Finding a job abroad and relocating is a highly complex endeavor filled with numerous subtleties and hidden pitfalls. Even the slightest assistance on the way to the goal can prove invaluable for a potential emigrant. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of several useful services that will help with job searches, visa issues, and communication in new realities.
: search for companies sponsoring work visas in the USA
One of the most obvious ways to relocate to the USA or Canada is by finding an employer. This is no easy task, and many articles have been written about it. However, it can be somewhat eased by starting your search with the right companies. Your goal is to move, but for the company, bringing in an employee from abroad can be quite challenging. Small startups are unlikely to invest resources into this; it’s much more effective to seek employers who actively hire foreigners.
MyVisaJobs is an excellent resource for finding such companies. It compiles statistics on the number of work visas in the USA (H1B) issued to employees by various companies.
The site maintains a constantly updated ranking of the top 100 most active employers in terms of hiring foreigners. On MyVisaJobs, you can find out which companies most frequently process H1B visas for their employees, how many of them arrive on such visas, and what average salary these immigrants receive.
Note: in addition to data for employees, the site has statistics on universities and student visas.
: salary analysis by industry and regions in the USA
While MyVisaJobs is more focused on gathering visa information, Paysa collects salary statistics. Primarily, the service covers the technology sector, so data is presented for roles related to IT. With this site, you can find out how much programmers earn at major companies like Amazon, Facebook, or Uber, and compare salaries for engineers across different states and cities.
Interestingly, various search settings allow you to filter results to find out, for example, which skills and technologies are currently the most lucrative.
Like the previous resource, Paysa can be used for educational purposes – it presents average salaries of graduates from different universities. So, if you plan to study in America first, it would be beneficial to review this information for your future career.
: search for information on specific visa issues
A work visa is far from the ideal immigration tool, especially when it comes to the USA. The number of H1B visas issued each year is limited, and they are significantly fewer than the applications received from companies. For instance, in 2019, 65,000 H1B visas were allocated, while around 200,000 applications were submitted. Who gets a visa and who doesn’t is determined through a special lottery. This means that over 130,000 people found an employer willing to pay them a salary and sponsor their move, but they won’t get a visa just because luck was not on their side in the draw.
At the same time, there are other options for relocation, but finding information about them on your own is not always easy. The SB Relocate service addresses this issue – firstly, in its store, you can buy ready-made documents with answers to questions about various types of visas (, , which grants a green card), the procedures for applying for them, and even checklists for self-assessment of your chances for obtaining them. Secondly, you can order a data collection service tailored to your specific situation. By listing your questions, you receive answers with links to official government resources and licensed lawyers within 24 hours. Important: the content on the site is also available in Russian.
The main purpose of the service is to save on interactions with lawyers; the project has a network of specialists who provide answers to questions and review the published content. This outsourcing is several times cheaper than direct contact with a lawyer from the start – just to assess your chances of obtaining a visa, you’ll have to pay $200-$500 for consultations.
In addition to that, the site offers a personal branding service tailored to visa-related tasks. This is necessary for obtaining certain work visas (for example, O-1) – having an interview and professional publications in well-known international media will be a plus for the visa application.
: job search for technical vacancies with relocation options to Canada
The site lists job vacancies for technical specialists from Canadian companies that sponsor relocation. The process works like this: the applicant fills out a form indicating their experience and the technologies they would like to work with. Then, the resume is added to a database accessible to companies in Canada.
If any employer is interested in the resume, the service will help arrange interviews and, if successful, gather the necessary documents for expedited relocation within a couple of weeks. Additionally, the documents for obtaining work permits are also processed for spouses, and children receive study permits.
Off-topic: two more useful services
In addition to services that directly solve specific tasks in the immigration process, there are two other resources that address questions whose importance becomes clear over time.
: improvement of written English and error correction
If you plan to work in the USA or Canada, you will likely need to engage in written communication quite actively. While it's somewhat possible to explain yourself with gestures during verbal communication, it's much more difficult in written form. The Linguix service serves as a grammar checker – there are several, including Grammarly and Ginger – which checks for errors on all sites where you can write text (there are extensions for and ).
But its functionality doesn't stop there. In the web version, you can create documents and work with them in a special editor. It includes a module for assessing readability and text complexity. This is helpful when you need to maintain a certain level of complexity – not writing too simply so it doesn’t seem foolish, but also not overdoing it.
An important point: the web editor also has a secret mode for editing private documents. It works like a secret chat in a messenger – after editing the text, it gets deleted.
: networking
In Russia, there is no such culture of networking, self-presentation, and recommendations as there is in North America. Also, the LinkedIn social network is blocked and does not enjoy much popularity. Meanwhile, for the USA, this is a very good way to search for quality job openings.
Having a "boosted" network of contacts can be an advantage when job hunting. If you communicate well with colleagues on LinkedIn and share relevant professional content, they may recommend you when a position opens at their company. Often, large organizations (like Microsoft, Dropbox, and similar) have internal portals where employees can submit resumes to HR for people they believe are a good fit for open roles. Such applications usually take precedence over regular applications from outsiders, so extensive connections can help you land an interview faster.
To "grow" your network on LinkedIn, you need to be active – add current and former colleagues, participate in discussions in industry groups, and send invitations to other group members you managed to talk to. This requires genuine effort, but with consistent activity, this approach can yield benefits.
Further reading on the topic of relocation
Source: habr.com
