working in usa
Discussion
Hello all. I am looking at the possibility of entering the auto industry in uk with a view to eventually spending some time working in the usa. The area of work would be powertrain design/r&d. Can anyone who has followed this route or is from the usa give me an idea of how difficult it is to get in from working in england, do us companies require a lot of experience? is it all based in detroit and chicago, and are these places as bad to live in as ive heard? (no offence if u live there now)
im not a daydreaming muppet, but would appreciate any guidance/advice/info at all
cheers
im not a daydreaming muppet, but would appreciate any guidance/advice/info at all
cheers
On the purely paperwork side of it I can tell you that there are 2 sensible ways to get over here to work... the first it to be employed by a transatlantic company and relocated. THats an L1 visa, and I don't know too much about that, The other is for an American company to offer you a job (through internet application or contacts or whatever.)
This is a H1 visa (which is what I have) basically the company has to prove that they can't fill the requirement they have locally. Having high qualifications definitely helps them do that. Also its alot more likely to occur when the US economy is doing well (e.g. 2 years ago)
There are a maximum of about 195,000 H1 visas available each year, so clearly quite alot of people get in this way, and its particularly important for the IT companies.
Sorry I can't help you with your industry specifics.
Steve
This is a H1 visa (which is what I have) basically the company has to prove that they can't fill the requirement they have locally. Having high qualifications definitely helps them do that. Also its alot more likely to occur when the US economy is doing well (e.g. 2 years ago)
There are a maximum of about 195,000 H1 visas available each year, so clearly quite alot of people get in this way, and its particularly important for the IT companies.
Sorry I can't help you with your industry specifics.
Steve
I'm on an L1. It was pretty straightforward to get - same process as an H1 which my misses has. I think you have to be realistic about why a company would want to go through the expense of transferring you over here.
That being said, if you have something they need (as was the case with the misses) the direct H1 route is painless.
That being said, if you have something they need (as was the case with the misses) the direct H1 route is painless.
If you want to set up on your own, i.e. work for your own company that's easy too. That's an E2, treaty-investor. The amount of investment is based on what would be appropriate for that type of business. Some business's they'd expect 100's of thousands, but some say in the consulting field only a nominal amount would be considered OK.
Coming from an engineering background myself (although now I'm in banking) - I'd say that you've got your work cut out for you, unless (as has already been said) you cultivate a set of skills that is needed by a specific employer. Look at your chosen field and see if there are any obvious "skills gaps" that firms' need & that are of interest to you.
H1 status gives you more flexibility to move employers (although I think L1 visas are currently being reviewed to allow people to change companies) although can take longer to process (my wife's H1 took 8 months!).
IT is by far the biggest employer of non-US citizens because of a lack of resource locally and a reasonably transferrable skillset (Java is the same in So-Cal as it is in SE9).
The other thing to remember is that as resident aliens (not a very nice term really) - our residence is only guaranteed by our employment - if you lose your job, you technically have 30 days to find another one or your visa lapses to the status of tourist and you have to go home... You'll need a Green card to fix that problem.
H1 status gives you more flexibility to move employers (although I think L1 visas are currently being reviewed to allow people to change companies) although can take longer to process (my wife's H1 took 8 months!).
IT is by far the biggest employer of non-US citizens because of a lack of resource locally and a reasonably transferrable skillset (Java is the same in So-Cal as it is in SE9).
The other thing to remember is that as resident aliens (not a very nice term really) - our residence is only guaranteed by our employment - if you lose your job, you technically have 30 days to find another one or your visa lapses to the status of tourist and you have to go home... You'll need a Green card to fix that problem.
I work for an automotive development company based in the UK (though US owned) and I know that we have had to lay off people in the U.S. for the first time in the company's history this year. The industry is really suffering at present. So as well as the paperwork, you will also have an increased number of locals to compete against.
As for location most work is Detroit area based (there are some ok bits like Ann Arbour) for OEM work. Racing is a different case and is centered in the Carolinas.
An alternative route to your goal might be to work in a US company in the UK (like me) who might be able to offer development moves to US when times are better.
Good luck.
Alfa Dave
As for location most work is Detroit area based (there are some ok bits like Ann Arbour) for OEM work. Racing is a different case and is centered in the Carolinas.
An alternative route to your goal might be to work in a US company in the UK (like me) who might be able to offer development moves to US when times are better.
Good luck.
Alfa Dave
Your choices in order of likliehood to come off are pretty much:
L1 - Requires you to work for a UK company for 12 months prior to applcation)
E-2 - Requires an 'investment' to be made on the employee's behalf (about 50K).
H1(B) - Requires proof that the employer cant find a person in the US and that the employee has a specific skill set.
There are a number of others but these are very difficult to get hold of. The Americans especially dislike the British it seems when it comes to immigration as they have a policy of Ethnic diversity and as we used to own the place they have all the Brit genes they need.
If you are not British by birth but Irish for example then you can enter the green card lottery which gives you residency and the odds are better than you would think but you cant enter as a brit.
HTH
Matt.
L1 - Requires you to work for a UK company for 12 months prior to applcation)
E-2 - Requires an 'investment' to be made on the employee's behalf (about 50K).
H1(B) - Requires proof that the employer cant find a person in the US and that the employee has a specific skill set.
There are a number of others but these are very difficult to get hold of. The Americans especially dislike the British it seems when it comes to immigration as they have a policy of Ethnic diversity and as we used to own the place they have all the Brit genes they need.
If you are not British by birth but Irish for example then you can enter the green card lottery which gives you residency and the odds are better than you would think but you cant enter as a brit.
HTH
Matt.
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