Chance of getting work visa

[Ronton31 0]

Hello,

I'm a Polish citizen and I'm curious about my chance of getting work visa to USA.

1.5 year ago I was in USA on Work&Travel program so I already have work experience in USA as well as SSN.

I'm 25 years old but I don't have any job specialization. While I finished collage, I'm not any specialist in any field.

Currently (over 1 year) I'm working as a marketing manager for an IT company overboard so my main language here is English.

If I would apply for a work visa, what are my chances of getting one?

Thank you all for your kind answers.

PS. I'm also participating in 2012 green card lottery which will have its result in May this year.

[canadian_wife 1,825]

None, unless you have a company sponsor. Do you currently have an employer wiling and ready to sponsor your work visa?

Good luck

[jaycali 415]

Hello,I'm a Polish citizen and I'm curious about my chance of getting work visa to USA.1.5 year ago I was in USA on Work&Travel program so I already have work experience in USA as well as SSN.I'm 25 years old but I don't have any job specialization. While I finished collage, I'm not any specialist in any field.Currently (over 1 year) I'm working as a marketing manager for an IT company overboard so my main language here is English.

The most common work visa in the US is the H-1b. While US work experience may be a plus for employers, it doesn't help in chances for getting a H-1b visa. If you have a bachelor's degree or higher in the IT field, and you get a job offer from a US employer in that field, you may be eligible for an H-1b.

If I would apply for a work visa, what are my chances of getting one?Thank you all for your kind answers.PS.

You can't apply for a work visa, a US employer has to give you a job offer, and then do it for you.

I'm also participating in 2012 green card lottery which will have its result in May this year.

Good luck! :-)

That being said, you may also want to check out the H-2a visa. It's a temporary work visa for seasonal workers to work in areas of the country where the employer might struggle to hire qualified workers. The H-2a is valid for up to 1 year, is a fairly quick process if you already have a job offer.

Edited March 6, 2012 by jhsm85

[kzielu 1,149]

If I would apply for a work visa, what are my chances of getting one?

Thank you all for your kind answers.

PS. I'm also participating in 2012 green card lottery which will have its result in May this year.

You do not apply for work visa - employer (that you need to find first and who needs to be willing to invest money in it and meet few other requirements) applies for a work visa for you.

What college did you graduated from ? What do you mean that you are not a specialist in any field ? This way chances for your work visa are somewhere close to zero as there is half bilion people wanting work visa better having some specialization after graduating from college...

[Boiler 45,783]

Get your employer to transfer you to the US.

[Ronton31 0]

None, unless you have a company sponsor. Do you currently have an employer wiling and ready to sponsor your work visa?

Good luck

No, I don't. If I had,I think I would be on my way to USA right now.

That being said, you may also want to check out the H-2a visa. It's a temporary work visa for seasonal workers to work in areas of the country where the employer might struggle to hire qualified workers. The H-2a is valid for up to 1 year, is a fairly quick process if you already have a job offer.

Thank you for your reply - it was very helpful.

You do not apply for work visa - employer (that you need to find first and who needs to be willing to invest money in it and meet few other requirements) applies for a work visa for you.

What college did you graduated from ? What do you mean that you are not a specialist in any field ? This way chances for your work visa are somewhere close to zero as there is half bilion people wanting work visa better having some specialization after graduating from college...

By not having any specialization I mean that I finished Business English at my collage, therefore I'm not an engineer/doctor/etc. of any kind.

Get your employer to transfer you to the US.

It would be great but that won't happen.

[kzielu 1,149]

By not having any specialization I mean that I finished Business English at my collage, therefore I'm not an engineer/doctor/etc. of any kind.

Then - sorry to tell you that - forget about work visa.. Zero chance.

[Ronton31 0]

Then - sorry to tell you that - forget about work visa.. Zero chance.

Only green card, right?

[Boiler 45,783]

Nope, unless you get lucky on the Lottery you will not be going to the US.

