Ask HN: How can foreigners get a job in the USA? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How can foreigners get a job in the USA?

9 pointsk-mcgrady7 comments

I was reading another recent Ask HN about living and working in the US [0]. A question that came up a few times is "How do you plan on legally working in the US?". I'm sure there are people here who have experience with moving to the US and getting a job so hopefully we can get some good answers.

Personally I would love to live in the US. I've entered the DV Lottery several times with no luck. The reason I'd rather have a permanent visa is that I don't want to start my life there, lose my job, and get sent back home. However I'm getting older and am becoming more willing to take that risk.

I'm an iOS developer of 5 years and have been freelancing for those 5 years. I'm not a 'rockstar' programmer but I'm a solid developer, enjoy learning new things, and I'm good at picking them up quite quickly.

What chance does someone in my position have of getting a visa to work at a company in the US? Do I even have a chance? What are the best visa options, how much do they cost, and how does the process work (do I apply for jobs and then a visa or vice versa)?

I would like to hear a range of answers that can help everyone but if you want to answer more specifically I'm in the EU and have dual Irish and British citizenship.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7788678

The official government site that will answer some of your questions - http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/temporary-workers...

Submissions start April 1st each year. There's a maximum ("cap") and they typically "run out" for the year in several weeks/months. See this page for dates in the past (scroll down) - http://www.h1base.com/visa/work/h1bvisacaph1bquotasystem/ref...

Please note: education and expertise matter a lot. If you do not have a masters degree your chances are much smaller. Good luck.

I've gotten to work with a lot of amazing silicon valley engineers who are here on H1B visas. As as I understand, losing your job does not normally mean being sent back to your country since you can transfer the H1B visa to your new employer.

The tough part is just getting the H1B visa since you must have a company here sponsor you to get it. This is why the monthly "Who's Hiring" submission here on HN requests that posters declare whether H1B's are welcome.

Thanks for the response. How 'good' to you have to be to get a H1B? Aren't there restrictions along the lines of 'there must be no American available who can do the job'? I guess my question really is: Is the H1B for really talented programmers or anyone who does a good job?

H1B is for anyone who can convince the company they are interviewing with (you don't need to be a rockstar, ninja, herokai or anything like that. You just need to be honest, reasonably good and hard-working), that it is worth sponsoring that person. Typically if the company has interviewed 2-3 local folks with no success and you wow them, they will gladly sponsor your H1B . Bigger companies can do it much easier than smaller ones.

That is how I got my H1b.

Excellent, thanks for the advice. Do you know whether it's more likely to get a visa with a larger company (Google, Microsoft etc.) or a startup?

A bigger company (with fancy lawyers) will have an easy time sponsoring someone's H1B than a startup. But I have seen startups sponsor H1Bs as well. If the startup is well funded, has traction and is a 'real' company, then I don't think they will have any issues sponsoring for a H1B.

I believe it's difficult to get your foot into the door if you are not (at least temporary) staying here. Going to school, coming as tourist, or doing an internship are ways for you to at least temporarily come here and interview with companies.

Do you have a university degree? I may be wrong, but I believe for an H1B-Visa you need a Bachelor's degree or an equivalent amount of work experience. Your 5-year freelancing period may be experience, but it will be difficult to prove the equivalence in case of freelancing.

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