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Engineer's Guide to US Visas

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Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#111

Post by milemi »

ivanca wrote: post #7
hackerboos wrote: post #6

"It's for this reason I suggest coming out to SF on your own accord, staying for a short while, and lining up a bunch of interviews with all the companies you're interested in." I believe this is only for B1/B2 visa holders and those who are part of the Visa Waiver Program (UK/Aus etc.). You're not supposed to look for work or attend interviews on a tourist visa.

And you are not supposed to spy on the emails of all the other countries including their prime ministers and senators... but who are we to judge?

Spying on communications of foreigners, especially highly placed officials, is actually the intelligence agencies' only reason for being.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#112

Post by TheCoelacanth »

venomsnake wrote: post #73

What is the situation if you are cofounder of startup? So you own some part of US company.

With an investment of at least $100,000, you could get an E2 visa, but that doesn't come with the possibility of getting a green card. If you have $500,000 to $1 million to invest in a business that will create at least 10 jobs, you can get an EB-5 visa that would put you on track to get a green card.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#113

Post by cjf4 »

jbarham wrote: post #38

I'm Canadian and worked for over four years a software engineer in SoCal on work visas (TN then H1B). My wife, an Aussie and high school teacher with several years of teaching experience in top international schools in Asia, couldn't legally work in the US. So she volunteered teaching ESL at a local adult school. Ironically many of her students were Hispanics who had originally entered the US illegally. Doubly ironic…

Nothing you mentioned had any relevance to the idea of "American Exceptionalism."

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#114

Post by coin »

"Getting a bank account is fairly straightforward, and most don't require a SSN." I don't know about this. It's pretty much impossible to open a bank account without a SSN or TIN.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#115

Post by artmageddon »

milemi wrote: post #108
artmageddon wrote: post #96

Can someone further explain the dual-intent portion of this? I'm a US citizen and my girlfriend, who is from Iran, is working toward her PhD in CS here in the States. Currently, she's on a F-1 visa(the site says it's not dual-intent), and would like to remain in the states after she completes her studies to work at a US company(most likely in the valley). This caught my eye as a point of concern, so if anyone can ela…

Even if you don't marry, after graduation she can get one year of so called Optional Practical Training, during which she can apply for a dual-intent visa. This is the path I had personally taken. If you do get married, I am almost 100% sure her having been on an F1 visa is no obstacle for her green card application.

Ok - how difficult was it to get on the Optional Practical Training? She'll be interning at a major company in the valley this summer(assuming the export control process doesn't pose an issue), and will most likely be doing so next summer as well. Basically, finding work shouldn't be an issue for her after graduation.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#116

Post by davidw »

a-priori wrote: post #97
davidw wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree those things are less than optimal in the US, but at a personal level: 1) The visa stuff is a PITA, but if you are in a situation where you can tell some company to deal with it, it shouldn't be too bad. 2) You get pretty good health care working for most companies in the US as a programmer. If you lose your job, you can presumably relocate to where you were before that has a different health care system.

Speaking as a Canadian on #2, I have a couple problems there that prevent me even considering moving to the States: 1) My wife has a chronic health problem. What guarantee do I have that if she needed treatment, for that or something else, that insurance wouldn't find a way to weasel out of covering it? Also, eventually I would lose coverage under OHIP, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan, after an extended absence (1-…

Do people with this condition manage to exist in the US? Does their insurance cover it? Are there ways to ensure that they get coverage? Things worth looking up if there's a tempting offer, because it might be worth your while. If it's not an offer that's worth the hassle, well, then, no, don't bother.

Point being, if it's a good enough offer, you might be able to make it work if you're not bent on rejecting it because of your general disdain for the US healthcare system (which I can certainly comprehend).

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#117

Post by ma2rten »

> TN Visa

> Processing time: Weeks

Actually for Canadians the visa is usually given at the border at time of entry. I applied at the US embassy in Bangkok and it didn't take more than a couple of days.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#118

Post by pucallpa »

artmageddon wrote: post #115
milemi wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if you don't marry, after graduation she can get one year of so called Optional Practical Training, during which she can apply for a dual-intent visa. This is the path I had personally taken. If you do get married, I am almost 100% sure her having been on an F1 visa is no obstacle for her green card application.

Ok - how difficult was it to get on the Optional Practical Training? She'll be interning at a major company in the valley this summer(assuming the export control process doesn't pose an issue), and will most likely be doing so next summer as well. Basically, finding work shouldn't be an issue for her after graduation.

OPT is time of work that she gets for her studies, Some people wait until they are done with their studies to use that time. If you use it during your studies (in an internship) you'll run out of time by the end, there is new legislation that will let her get an h1b easier coming from an F1.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#119

Post by milemi »

artmageddon wrote: post #115
milemi wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even if you don't marry, after graduation she can get one year of so called Optional Practical Training, during which she can apply for a dual-intent visa. This is the path I had personally taken. If you do get married, I am almost 100% sure her having been on an F1 visa is no obstacle for her green card application.

Ok - how difficult was it to get on the Optional Practical Training? She'll be interning at a major company in the valley this summer(assuming the export control process doesn't pose an issue), and will most likely be doing so next summer as well. Basically, finding work shouldn't be an issue for her after graduation.

It was a long time ago, but I remember it being totally routine, no queues and no uncertainty. She should go to her school's immigration office, I'm sure they'll be able to walk her through the application and explain any other options while they're at it.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#120

Post by srik1234 »

MRSallee wrote: post #95
nodemaker wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Similar story here. Indian citizen with a US masters degree. Left after working in the US for a year, travelled around SE Asia ,and then moved to Amsterdam! Can choose to work four days a week, have side projects and take 26 days of vacation a year. H1B is totally a sucker's game.

You both mentioned being able to do side projects. Do US visas prohibit that?

Yes, it does. With H1B visa, you cannot work for more than 40 hours and it has to be with a single employer.
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