Do I need a visa for the USA first? Or do I need to find a job in the USA first? So confusing…
You know it, and you’ve already heard about it! Working in the USA requires a visa to be legal. But how do you get one, and when is it needed? There are many visa types: tourism, transit, students, etc. I will discuss the work visa and the process of allowing you to live and work in America.
What is first? Do I need a visa or a job?
Since I started in that business, I have received plenty of emails asking me about the exact process of finding a job in the United States and how to get an American working visa.
Here is an example:
I just wanted to ask you a question about working in America, because it’s something I’m not sure to understand; is it mandatory to find a job and company in the US, so is it possible to apply for a work visa or work permit after arrival?
The answer is… Yes and no! I know it may not be very clear.
Please remember that you CANNOT move to the USA without a visa or only with an ESTA to work or find a job, never, even for one week!
But I don’t think you can obtain a work visa only by asking the embassy. You cannot get a work visa on your own. To get an American work visa, you should first find a job with a company that will sponsor you for a working visa!
Is that not a vicious circle?
No job → No visa
But
No visa → No job
So, where to start?
Step 1: Find your company and sign your employee letter
The way to break that circle is to find a job in your own country or in a company in the USA that is ready to sponsor you for the visa you are qualified for. And this is what we did, Maxime and I, in 2014.
We searched for days and nights from our home country, a company that could sponsor us with a work visa. We NEVER came to America before going with our work visa… I never did the ESTA or tourist visa either.
How can I find a job in a company-sponsored in America?
What did we use? The Internet!
I can hear from here you’ll think it won’t be that difficult to find a job far apart because of the internet. It’s true. Without the Internet, you won’t see your job remotely. But that’s not quite as simple as it looks either…
Why? Because it’s also easy for you to waste your precious time applying everywhere online. The thing is, you should target your search as much as you can!
Based on my experience, I strongly recommend searching only among companies that sponsor visas. Why? Because 96% of companies in the United States are not interested in sponsoring you for a working visa, it will be tough to find the right one among all those companies. You can find sponsor companies here. To go deeper, you should search ONLY among companies that can technically sponsor the visa you are eligible for!
Why? Because not all companies can technically sponsor someone for all kinds of visas. On the other hand, depending on your profile, you are not eligible for all existing visas. Do you know what I mean? So, your profile should match with the company’s profile. It would help if you run the Visa Simulator to discover your eligible visa. Once it’s done, go here to find job openings among companies depending on your visa.
Finally, after three months of searching, we got a job with a working visa! Max had two opportunities, San Francisco and New York, and I had two, Miami and New York. So, we both chose New York.
We can apply for the visa only once we have signed our employee letter. And it’s precisely the same way for every US work visa!
How long is it going to take to find a company?
For us, it took 3 months without children. But it depends on your situation, profile, what you want to do, and your motivation!
In our example, we both found in French companies. So, we interviewed in Paris and not in New York.
Step 2: Apply for your working visa and get it
After that big step, the company will have to fill out its form, and you will have to fill out your form so that the application can be submitted to the government. As the first step, you don’t need to be located in the USA to do that. Once you get the interview appointment at the Embassy, you should be outside the territories.
That’s what we did. We both got an interview at the U.S. embassy in Paris.
What kind of American work visa do you know? The Green Card?
The Green Card is the most popular American working visa because it is an immigrant visa. However, don’t expect to get the Green Card from your employer first. It could happen, but it’s scarce!
Most of the time, you will have a non-immigrant visa for a while, either for one year or seven years. You can apply for the Green Card through your employer at that time, but it depends on you and your employer.
Several types of nonimmigrant visas exist. I got the E-1 essential employee visa, while Max after the H-1B failed (there was no lottery chance), got the E-2 essential employee visa. Again, it depends on your situation, profile, and what you want to do. Depending on your visa type, you can be sponsored by a company or a sponsor organization.
Again, to discover your potential US work visa and which sponsor you need, use the Visa Simulator, even if you already know what kind of visa you want. Depending on your situation, it will show you what type of working visa you may have, its advantages and disadvantages when to apply, and what you have to do!
Step 3: Start your job and get your Social Security Number
Once you get your visa, you are ready to go! You will be authorized to go through U.S. customs and start your job in the USA. That’s what we did again! I got my visa under 3 months. Once I received it, 3 days after my interview in the embassy, I flew to the USA to start a great adventure!
Max joined me after three Months. He first applied for the H-1B visa but with no success. It took three months to get a response or no answer! Even if his case had been certified, which means his visa application had been validated, he would not have been the lucky winner of the H-1B lottery. Then, his company sponsored him for the E-2 employee visa, which took another three months.
Ten days after we arrived in America, we went to the Social Security Administration to pick up our Social Security Card. It’s the same process for every American working visa!
This card contains your Social Security Number, which allows you to work and pay your taxes in the USA. That number will track you everywhere, for better or for worse.
Is the process of getting a work visa in the United States of America more evident to you now? Let me know in the comments below!
