Laptop, airport, States: how an IT specialist can emigrate to the USA

America attracts many not only with the opportunity to earn good money, but also with its diverse nature, excellent infrastructure and high standard of living. And since the profession of a programmer is one of the most in demand in the world today, it is its lucky owners who find it easier than others to begin the path to their American dream. What could be the first steps on this path? To move to the United States, you need a visa - one or another type. There may be several options here, and in this article we will look at them.

1. Green card.

   This option is available not only to IT specialists, but also to everyone. Since the United States is a multinational country and is proud of it, every year it distributes 50 thousand “green cards” allowing people to live and work on its territory.

   To do this, it is enough to meet simple requirements, fill out a form on the official lottery website https://dvlottery.state.gov , indicating basic information about yourself, your family and attaching a recent photo, and catch your luck. If you are selected (randomly), you will need to go through an interview at the embassy. If everything is successful here, you will receive a green card.

   An important point: you need to fill out the form only on the official website, and not through intermediaries, of whom there have been quite a few recently and who take money for their services, often cheating.

   A classmate of the author of these lines won a green card at the age of “slightly over 20.” He had a higher technical education, good brains and some experience as a programmer. Having moved to live in the USA, he easily found a job in his specialty, then changed it many times - and now works at Google. And yes - on their campus you can really sleep, eat, drink and have fun completely free of charge (in between work, of course).

2. H1/B visa (work) .

   This visa is issued to foreign nationals who are hired by a US company for a period of up to three years (with a possible extension up to a maximum of six years). That is, initially this is a temporary visa - and it is designed for the fact that an employee is invited for a specific project.

   To obtain such a visa, you must have certain qualifications - which must be documented. At a minimum, you will need a bachelor's degree.

   In the USA there is a quota for H1/B visas - 85 thousand per year. This number includes the general quota (65 thousand visas) and another 20 thousand for those who have a master's degree or scientific degree. Of course, the number of people wishing to obtain a work visa is much greater than the quota. Therefore, as in the case of the green card, a lottery is organized among all applicants for H1/B.

   In general, the visa application process is as follows. First, you fill out and submit the LCA (Labor Condition Application) form to USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services). It must be approved, after which the company that plans to hire you must fill out Form I-129 and submit accompanying documents (including a certificate of registration) to the USCIS branch office in its city.

   The advantage of this type of visa is the ability to change companies without leaving the United States. To do this, you need to submit a new application for H1/B and, without waiting for its approval by USCIS, you can start working in a new place.

   Also, a work visa holder can travel to the USA with his family. The husband or wife and unmarried children under 21 years of age will receive an H-4 visa with the same validity as the H1/B.

3. L-1 visa (transfer).

   This visa allows you to transfer to the US office of a company where you have worked for at least one year within the last three. In other words, if you are an employee of a global company with an office in the United States, then you may qualify for an L-1 visa.

   The duration of this visa is up to three years (with the right to extend for a period of 5 to 7 years, depending on the position). Compared to the H1/B visa, the advantage of L-1 is the absence of quotas. That is, if you meet all the requirements, then you will most likely receive your work permit. And after some time you will be able to apply for a green card.

   Representatives of not all professions can obtain this visa. Most often, it is issued to managers or employees with special education (people familiar with the company’s systems and technologies, its production and management).

4. J-1 visa (internship).

   It is intended for exchange students and interns - young people aged 18 to 35 who want to master certain professional skills in the United States. The J-1 visa, unlike the student visa, gives the right to work. Its validity period ranges from 6 to 18 months.

   Many IT companies (as well as universities and government organizations) recruit young professionals for internships every year, so if you meet the basic requirements, you can try this option. Among them is proficiency in English at the level specified in the exchange program under which you are traveling to the United States. Medical insurance is also required. In addition, you will need to pay some expenses - again, depending on the program, this could be an application fee, a visa insurance fee, etc...

   The programs that allow you to obtain a J-1 visa are varied. These include the well-known Au Pair, EduCare and Work/Travel, as well as many others. The Intern program is of particular interest. It is intended for those who want to train in one of the following areas:

   • Information, Media and Communications;
   • Business, Management, Commerce and Finance;
   • Public Law and Administration.

   A person who wants to do an internship under this program must have confirmation that he has studied in this specialty for at least two years at a higher educational institution.

   Another program, Trainee, is aimed at young professionals aged 19 to 34 years. They must have at least two years of work experience in their specialty after graduation.

   To obtain a J-1 visa, you will need to fill out two forms (DS 2019 and DS-160) and undergo an interview at the US Embassy. You will be notified within the next six weeks whether you will receive a visa.

Useful resources

If you're committed to moving to the United States, there are several types of resources you may find useful:

1. Job search sites. The most famous of them is Monster.com . It is one of the three largest such resources in the United States; its database contains more than a million job offers. Jobs can be sorted by various parameters, including the skills that the applicant must have.

   Two other useful sites are Indeed.com and CareerBuilder.com. The second one is notable because many Fortune 1000 companies post job vacancies there.

   It’s also worth looking at specialized sites for programmers – say, cybercoders.com . There you will have to spend less time searching for relevant vacancies than on sites where all advertisements are posted in a row.

2. Websites with information about different regions of the United States. You can choose where to move not only based on the location of the company, but also according to your own preferences. After all, different states differ quite greatly in both climatic conditions and living standards.

   To avoid getting into trouble, you should understand in advance what to prepare for in a particular region. The resource numbeo.com can help with this. On it you will find prices for major groups of goods and services in major US cities. And you will be able to figure out how much it will cost you to live in each of them.