Ask HN: How should I apply for U.S. jobs as a non-resident?

I'm a software developer living and working abroad. I'm not an American citizen, but have lived in the U.S. for a better part of a decade as a student and obtained an advanced engineering degree from a top school while there.

Recently I've been thinking of applying for jobs in the US - the incredible variety of both startups and established companies seem like great places to learn and build oneself as a professional.

Probably relevant - I don't have a work VISA or a green card (I did apply for one), and I'm married + baby. I have several questions:

1. Where to start? This is a vague question, I know, but I'm looking for input from someone who'd be considering non-resident applicants: the checklist I should follow, planning ahead, etc.

2. Am I being realistic? I mean, as far as interviewing goes, this won't be simple to either side, even if I'm considered as a valid applicant.

3. Any other advice that's relevant to myself and others who might be thinking about or in the midst of doing just this?

Thanks!

It depends a lot where you are from and what citizenship do you have.

If you are from Canada, some countries in the UE and a few others, it is pretty easy. You can even apply for the work permission when arriving in the USA.

For other countries, you have to find a job an go through the H1-B process (expensive for the company) and that can take a few months. Waiting for the green card will take even longer (4 or 5 years).

So most people that I know that came to the USA, they got a job in a large company (microsoft, etc) that applied for their H1-B. After arriving to the US, they applied for the green card themselves.

hope it helps..

To answer your original question, you want to get an H1-B visa. This will require the extensive cooperation of your prospective employer, and is far likelier at a large, established business with established immigration processes. Depending on the marketability of your skills, though, it is a perfectly realistic thing to do.

But more broadly, one way or another the US is going to experience a massive fiscal contraction over the next few years, and holding down a job here might become difficult. Why the US in particular? (I'm in the US on an H1-B, and married to a USian whose parents need care, so I'm here for a while, but definitely worried about what the US is going to look like in five years time.) (Yes, I'm going for the marriage visa.)

H5 visa is good option too. You have all rights as normal USA citizen and no restrictions.

It lasts for 3y and can be extended for another 3y (I'm not sure what happens after 6y total..).

If you are unemployed for 45days visa will terminate (and you need to leave USA), but renews automatically when you get a new employment (in 3y period).

See more here: http://www.kateraynor.com/z-visa/h5-visa.html

I watched non-US students and post docs battle this all through my time in graduate school. Our system here in the US is completely backwards when it comes to training, and then keeping, the world's brightest. Country of citizenship plays a role, as do soft skills that "mesh" with whatever US business culture you want to enter. If I was trying to do this, my introduction email letter would be along the lines of:

"Hi, I'm [name] and I want to work for [specific person/department] at [company]. I earned my [schooling] at [top school] and those [multiple # of years] are like gravity pulling my family to the US. [Something about returning to stay and having my baby grow up in the US]. I know that the visa process can be a pain, so let's chat about working for [company] and clearing the paperwork out of the way."

An introduction like this makes it clear that: 1. You're comfortable with colloquial English 2. You're here to stay and build 3. You have a family and aren't going to walk the aisle for a green card. 4. The visa process is one you're familiar with and will attack.

Good advice for all candidates to any job in the US, whether you are a citizen or not, is to get your resume in the hands of people that do hiring, and not human resources.