Wanting to move to the US any suggestions 2

[welshman213]

Hi all,

I have now got a feeling that I have outgrown the UK and would like to move to the US for better opportunities and a better way of life.
My area is It H/W support and have decided to spend the next year obtaining MCSE/MCSA 2003.
Can anyone suggest how easy it is to do this, and any suggestions on companies thats may sponser the application.

Thanks

John

 

[downlow]

Not my area, but my sense is that there are still a lot of people already here in the US that are still out of work.

I'm not saying that you wouldn't do great here, but I think you'd be better of coming over to an area where hiring is occuring and then look for a job.

monster.com is a good place to start.

Don't you think London is big enough for you

-dl

 

[chiph]

There are some areas in the US that are starting to recover. The problem will be getting a visa. Do a Google search on "H1b Visa". You'll find a fair amount of scam artists and disgruntled American workers, but there are some who are legit and will assist foreign workers in finding employment.

Start at:

http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/h1b.htm

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[welshman213]

Thanks for your advise guys.

Downlow,

I know what you mean, the market seems quite everywhere at present. London is gig enough, but I dont like the atmosphere, and would like to live in an area where I would eventually like to have kids.

Chip H,

Cheers for the advise and I will check the site out.

Thanks guys

John

 

[Zelandakh]

MCSE from scratch should take about 300 hours hard work if you already know networking and servers.
Getting into US will be tough without a sponsor.
However, a lot of the US where there is money is worse than London in terms of atmosphere. The places that are better either don't have the money or don't have the jobs...

 

[welshman213]

Zelandakh,

I am begining to know what you mean, I think as long as I can earn $30/40k I should be ok.

I just want to be in a position to bring a family into a better way of life than here in Wales.

Thanks

John

 

[screwloose]

welshman, you should be able to find employment in the US. I used to work for a Fortune 500 company that employed quite a few foreign workers. There was one woman on another team who was from England and last I knew she was looking to move to Chicago because she got married and her husband moved to a new job there.

Also, I now work for a government contractor. Hate to say this, but it seems the federal government hires MANY foreign workers. You might want to check into that avenue.

Why the federal gov't hires foreign workers I have no idea, but on one floor of my building, most names I cannot pronounce and they are the majority. Go figure!

 

[LaurelLee]

I don't think that the US is that much better as far as raising a family as compared to Wales. Maybe I am wrong, but I would hate to see you come here and be severely disillusioned! Inless you want to live in a small town, The US has many of the same problems as the UK. My company sponsors people from the UK quite often, but you definitely have to be at the top of your game to be considered for shelling out that kind of dough. Having certs will probably not be enough!


Best of luck to you!!

___________________________________________________________
With your thoughts you create the world--Shakyamuni Buddha

 

[Stella740pl]

screwloose,

The fact that you cannot pronounce most of your coworkers' names doesn't mean that federal government hires many foreign workers. Most likely, all of them are american citizens, not even permanent residents with green cards. They could possibly work for a contractor, like you, but even then I am not sure a firm could place a foreign worker with H1B on a government contract. Local governments do hire permanent residents, but not H1B foreign workers.

Of course, welshman213 should check all leads, but I don't think government job is a way to go. (Well, unless probably the case he has some very unique knowledge and skills that can qualify him for an Oustanding Specialist visa. I am not sure those cases are treated differently, but there is always a possibility.)

Stella

 

[screwloose]

Most likely, all of them are american citizens, not even permanent residents..."

stella, I hate to disappoint you, but most of them ARE H1B visa holders.

 

[Stella740pl]

H1B visa holders on federal jobs? Not employees of contracting companies? Are you sure?

Working for a local governmental structure (not government, but public agency under local government control), not exactly American-born myself, and have to meet yet a coworker with H1B visa. Plenty of permanent residents and foreign-born American citizens, though.

 

[welshman213]

Thanks for the input guys,

i have heard of agencies that say they can get you definate sponsorship, is this advised?
I assume this will either cost, or tie you into poor wages for a few years?

Thanks

John

 

[Stella740pl]

welshman213,

i have heard of agencies that say they can get you definate sponsorship, is this advised?
Well, sponsorship is what you need to get H1B, so I don't think it would make a big difference, whether you can find one directly with a sponsoring company or through an agency. I mean, employment agencies, that is. If it's a some kind of other services that offer that, be very careful. It could be a scam, or unnecessary middleman, you don't want that.

I assume this will either cost,
I wouldn't advise you to deal with agencies that ask you to pay for their services. Check their reputation in any case.

or tie you into poor wages for a few years?
That's what I heard from people with H1B. Most of them have to work for a few years on below-average wages, until they get green card, sometimes 6-12 month more. After that they are free. Meanwhile, their immediate families can come to live with them, at first without the right to work. At some point later (don't know the details) they can apply for work permit, too. When H1B worker gets green card, it's for the whole family, with all the rights that come with permanent residency.

