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Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

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Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

#1

Post by uni_degree »

Hello,

I'm a software developer with 5 years of experience. Recently I got a dream job offer from a Swiss company. Unfortunately the Swiss immigration agency denied issuing the work permit because I don't have an official degree. The company thinks I'm qualified enough and offers a good salary (by European standards) of ~$140 000.

Until now, the degree has never been required. I've worked in other European countries without any problems (I'm from one of the ex-Soviet states).

I've been programming for almost 10 years now, and I'm pretty comfortable with the theory, so I'd be able to complete all required courses within a couple of months. However I haven't been able to find a university that would allow me to get a quick degree.

For example, the Open University is a good accredited institution that allows you to get a degree remotely. But they don't have the so called "challenging" of the courses where you can pass the course by simply taking the exam.

I know that most of North American universities allow that. Do you know if there is a school that could help me obtain a degree within a couple of months?

Thanks

Re: Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

#3

Post by uni_degree »

finid wrote: post #2

If you know enough to be offered ~$140 000 by a Swiss company, I'd say forget schooling or degrees. Mighty waste of time and money. Just find another job. I'm sure there's at least one startup in the US or Canada that would consider you.

Thanks for your response.

I really like Europe, especially Switzerland. That company is also very interesting, I could learn a lot there.

And as I understand, I still need a degree for the US H1-B visa.

Re: Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

#4

Post by AnimalMuppet »

uni_degree wrote: post #3
finid wrote: post #2

If you know enough to be offered ~$140 000 by a Swiss company, I'd say forget schooling or degrees. Mighty waste of time and money. Just find another job. I'm sure there's at least one startup in the US or Canada that would consider you.

Thanks for your response. I really like Europe, especially Switzerland. That company is also very interesting, I could learn a lot there. And as I understand, I still need a degree for the US H1-B visa.

Is working remotely an option? At least until you get the degree?

Re: Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

#5

Post by gumby »

uni_degree wrote: post #3
finid wrote: post #2

If you know enough to be offered ~$140 000 by a Swiss company, I'd say forget schooling or degrees. Mighty waste of time and money. Just find another job. I'm sure there's at least one startup in the US or Canada that would consider you.

Thanks for your response. I really like Europe, especially Switzerland. That company is also very interesting, I could learn a lot there. And as I understand, I still need a degree for the US H1-B visa.

> And as I understand, I still need a degree for the US H1-B visa

I got an H-1 for someone without a degree (a special kind of machinist in this case) but we had to demonstrate he had significant expertise equivalent or that exceeded a degree. It's doable but difficult -- we really needed him and couldn't find anyone local at all.

Re: Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

#6

Post by tracker1 »

finid wrote: post #2

If you know enough to be offered ~$140 000 by a Swiss company, I'd say forget schooling or degrees. Mighty waste of time and money. Just find another job. I'm sure there's at least one startup in the US or Canada that would consider you.

Even in the US and Canada it's difficult... work Visas in particular are typically very difficult to get without a degree. I'm in a similar boat as someone working in IT (over 20 years now) without a degree.

Re: Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

#8

Post by rezashirazian »

Any skilled worker position, even in US or Canada requires a degree from an accredited university. You might be able to circumvent the process if the company offers you a managerial or executive position. IRC those positions usually require a separate visa application that may not have the same requirements.

Re: Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

#9

Post by jacques_chester »

My advice is that you should consult a lawyer qualified to give you advice.

The immigration agency are not your lawyer.

Immigration is super complicated. Everywhere, for everyone.

This is your livelihood we're talking about.

Go see a lawyer.

Re: Ask HN: My work permit was just denied because I don't have a degree. Can I

#10

Post by tomashertus »

From what I know about immigration systems(experience with Czech Republic and USA), having degree is fundamental piece of your visa application. For example in US, the 1 year of university is taken like 3 years of experience, so in order to be qualified like someone who has a bachelor degree, you would have to have 12 years of proven work experience.[1]

Based on my experience with immigration systems I've worked with, it never matters how stellar skills you think you have or how many great repos you have on Github. What matter is the quality of your particular case which means quality of paper work you are providing. Obtain highly valuable certificates(eg. a degree in the field you are applying for), recommendations from former employers(C lvl management+), get published(newspaper, etc), and others. These all documents help you to pass the minimum requirements to submit your visa petition.[2]

In addition to that, every country has several types of visas. Maybe if you are not approved for working visas, you might want to try different type of visas(intern)?[3]

[1] https://www.quora.com/H-1B-Visa-Reform-Is-it-essential-for-a...

[2] https://www.uscis.gov/eir/visa-guide/h-1b-specialty-occupati...

[3] http://www.schengenvisainfo.com/switzerland-visa/

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