Ugh! So confusing!

[Torn blue sky]

Ok so heres the script.
Everything here in the UK seems to have fizzled out, now everything in my life points west to the US.

What I can\'t figure out is what I need and what I need first. I\'m trying to get a job there.
I know I need a Social Security Number, a work permit/visa. In which order or if anything else needs to be suplemened is beyond me atm.
If anyone out there knows anything about all this stuff, I\'d be sooo grateful! Anything at all will help!!!

 

[Swordwind]

Cant help much but be prepared to be asked some rediculous questions when you get to customs.

Are you a terrorist?
Were you a member of the Nazi government of Germany?
Have you come to America to commit crimes?

\"Why yes, I am Fritz von Lederhossen, the infamous Nazi jewel thief, here on behalf of the Taliban\"

 

[Einion]

First off, hope you\'re not in a rush!

Route one is visa first, then job hunt.
Route two is if you\'re lucky enough to have a job skill that\'s rare or sought-after enough you can find a prospective employer and they\'ll be involved in the paperwork necessary in getting you a green card.

If you want to apply under the DV Lottery (diversity visas) then you\'re applying this year for 2009 I think.

And a word of warning: if you go looking for information online, be very careful you\'re looking at legit US government sites and not something carefully designed to look like one. Start here:
http://travel.state.gov/

Einion

 

[DaN]

Bill Bailey quotes ahoy!

\"Yes, I\'m in the axis of evil, but I\'m just a receptionist\" lol

\"Have you thought about the axis of evil pension scheme...?\" lol

I would get in touch with your local citizens advice bureau, and/or try the US Consulate.

 

[airhead]

What skill set are you marketing that no longer has value in the UK?

 

[PegaZus]

Originally posted by DaN
Bill Bailey quotes ahoy!

\"Yes, I\'m in the axis of evil, but I\'m just a receptionist\" lol

\"Have you thought about the axis of evil pension scheme...?\" lol

I would get in touch with your local citizens advice bureau, and/or try the US Consulate.

Reminds me of the Evil Inc Webcomic.

Anyway, as an importer of fine foreign specimens (okay, one), other than marrying into the country, it sounds like your best bet is to get the worker visa. I tried to search for the exact name, but don\'t have time before I leave for work.

Long story short, find a job there first. They\'ll be aware you\'ll need the immigration stuff done, and they actually have to fill it out for you.

And for those of you not in the know, if you thought the beurocracy at the IRS was bad, you ain\'t seen nothing until you\'ve dealt with Immigration.

\"Triplicate? What\'s that? Please press VERY VERY hard. You are making six carbon copies.\"

 

[Torn blue sky]

Well I know people in the US that have state jobs. There are currently openings for media/PR jobs that i\'m perfect for.

Thing is, I can\'t apply without a Social security number, and I can\'t apply for a social security number if I don\'t have a work visa. ARGH! To get a work visa (if I read correctly) I need to have a covering letter from a prospective employer *sigh*.

you see whare it\'s swings and roundabouts. I may have missed a trick here, all too possible.

I\'m not sure that Citizens advise is up on these issues. Worht a try by all means. I\'m trying to nail down an embassy atm. I get lists of offices. On closer inspection they have nothing at all to do with the embassy 0.o

 

[Roger Bunting]

You\'ll need to spend lots of money with your credit card so you get a credit rating, once you\'re there. My friend found that out when he applied for something, can\'t remember what (sorry not being really helpful here). He went to San Diego for a post-doctoral position at a laboratory there.

 

[dauber22]

I\'d advise you to travel to either Canada or Mexico and sneak in.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Originally posted by dauber22
I\'d advise you to travel to either Canada or Mexico and sneak in.

:flame:All it takes now is a good pair of running shoes and VOILA!! you get to be a citizen and suck off the system......yeah, the whole illegal immigrant thing pisses me off:flame:

 

[supervike]

You could marry an American.

