Want to move to America...

knownhero · 01-08-2010, 06:19 PM

Hi Guys,

I want to move to America as were I live there is not much you can progress to. I want to get my MCSE and SharePoint under my belt first and hopefully plan to get the ball rolling end of this year. Just asking if anyone has done this before and what troubles they had or what I should look out for. Oh I'm currently living on an island 9miles by 5miles.

Regards

Kaminsky · 06:36 PM

In the current financial climate, someone going to the US to take 1 more job, could be a reason for a nasty thread here.

Jobs are scarce all over the world.

My younger brother retired to Spain when he was 40 (git!) He has a 23 year army pension but does odd jobs here and there. I got a call from him before Christmas to say he wanted to come over for two months as money was getting tight and get a job and earn some cash to take back to Spain and see out the next year. He had to, he said, there was a recession on in Spain... WTF !!! He did come over. Applied everywhere he could but ended up with just 2 months on my sofa and no money earned.

Point is, moving to the US may not solve your problems.

EDIT: Just read about the 9 x 5 island... hmmm yes.. either move or run for election as the IT minister

Turgon · 01-08-2010, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaminsky

In the current financial climate, someone going to the US to take 1 more job, could be a reason for a nasty thread here.

Jobs are scarce all over the world.

My younger brother retired to Spain when he was 40 (git!) He has a 23 year army pension but does odd jobs here and there. I got a call from him before Christmas to say he wanted to come over for two months as money was getting tight and get a job and earn some cash to take back to Spain and see out the next year. He had to, he said, there was a recession on in Spain... WTF !!! He did come over. Applied everywhere he could but ended up with just 2 months on my sofa and no money earned.

Point is, moving to the US may not solve your problems.

EDIT: Just read about the 9 x 5 island... hmmm yes.. either move or run for election as the IT minister

Sort of a paradox taking the US jobs really. The US based companies are more than happy to send jobs to cheaper shores!

I don't know how the land lies for offshorers that want to work in the US though. Imagine jobs are competitive in the States but good luck with your plans! I'm sure the US could be a great experience!

GAngel · 01-08-2010, 07:43 PM

Are you in the virgin islands?

Spain's unemployment is around 25% right now but it's always hovered around 15%. I wouldn't want to work if i live there either..

Ahriakin · 01-08-2010, 08:30 PM

The issue is whether you will be granted a Visa or not, and that is getting much stricter. I moved from Ireland to the States but it was not for work (though thankfully that has ended up working in my favour now), my wife is American and we had to look after her parents so I didn't really have much choice.
Getting the green card was not too hard, just a long wait but I imagine without a spouse nowadays it will be nigh on impossible.
Essentially you will need a company to sponsor your Visa, and they will have to prove why they need to import someone for that position. With the domestic job market leaving a surplus of professionals in most areas, and with that lowering salaries to make them more attractive vs. foreign talent, added to the increased pressure to hire internally I'd say it would be extremely hard to move over here for a job.

Turgon · 01-08-2010, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahriakin

The issue is whether you will be granted a Visa or not, and that is getting much stricter. I moved from Ireland to the States but it was not for work (though thankfully that has ended up working in my favour now), my wife is American and we had to look after her parents so I didn't really have much choice.
Getting the green card was not too hard, just a long wait but I imagine without a spouse nowadays it will be nigh on impossible.
Essentially you will need a company to sponsor your Visa, and they will have to prove why they need to import someone for that position. With the domestic job market leaving a surplus of professionals in most areas, and with that lowering salaries to make them more attractive vs. foreign talent, added to the increased pressure to hire internally I'd say it would be extremely hard to move over here for a job.

This whole moving where the work is thing is really complicated. At least in the EU I can work in different countries. How does the HB1 thing work in the US? Increasingly it looks like a fox hole for IT pros looking for work overseas unless they are Uber qualified.

knownhero · 01-08-2010, 09:56 PM

Thanks for all the replies. Though I did forget to mention a massive part of why else I wanted to move. My girlfriend is American and now her folks are heading back but I'm thinking of going with her as I think marriage is on the cards. Easy access ay

veritas_libertas · 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knownhero

Hi Guys,

I want to move to America as were I live there is not much you can progress to. I want to get my MCSE and SharePoint under my belt first and hopefully plan to get the ball rolling end of this year. Just asking if anyone has done this before and what troubles they had or what I should look out for. Oh I'm currently living on an island 9miles by 5miles.

