There are many posts on HabrΓ© about how to find a job in America. The problem is that it feels like 95% of these texts are written by developers. This is their main disadvantage, since today it is much easier for a programmer to come to the States than for representatives of other professions.
I myself moved to the United States more than two years ago as an Internet marketing specialist, and today I will talk about what non-programmers have ways of working emigration.
Key Thought: It will be extremely difficult for you to find a job from Russia
The standard way for a programmer to move to America is either to look for a job on their own or, if they have good experience, respond to one of the recruiters' messages on LinkedIn, a few interviews, paperwork, and, in fact, the move.
For marketing specialists, system administrators and other professionals related to the Internet, but not to development, everything is much more complicated. You can send hundreds of responses to vacancies from sites like Monster.com, search for something on LinkedIn, the response will be scanty - you are not in America, but in this country there are not enough programmers, but there are more or less enough admins, marketers and journalists . Finding a job remotely will be extremely difficult. Relocation on a work visa of one employee will cost the company ~$10 thousand, a lot of time, and in the case of an H1-B work visa, there is a chance not to win the lottery and be left without an employee. If you are not a good programmer, no one will work so hard for you.
It is unlikely that you will be able to move and get a job in an American company in Russia and ask for a transfer in a couple of years. The logic is clear - if you prove yourself, and then ask for a transfer to a foreign office, why should you be refused? In reality, in most cases, you will most likely not be refused, but the chances of getting into America will not increase much.
Yes, there are examples of moving according to this scheme, but again, it is more realistic for a programmer, and even in this case, you can wait for relocation for years. A much more practical way is to engage in self-education, professional development, work on interesting projects, and then take fate into your own hands and deal with the move yourself.
To help those who move to the USA, I launched a project is a site where you can find the most up-to-date information on various types of visas, get advice and assistance in collecting data for your visa case.
Right now there is a vote on our project on the Product Hunt website. If you like what we do, or have any questions - ask them or share your experience of use / your wishes for development .
Step 1. Decide on a visa
In general, at the moment there are only three real options for moving, if you do not take into account winning the green card lottery and all sorts of options with family immigration and attempts to obtain political asylum, there are only three:
Visa H1-B
Standard work visa. To get it you need a company that will act as a sponsor. There are quotas for H1B visas - for example, the quota for fiscal year 2019 was 65, while 2018 were applied for such a visa in 199. These visas are drawn in the course of a lottery.
Another 20 thousand visas are issued to those specialists who were educated in the United States (Master's Exemption Cap). So it makes sense to consider studying in the US and looking for a job already with a local diploma.
Visa L-1
These types of visas are issued to employees of American companies that work outside the country. If the company has a representative office in Russia or, for example, in Europe, then after working there for a year, you can apply for such a visa. There are no quotas for it, so this is a more convenient option than H1-B.
The problem is to find a company that will hire you and then want to relocate - usually the employer wants a good employee to be useful in the current place for as long as possible.
Visa for talented people O1
The O-1 visa is for talented individuals from a variety of backgrounds who need to come to the US to complete work projects. Business people are given an O-1A visa (this is your option as an employee of a commercial company), while the O-1B subtype visa is for artists.
This visa has no quotas and you can apply for it completely on your own - this is the main plus. At the same time, do not rush to think that it will be easy, quite the opposite.
First, an O-1 visa requires an employer. You can bypass this point by registering your company and hiring yourself. You will also need to meet a number of criteria, and to prepare a visa application, hire a lawyer - all this will take at least $ 10 thousand and several months. I wrote more about the design process , But the document contains a checklist for self-assessment of your chances of obtaining such a visa - saving a couple of hundred dollars on the initial legal consultation.
Step #2. Creating a financial airbag
The most important point, which is often not thought about, is the cost of relocation. Moving to a country as expensive as the US will require a significant amount of money. At a minimum, you will need only the first time:
- To rent an apartment β pay a minimum initial fee and a security deposit in the amount of a monthly fee. In large cities, it will be difficult to find an apartment for less than $1400/month. If you have a family with children, a more realistic figure is from $ 1800 for a two-bedroom (three-room apartment with two bedrooms).
- Shop for basic household items like toilet paper, detergents, some toys for children. All this usually costs $500-1000 in the first month.
- Likely to buy a car. In the States, it is usually difficult without a car, although there are exceptions. With a high degree of probability, you will need at least some kind of car. Here, the costs may depend on preferences, but a more or less normal not quite ancient used sedan like Chevy Cruze (2013-2014) can be taken from $5-7k. You will have to pay in cash, because no one will give you a loan with a zero credit history.
- To eat - food in America is significantly more expensive than in Russia. In terms of quality - of course, you need to know the places, but the prices are higher for many things. So for a family of two adults and two children, the cost of food, travel, and household items is unlikely to be below $1000 per month.
Simple calculations suggest that in the first month you may need more than $ 10k (including the purchase of a car). At the same time, expenses tend to increase - children will need a kindergarten, which is usually paid here, used cars break down more often - and mechanics in the States just throw out a part and put a new one with an appropriate price tag, etc. So the more money you have, the more relaxed you will feel.
Step #3 Job search within the USA and networking
Let's say you managed to save up several tens of thousands of dollars, find a lawyer and get yourself a visa. You came to the USA and now you need to look for new projects/jobs here. It is possible to do this, but it will not be easy.
The main point to remember is that the more actively you network, the higher the chances of getting a job as soon as possible. It is clear that there is nothing worse for introverts, but if you want to build a successful career in America, then the more different acquaintances you make, the better.
Firstly, networking is useful even before moving - to get the same O-1 visa, you need letters of recommendation from strong experts in your industry.
Secondly, if you have acquaintances among those who have traveled your path before and are already working in an American company, this opens up new opportunities. If your former colleagues or new acquaintances work in good companies, you can ask them to recommend you for one of the open vacancies.
Often, large organizations (like Microsoft, Dropbox and the like) have internal portals where employees can send resumes to HR of people who they think are suitable for open vacancies. Such applications usually take precedence over mere letters from people on the street, so extensive contacts will help you get an interview faster.
Thirdly, you will need acquaintances at least to solve everyday issues, of which there will be a lot. Deal with medical insurance, the intricacies of renting, buying a car, searching for kindergartens and sections - when you have someone to ask for advice, it saves time, money, and nerves.
Step #4 Further legalization in the US
When you solve the problem with work and start earning income, after some time the question of further legalization in the country will arise. Here, too, there may be different options: if someone comes to the country alone, they can meet their future spouse with a passport or a green card; residences and independently.
Similar to the O-1 visa, there is the EB-1 visa program, which involves obtaining a green card based on professional achievements and talents. To do this, you must meet the criteria from a list similar to the O-1 visa (professional awards, speeches at conferences, publications in the media, high salary, etc.)
You can read more about the EB-1 visa and estimate your chances using the checklist. .
Conclusion
As it is easy to understand from the text, moving to the United States is a difficult, long and costly process. If you do not have a profession that is so in demand that the employer will deal with visa and domestic issues for you, you will have to overcome a lot of difficulties.
At the same time, the advantages of America are clear - here you can find the most interesting work in the field of IT and the Internet, an extremely high standard of living, unlimited prospects for you and your children, a general positive atmosphere on the streets, and in some states even a wonderful climate.
In the end, is it worth it to strain so much for the sake of all this, everyone decides for himself - the main thing is not to harbor unnecessary illusions and immediately prepare for difficulties.
Source: habr.com