 

[welshman213]

Stella,

Thanks for the input, I assumed anyone who would charge money would probably be a scam.
I am prepared to accept the below average wages for 6-12 months to allow me tghe chance of what I believe to be a better life.
So far I have contacted the US regarding the Green card Visa but believe the UK is not allow part of the lottery at present due to too many people moving in the past few years.
Maybe my hope is to go for a HB1 with an agency so I am sure to have the sponser for the required period.

Thanks

John

 

[chiph]

welshman213
Before you get too caught up in the salary side of things, you might want to check out the cost of living in the area you're targeting.

For a flat:

http://www.apartmentfinder.com

For a home:

http://www.realtor.com

Nightlife:

http://www.citysearch.com

Each state will also have a website (sometimes the county and/or city will too) that covers taxes, etc. Here's North Carolina's tax info:

http://www.ncgov.com/asp/subpages/intention.asp?P=2&I=30

You'll find that in the US, taxes are very low compared to the UK. On the other hand, there aren't a lot of goverment programs that take your hard-earned money, either. No VAT here. Some states have no income tax, others have no sales tax (they find other ways to make up the difference, except for New Hampshire, which simply doesn't have a lot of goverment). Sales taxes are added to the price marked on an item at the cash register. Some items have different tax rates (many states have lower sales taxes on food and clothing, for example).

Remember that the US was settled by Puritans, so some states have some peculiar laws regarding alcohol -- when it can be bought, where it can be sold, and who can do the buying & selling. South Carolina, until recently, only sold liquor in mini-bottles (like what you get on airlines). Utah is run by the Mormons, so you'll find very little alcohol there, and no caffeinated beverages (how does Novell write any code without caffeine??)

Texas & California and their pecularities are entire messages unto themselves.

Centers of IT activity are (in descending order):
San Francisco & the Bay Area (California)
New York, New York
Austin, Texas
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
Washington, District of Columbia
Boston, Massachusetts
- any other large city -

Note that this list also roughly follows the cost-of-living -- San Francisco is extremely expensive to live in (comperable to London).

And, you probably already know this, but unless you're in a major city, there's no mass transit. A car will be required. Try

http://www.autotrader.com

to get an idea of the prices (don't forget to include sales tax into your purchase plans -- rate varies by state).

You'll have to make an adjustment to your spatial thinking -- Interstate 40 starts at the Atlantic ocean, and goes for 2554 miles, ending in Barstow California, with another 100 miles or so to reach the Pacific. It'll take you 38 hours of continuous driving to go the whole length, privded you don't need to stop for an oil change in the middle of the trip.

Oh, and voltage is 115v, 60Hz. Leave your TV & VCR at home, unless they're multi-format. Same applies to your mobile phone -- there are GSM providers here, but the phones use a different frequency than Europe.

Chip H.


If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first

 

[Stella740pl]

welshman213,

I am prepared to accept the below average wages for 6-12 months to allow me tghe chance of what I believe to be a better life.
As I said before, it's a few years till you get green card, plus, possibly, 6-12 month more. So it could total up to 2-4 years all together. So, before you start any salary talks, check out the cost of living, as chiph advised you.

Also, depending on your educational level, you might also want to look into possibility of coming to USA to study, on student visa. Some of the programs, like PhD programs in some universities, will cost you next to nothing plus you might get financial help through employment in the school. If that's not an option for you, then, I guess, H1B is your best bet.

 

[KenCunningham]

Chip H said:

"Remember that the US was settled by Puritans, so some states have some peculiar laws regarding alcohol -- when it can be bought, where it can be sold, and who can do the buying & selling. South Carolina, until recently, only sold liquor in mini-bottles (like what you get on airlines."

I don't think that would be too much of a problem for Welshman123. Until relatively recently parts of Wales had perhaps the most restrictive alcohol laws in the UK, something of a carry-over from it's Methodist history. [tongue-in-cheek] In addition, of course, no Welshman would ever consider over-indulging anyway! [/tongue in cheek]

 

[welshman213]

chiph,

That sounds like good advice, and I will check those out when I have a spare 5 mins.

stella740pl

I mis-read your post, somthing to do with Over-indulging.
I assumed that would be the case, tied in for the 3 years.

I think I really need to do some really study on this.

Thanks Guys

John

 

[Stella740pl]

screwloose,

I asked around, and found out that our agency do employ a few and far between people with so called "employment authorizations". Don't know if those authorizations have anything in common with H1B, but it's possible. I suspect, though, that those are the same as "work permits" I referred earlier, usually used by spouses of H1B holders.

 

[welshman213]

chiph,

I have checked out the suggested site on flat rental, am I to assume the price is per month?
This being the case, that is not too bad. I intend to bring enough money that I could be capable of not working for 2-3 years, so study is a possibility.