Not looking to move anytime soon, but always saw myself eventually ending up in the US given salaries are so much better there, 90% of jobs in my field seem to be located there, and it's just always seemed very livable to me.
When I was job hunting last year I used to throw my hat in the ring for jobs advertised in the US; whenever the recruiter got back to me they'd say something along the lines of "They're not looking to sponsor, but there's a similar role in London etc you could apply for".
From what I understand H1B applications vastly exceed the quota, so it's basically become a lottery that a lot of firms can't be bothered with. It's pretty much dominated by tech which simply depend on skilled international workers to grow.
Interested to hear if anyone knows their firm's policies on this, or if they know any examples of international hires (who didn't do an MBA or something STEM accredited of course). I'm in a fairly niche area and in my head I hope with a few years of experience I'd be competitive, but maybe I'm naïve.
Firms use L1 visa to get people from London/other places to US if they already work for the same company. Otherwise, it’s extremely difficult to get hired directly because the application period for H1B is In March and it is until July 15 that you even get ur visa (if you get picked in the lottery that is). Hence, no firm directly hires on H1B because it’s too much of a hassle at best and impossible to time properly at worst.
If you already have OPT then it’s much better but that’s only if you studied in the US. Best scenario is to get hired through uni in US and if you have a stem opt. That gives you 4 tries for the H1B which means mathematically you are extremely likely to get it. There’s a ~25% chance in every lottery.
Thanks for the detailed answer.
I've been considering doing postgrad in the US for a while now but it's just painful giving up a seat in a limited industry, as well as the tuition + opportunity cost. Guess the best way in would be to one day work for a US company and apply for a transfer.
If you can snag a scholarship then it's worth it but agree that otherwise it's just not guaranteed that even after you spend the dollars that you'll get a job out of your degree. I only came here because I got a full ride otherwise the risk of being unable to pay a dollar-denominated loan down while earning in an inferior currency. If I don't get h1b then i might ask my company to give me a year to go study for another year to get 4 more tries at the H1B and then come back to the same group. I think its wise to either have no costs or have a guarantee of a job afterward.
Agree that L1 is probably the best option for you.
it was never a thing in the context you are talking about.. they always prefer that you are already based in the US on F1 OPT or some other visa.
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