Engineer's Guide to US Visas • Hacker News Board

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#141

Post by ambrood » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:26 PM UTC

geoffnorton wrote: post #101

rjzzleep wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IANAL, but I think in theory you already qualify. The effort is a little on the employers side. They have to post the job offer publicly in a news paper in the area, and then they have to have a good reason for hiring you. In theory I would say it's just a question of having a good lawyer. But then again those things have to be done ANYWAY if you want a green card.

Classifying the effort as 'little' for any EB based green card is nuts. Especially for an Indian citizen. In order to apply for EB-2 or EB-3 you need to first do a prevailing wage determination (about 2 weeks). Then your employer has to recruit for the position they want to offer you (30 days posted + 30 days quiet period). After this your employer gets to apply for a PERM (this is currently taking 8-9 months to be a…

You don't even have to be an Indian citizen, merely India-born. I might be a Briton, but in the eyes of USCIS my nationality is classified as "Indian" since I was born there.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#142

Post by tinbad » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:28 PM UTC

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…

Can't relate to your story. Moved my startup in early 2012 to the US on an L1 visa. Applied for Green card mid-2012 and got accepted in early 2013. From nothing to Green card in a year. Yes, you have to deal with some bureaucracy and get a good lawyer, but if you're intentions are good it's very possible.

From your sarcasm I read that you never really wanted to build a life in the US? That's fine, but don't start calling names just because you couldn't pull it off.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#143

Post by cesarbs » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:33 PM UTC

nodemaker wrote: post #62

ashray wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you move to Amsterdam ? Is it like fulltime work or did you sponsor yourself with an EU Blue Card ? I'm always interested in learning about the various possibilities engineers have around the world! :)

I applied to a few companies, got an offer and moved with a Dutch residence and work permit. The whole thing took about a month. There is a huge demand for skilled engineers in the EU.

How hard is it to obtain permanent residency?

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#144

Post by mahyarm » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:33 PM UTC

turnip1979 wrote: post #93

DrJokepu wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rent is a day-to-day concern that does not matter in long term. Opportunities give you access to experience, connections and reputation that will stay will stack up and stay with you throughout your entire career. To put it other way: resources sunk into cost of living add up linearly over time, the benefits of (exploited) opportunities get amplified and yield exponential results over the years. You want to go for th…

I disagree. Day to day concerns are exactly what turn into 5-10 year issues. Non-software people get shocked when they hear you make over 100K and can't save much. I do agree that part of it is that what we take for being a normal standard of living is pretty up there. But still ... I find it sad/messed up that after working for 5+ years in a high income, high rent part of the country, I am no closer to buying a hous…

Move, save up a whole bunch of money, work remotely with your built up connections.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#145

Post by rglullis » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:33 PM UTC

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…

Since we're sharing stories: come from Brazil to the US, it took me 2 months in 2008 (the height of the crisis) to get an interview in a place where they could actually sponsor H1B visas. Got job offer. The whole process to be able to start working took another 3 months. So I had to sit on my ass for 5 months doing nothing but wait for the USCIS.

I was working at a research lab that was part of Harvard Medical, therefore they could hire outside of the quota. But the "let's work on a/my startup" bug would bite my again, so I quit my job, moved to NYC and started checking with companies there. Uh oh, can't transfer my visa. Also, forget about unemployment checks, even though I paid for Social Security like everyone else.

Move to Berlin. Job offer in 2 weeks, paperwork finalized in 3 weeks. EU card valid for 5 years. If for some reason I leave this job for another one, all I need to do is notify the Ausländeramt. And anyone is eligible for unemployment insurance after 12 months of work/tax collection.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#146

Post by HarryHirsch » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:33 PM UTC

bertil wrote: post #71

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.

Most European countries have a health-care system that depends on you being part of the system: children of someone insured, student, employee, spouse, unemployed who was employed before and often manager of a company. Having worked abroad and recently coming into the country after non paying taxes (with presumably your life in disarray because the company you dedicated yourself too fired you, closed or proved to be…

In Britain, if you are a resident, that is if you have accepted a job in Britain or are a spouse or child of a person who has, you are automatically covered through the NHS. This is based on residence in the country, not on an employer-employee relationship. If you have been legally present in Britain for a year you continue to be covered even without a job, and if you intend to settle there you are covered from day 1 for as long as you live there.

The best thing: the health insurance headache that US citizens have been conditioned to accept as a natural feature of life is totally missing. If you are ill you just go to the physician.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#147

Post by rglullis » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:35 PM UTC

tinbad wrote: post #142

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…

Can't relate to your story. Moved my startup in early 2012 to the US on an L1 visa. Applied for Green card mid-2012 and got accepted in early 2013. From nothing to Green card in a year. Yes, you have to deal with some bureaucracy and get a good lawyer, but if you're intentions are good it's very possible. From your sarcasm I read that you never really wanted to build a life in the US? That's fine, but don't start cal…

H1B and L1 are very different stories. If you manage to get a L1, things are much much easier. Not easy, though. Consider yourself privileged.

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#148

Post by mahyarm » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:37 PM UTC

rjzzleep wrote: post #51

i'm surprised no one is mentioning the eb-2 visa. if you have a masters or higher in cs and are not born in the india or china the wait times seem to be reasonable. [1] the h1b is a dangerous game. it's essentially a do whatever i say, and i "may" sponsor your green card "eventually", with an emphasize on the may. not everyone uses it that way, and i would would be leaning out of the window saying most do, but it's d…

As part of the employment contract, can't you stipulate that they must immediately start the green card application process for you?

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#149

Post by cbaleanu » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:38 PM UTC

nodemaker wrote: post #44

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…

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.

Also, virtually anyone in Amsterdam or the rest of The Netherlands for that matter speaks English. Weather sucks though :)

Re: Engineer's Guide to US Visas

#150

Post by htormey » Tue, Mar 04, 2014, 6:41 PM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #79

untog wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, why bother? Better pay and opportunities, it's as simple as that. Having lived in the UK and Canada, I can say that the tech (and particularly startup) industry in the US is simply much bigger and more advanced than other places I've been.

Yes I suppose one can make 100k in the valley. And pay how much again for rent? The pay and the opportunities are better, but they may not be significantly better to justify it. In the valley it looks like everything will get an angel round if it stands still long enough or go to enough CV meetings but it is not all there is to life or a career.

I'm from Ireland and I have been living/working in tech in the Bay Area for the last 6 years. While rent in SF is more expensive pretty much everything else (groceries, booze, coffee, restaurants) are significantly cheaper than in Dublin (25-50% cheaper). The average base salary in the Bay Area (excluding bonuses and equity)is more than twice what you would get in Ireland.

This plus the greater variety of work options and culture made it worth the hassle for me. Also If you are willing to live in Oakland/Berkeley rent is a lot more reasonable.