Finding a finance job in USA as a foreigner living abroad

Any fellow foreigners here who managed to score a finance job in USA without completing a degree there?

To shed some light on my situation, I am from Europe, close to graduating from a borderline T10 European university with MSF, with two study abroad semesters in CA/US with strong brand names. My grades put me comfortably at the top of my cohort, I have a solid internship under my belt and have completed my studies at such a pace that I would be very competitive candidate for many jobs in e.g. London. I want to work in markets related jobs (think S&T, HFs etc.).

However, I have no desire to stay in Europe and would do just about anything to start building my life and career in US. Thus I am trying to weigh my opinions here - given my stellar academic record etc., is there any hope that I'll be able to get a Visa sponsor in US straight out of university? I have the advantage that I'll be able to spend the last semester of my studies in Canada, and thus flying to interviews and networking is not impossible since I am planning spending plenty of time in US anyway (although technically doing this with tourist Visa is a bit dodgy, and I don't know how companies view this). I suppose getting a job in Canada and trying to work my way in to states that way would also be possible and I wouldn't mind taking this route if needed. I could also complete a second masters in a highly ranked US school (should be able to get some admissions with my academic record), but I don't know how potential employers would view this option given that the opportunity cost in getting a second masters within a very short period of time is very high compared to the tangible benefits if one doesn't consider the OPT Visa route to US job markets.

TL;DR - my questions summarized:
1. Have you succesfully nailed a job in USA without living/studying there and without 2+ years of work experience?
2. Do you know anyone who has done it?
3. If not, how would you go about doing it, and would it be easier to work myself into USA starting my career in Canada or doing a second master's in USA to solve the work Visa issue?

All advice is very highly appreciated - feel free to PM if you are not comfortable sharing everything in public.

 
Best Response

Not relevant to me, but my insight would say that your best chance is to get a job in Europe with a US institution or an institution with US operations and see if it's possible to transfer. I am a US citizen but did my master's in Europe and met a few Americans over there who were living there, working for US companies. I would imagine it's similar vice versa. It's never going to be 'easy' to just get up and go, however, especially when immigration is such a hostile topic. Also, despite me studying in Europe, I don't believe I was eligible for working there just because I studied there. I imagine it's the same here...

 

Thank you for the reply!

Doing a master's in states will open up the possibility of working 12 months with OPT Visa (24 for STEM fields). Lateraling from Europe is ofc a possibility, and based on browsing a bunch of linkedin profiles seems to be the way most have done it. However, it is still only a possibility, with no guarantees of it ever happening, and I'd imagine it would be less likely than e.g. trying to do the same from Canada where I could have more chances of collaborating with US employees and building a network there to have someone vouch for me.

 

Have you considered banking in Melbourne or Sydney? The Visa process seems pretty complex and according to monkeys such as @binders its a massive administration hurdle. Good luck

“The only thing I know is that I know nothing, and i am no quite sure that i know that.” Socrates
 

Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately I missed the recruitment season in Australia and also would love to get experience in a bigger market. I've progressed through to online testing and offered interviews etc for a few firms in London but not sure how interview process would work and whether it would be worth flying out to London for assessment centres if I would be at a significant disadvantage.

 

Unless you have a really specific skill that someone in the US doesn't, I don't know why they'd hire you (no offense). They get tons of qualified applicants who don't require Visa sponsorship. You'd have a better chance of getting Big 4 or MBB experience in Pakistan or Dubai and figuring out how to transfer after a couple of really great performance years there.

 

Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think you will be considered for an SA position if you have already graduated. I am pretty sure one of the requirements is that you haven't graduated from school in order for you to be an SA. I would focus on trying to find a FT position somewhere.

That being said, it never hurts to talk to contacts and see what the options are, but it's equally important to be realistic about this.

 
  1. You will not be considered for SA position
  2. FT recruiting is over at most places
  3. You cannot sponsor yourself for H1B. It is illegal
  4. Given your complicated situation, your analyst connection will most likely lead you to nowhere. Not even an interview

If you really want a chance, I can tell you that you are pretty much screwed. But should you still send an email to your contact? Yes, you should because you have nothing to lose.

 

Your best bet would be to transfer to an American or European bank in Brazil, work there for at least a year, and then transfer to New York office on an L-1 Visa. Other option is of course to enroll in a Master's program in the US or Europe and then interview with firms on campus.

I believe H-1B visas only apply to people already in the U.S., with a U.S. degree. You're gonna have to obtain a different visa to transfer from a Brazilian firm directly to a U.S. firm.

Hope that helps.

 

......... Ummm you really shouldn't put your name. Well if you don't have any experience you will have to network like crazy.... umm you should PM people who've answered these questions before. it would be much faster.

 

Thank you for your replies,

I started to pm some people who created the same topic and hopefully I can hear from them soon.

Jolie is my nick name :) but thank you for your warnings which is not redundant at all

Keep moving forward!
 

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