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Old 04-08-2008, 11:35 AM
 
1 posts, read 1,880 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi,

My wife and I an considering moving to CA from the UK.

I am a professional software developer of almost 10 years and have a UK degree. Does anyone knows if this is enough to get a work permit and what % success I can expect?

I know that I need to find a sponsoring company. I have seen lots and lots of companies online that "guarantee" to get you a visa for you (and will keep trying if they dont). They charge a fee from $200-$800 or more!

Do anyone reccomend these companies or do you think it is best to find sponsoring companies myself (and for free!)?

What areas are good for Software Development jobs? From my understanding I beleive Southern San Francisco (is this Silicon Valley?) but are there any other areas I could consider?

The reason we want to make a move is because we want to experience a different country and culture and is something we have always wanted to do - maybe not leave the UK forever but at least a few years to get it out of our systems! We dont have kids yet and I am 30 and would love to do this before it gets too late in life and have kids etc!

I look forward to some replies - hopefull

Paul
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Old 04-08-2008, 01:16 PM
 
Location: Western Mass.
605 posts, read 2,382,537 times
Reputation: 311
Quote:
Originally Posted by belliez View Post
Hi,

My wife and I an considering moving to CA from the UK.

I am a professional software developer of almost 10 years and have a UK degree. Does anyone knows if this is enough to get a work permit and what % success I can expect?

I know that I need to find a sponsoring company. I have seen lots and lots of companies online that "guarantee" to get you a visa for you (and will keep trying if they dont). They charge a fee from $200-$800 or more!

Do anyone reccomend these companies or do you think it is best to find sponsoring companies myself (and for free!)?

What areas are good for Software Development jobs? From my understanding I beleive Southern San Francisco (is this Silicon Valley?) but are there any other areas I could consider?

The reason we want to make a move is because we want to experience a different country and culture and is something we have always wanted to do - maybe not leave the UK forever but at least a few years to get it out of our systems! We dont have kids yet and I am 30 and would love to do this before it gets too late in life and have kids etc!

I look forward to some replies - hopefull

Paul

Hi Paul

First off - don't touch those companies with a barge pole. They absolutely cannot guarantee you a visa and many have been ripped off in the past. A "visa agency" or similar cannot improve your chances of moving over here - which are slim. U.S. Immigration attorneys can be of some use for specific advice etc. however if you move over here on an employment-based visa it will be your employer who does all the leg-work, not you.

Those who come here in your industry sponsored by US companies will be using what are known as H1B visas. These are scarce and have an annual quota that is massively oversubscribed. The next H1B visas will be made available in early April 2009 for employment commencing in October 2009.
H1B visas are fairly crappy anyway as they almost never lead to permanent residency and if you have a UK spouse they cannot work unless they get their own visa. Because of the hassle you have to have something seriously special to offer for a company to go to the trouble and expense of applying on your behalf.

Better bet is to try to get employed in the UK by a company who also has US offices and then get yourself transferred. Easier said than done to find the right job at the right company in order to achieve this, but going down this route makes the visa a piece of ***** (and they'd likely pay for your relocation). This is an L1 visa, which can (relatively easily) lead to permanent residency and your spouse can work too without getting separate sponsorship.

The majority of other Brits over here managed it by marrying a USC or by buying/starting a business (neither of which sound up your street).

Have a butchers at this link which provides an overview, and after that Google is your friend. Feel free to come back with any questions.

Pulaski's Ways: How to Live and Work in the USA : British Expat Wiki


Good luck!
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