriate example of the most crowded city, and finding a taxi was one of the dreams! now after the crisis, 2000 work permit was cancelled on daily basis, less than 1% is americans (almost all indians, asians)



well, WA almost is the capital of IT with a lot of software companies HQs operates there, I didnt find any place in CA offer the same degree with the same pre-requisites for an MBA

and what about converting the F1 visa to H1, any information here?

Thank you

Redmond and Bellevue are basically in the same general area east of Seattle, but Microsoft has more than one campus. There is actually a new one in Seattle that has been announced, but I don't know if it is open yet. Currently, Microsoft is employing a lot of part time people who get no benefits or perks, and also a lot of jobs have been shipped overseas. They have come under a lot of scrutiny for that.
Many people who work at Microsoft live in Bellevue which is full of young international professionals and opportunities for upscale condo living. Prices for housing reflect that. There are also some IT companies like Oracle in Bellevue.
I don't think you would have any problem owning an automobile, as long as you get a drivers license for the State of WA. You will have to show proper ID and take a written and driving test to obtain one. You can research used vehicles on the internet, but probably if you are not mechanically handy, a decent used car would cost you about 8-10,000 US and the insurance which you are required to have by law will probably be about $1500 per year for someone in your age group. On the other hand, you could also invest in a motorcycle for a lot less money for the vehicle and insurance, but it is not so safe and it rains here a lot so you might not like that.
I really don't have any information about converting visas, however I will bet that since 911 it is probably a lot harder than it used to be. The events of 911 added a lot of red tape to everything involving people from other countries.
I am sure there are website opportunities that can help you with that info.
As for wanting to be in WA for the IT work rather than somewhere else. You have to decide. Would you rather be a small fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond. Do your research and don't rule any opportunities out.
Good luck to you.

[DrKernel]

That was very helpful, many thanks to you