See what Donna is up to....


lollollollol

 

[AinuLainour]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.

Originally posted by dauber22
I\'d advise you to travel to either Canada or Mexico and sneak in.

:flame:All it takes now is a good pair of running shoes and VOILA!! you get to be a citizen and suck off the system......yeah, the whole illegal immigrant thing pisses me off:flame:

You have some bad apples in your area, I guess? That\'s the thing, really, so many of the mexicans work in America\'s lower end jobs for less pay, without them, the country would be a lot weaker overall imho.

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by AinuLainour

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.

Originally posted by dauber22
I\'d advise you to travel to either Canada or Mexico and sneak in.

:flame:All it takes now is a good pair of running shoes and VOILA!! you get to be a citizen and suck off the system......yeah, the whole illegal immigrant thing pisses me off:flame:

You have some bad apples in your area, I guess? That\'s the thing, really, so many of the mexicans work in America\'s lower end jobs for less pay, without them, the country would be a lot weaker overall imho.

I don\'t think anyone begrudges people wanting to better themselves by working for it....but the thing many people are concerned with is that they (illegal immigrants) are breaking the law to do so. Many of the people who follow the rules have to do jump some serious hoops to do it, while these people get to cut in line. It\'s wrong, the system is broken.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Hospitals are being driven out of business because they are being FLOODED with people showing up who cant pay and no, it\'s not all life threatening needs. Also, (our own fault on this one) they hop across the border, have a kid and the kid is instantly a US citizen, thus due all the goodies and the families can then tag along. They are called \'anchor babies\'.

They break into our \'house\', spit on our laws, demand we accommodate them and their lack of initiative to learn our language. If they had the decency to go thru the proper channels, come here to be a CITIZEN and act like it I would have NO problem with them comming.

The Mexican government publishes magazines on how to sneak into America and access social programs they arent entitled to and they have the stones to berate us when we want to put a stop to it.

That our leaders are so unwilling to do anything about it is equally infuriating.........just dont get it.

 

[No Such Agency]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
...they hop across the border, have a kid and the kid is instantly a US citizen, thus due all the goodies and the families can then tag along. They are called \'anchor babies\'.

I would imagine the same principle apples here as in custody battles. \"Best interests of the child\", rather than the parents or the state. Just saying.

 

[Gilvan Blight]

I have at least 6 friends that work in the states, every single one of them got the job first and their company did most of the legwork making it legit.

Every one of them also started working before they had Visa\'s as trainees, as you don\'t have to be a citizen to train in the US (I did some of my training over there).

You shouldn\'t need a social sec. number to get the job. No one I know has had one before applying.

 

[skeeve]

Originally posted by Torn blue sky
Thing is, I can\'t apply without a Social security number, and I can\'t apply for a social security number if I don\'t have a work visa. ARGH! To get a work visa (if I read correctly) I need to have a covering letter from a prospective employer *sigh*.

I am not a citizen.
1) you can apply for a job without SSN as long as your prospective employer can and willing to deal with immigration issues in principle and you have to do it while outside of US. In this case your prospective employer should be applying for H1B visa. Many of them simply don\'t have infrastructure to do that and they don\'t want to \"outsource\" it to independent lawyers, because it costs.
Be advised that the number of H1B is limited and you have to do it early (unless you apply to several types of organizations that are exempt from this quote, I think government is one of them). It varies from year to year but usually the quote for a given year is all used up by may-june of this year.

Hope it helps,

PM if you need more info


2) Yes, you have to be legally in US in order to apply for SSN.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Sorry for my ranting, kinda hijacked the thread.

Might go to a government website where they will lay out for you what you have to do or find someone who went thru the process and can coach you.

 

[Torn blue sky]

Thanks all, some very usefull info and clearing issues there!
I don\'t think the system voices the procedure too well. I know as I read it through I had to read it back about 3 times, the way they phrase things is just confusing sometimes (and coontradictory in some cases).

If anyone can think of anything else please let me know