Regards

Where is C.I.? What Island? Caicos Islands? (You have me really curious)

Really Kaminsky, we Yanks don't like foreigners coming over for work?

We really don't mind as long they're legal, producing something, and not just mooching off us. I have a friend in Michigan who is Canadian, and doing Network Admin stuff. Nice guy and I don't hate him for finding work to provide for his family.

bellhead · 01-09-2010, 05:57 PM

Do you have a green card or are you a US citizen. Getting a job in the US is tough right now. Not as bad as Spain, I know my wife's family is from there and we have looked at moving there as the lifestyle and healthcare is much better than the US, but very hard to find a job.

Kaminsky · 01-10-2010, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellhead

Do you have a green card or are you a US citizen. Getting a job in the US is tough right now. Not as bad as Spain, I know my wife's family is from there and we have looked at moving there as the lifestyle and healthcare is much better than the US, but very hard to find a job.

My younger brother lives in Spain and the work is pants at the moment. Even before the recession, getting a job wasn't easy. You need to be fluent in the language as a bare minimum if you don't want low paid casual labour and then you'll need to be very experienced in what you do even though we are all in the EU now.

Absolutely right on the lifestyle, education and healthcare. We have free healthcare in the UK up to a point but Spain's healthcare is better than ours but the national insurance is heftier to pay for it I believe.

mrblackmamba343 · 01-10-2010, 01:21 PM

Why would you want to move to the US? Healthcare here is not cheap and plus if I were you, I would marry my girlfriend because that would make it very easy to get a green card. When I say easy in the post 9/11 world I mean 3 years or more. I have experience with it. Most of the IT firms hiring right now are gov contractors, you have to be a citizen to get those jobs. My advice to you would be get the green card as soon as possible and then start your citizenship paper work if you really want to make money here.

Ricka182 · 01-10-2010, 01:35 PM

Honestly, right now isn't the time you want move in... Legal or not, people will know you're not a natural born citizen, and some..not all, but some will look down on you for that, even if you do it 100% legally. Taxes are only going up, healthcare is about to stab everyone in the back, and the economy doesn't have much of an immediate bright future..

I work for a major defense corp, under a Gov't contract. I am natural born, also a former Marine, and I still had to wait almost 4 weeks(unpaid) just to get an interim clearence to show up for work.. It's crazy tight on the restrictions right now. Best of luck if you try though...

As for what C.I. stands for, I'll guess Christmas Island? I know that place is pretty small in land mass... at least I think it is...

bellhead · 01-10-2010, 02:34 PM

This is how tough it is in Spain.

My wife's friend who has a Phd in Spanish Literature is having trouble getting a job teaching Spanish in Spain and she is from Spain. She is fluent in three different languages and cannot find a teaching job. The only thing she is doing right now is translation work on contract. The only jobs right now are government jobs and the only way to get them is through a civil service exam, which people study two years for. Spain is great if you have money or a good job, but to be jobless in Spain sucks.

knownhero · 01-24-2010, 02:44 PM

Sorry for the long reply on this the CI is Channel Islands the little bunch of islands under UK and next to France. Google map it.. see how small it is

dmarsh · 03:27 PM

Sounds like marriage visa is your best bet and should get you in easy.

You are very lucky for most this is not an option.

Otherwise its L1 or H1B visa, these are pretty hard to get, it seems like you either have to be prepared to work for nothing or a college professor.

They may beleive in free trade, but certainly they don't beleive in a free labour market !

As mentioned as a foreigner you won't be given government work so thats a lot of jobs out of reach straight off.

ULWiz · 01-24-2010, 03:25 PM

[QUOTE=Ricka182;372375]Legal or not, people will know you're not a natural born citizen, and some..not all, but some will look down on you for that, even if you do it 100% legally. QUOTE]

I have never gotten than sense in my life at least. I was born in brazil where i spent 3 years of my life. Also spent 7 years in Europe before i came to the states in 89. I have been a green card holder and permenant resident ever since then.

Never had a issue getting interviews or gotten the feeling that people are frowning because i was not born here. Either your skills will shine or they wont. Has nothing to do with where you are from.

As for the IT market i would say that there is roughly 1000+ applicants per job. So the market is not easy right now.

Best of luck though.

TravR1 · 01-25-2010, 03:50 AM

These financial hard times are not going to last forever. We will see better days in the future. Welcome to America.