[kzielu 1,149]

Only green card, right?

As Boiler is saying - only if you get lucky by winning the DV lottery...

[jaycali 415]

Yea without a specialized degree, you won't get a green card through employment. Sorry.

You could take a masters program in the US, which would allow you to get OPT (one year work permit). Many OPT employers are willing to further petition for an H-1b visa. Since you'd have a «foot in the door» it would give you a better chance at least.

[Ronton31 0]

Nope, unless you get lucky on the Lottery you will not be going to the US.

By green card I mean Green Card Lottery.

As Boiler is saying - only if you get lucky by winning the DV lottery...

At least I have the same chance as everybody else to win it...

Yea without a specialized degree, you won't get a green card through employment. Sorry.

You could take a masters program in the US, which would allow you to get OPT (one year work permit). Many OPT employers are willing to further petition for an H-1b visa. Since you'd have a «foot in the door» it would give you a better chance at least.

Thanks for suggestion but I assume taking masters degree in US would cost me a fortune, so I won't be able to afford that.

[jaycali 415]

Thanks for suggestion but I assume taking masters degree in US would cost me a fortune, so I won't be able to afford that.

Yea, studying in the US can easily run upwards of $50,000 to $100,000 for a full degree, depending on the university. Perhaps a little less for a masters since they're usually only two years. My bachelors degree ran me into some serious debt. There are a lot of scholarships offered though, and I know plenty of people who have started their education at home, and went to the US to finish the last year and graduate.

There really only are five common ways to get a green card; 1. Employment based (specialized), 2. Family based (immediate family), 3. Diversity visa (lottery), 4. Asylum (if you're fleeing persecution, torture or certain death), 5. Investor based (need to invest min. $1 million)

That being said, if the US is your goal, immigration laws are really strict. As a polish citizen though, you are free to move, live and work anywhere in the EU/EEA without any type of permit or visa what so ever.

Edited March 8, 2012 by jhsm85

[Ronton31 0]

Yea, studying in the US can easily run upwards of $50,000 to $100,000 for a full degree, depending on the university. Perhaps a little less for a masters since they're usually only two years. My bachelors degree ran me into some serious debt. There are a lot of scholarships offered though, and I know plenty of people who have started their education at home, and went to the US to finish the last year and graduate.

There really only are five common ways to get a green card; 1. Employment based (specialized), 2. Family based (immediate family), 3. Diversity visa (lottery), 4. Asylum (if you're fleeing persecution, torture or certain death), 5. Investor based (need to invest min. $1 million)

That being said, if the US is your goal, immigration laws are really strict. As a polish citizen though, you are free to move, live and work anywhere in the EU/EEA without any type of permit or visa what so ever.

To be able to afford that, I would need to sell my flat, and then even add a little bit more.

I'm curious about #4, I never heard about that. Home come I could look for protection in country of which I'm not a citizen?

I still hope on my small chance of winning on in lottery.

I know I can move and work there, but I was never interested in EU, I would rather go to Canada and work&live there. That would be much easier.

[jaycali 415]

To be able to afford that, I would need to sell my flat, and then even add a little bit more.I'm curious about #4, I never heard about that. Home come I could look for protection in country of which I'm not a citizen?I still hope on my small chance of winning on in lottery.I know I can move and work there, but I was never interested in EU, I would rather go to Canada and work&live there. That would be much easier.

If you come from a country where you are being persecuted, and you are able to flee and make it (most often illegally) into another country, you can, under certain circumstances stay. The argument for this is that even though the person wouldn't otherwise qualify for a visa or green card, returning them would cause them to be politically imprisoned, tortured, and/or killed.

In other words, the US doesn't deport innocent people into certain death or torture.

Asylum is very common way to immigrate to western Europe, but not that common in the US. That's because most asylum seekers can't actually fly to the US, but they can easily sneak into Europe in the back of a van or truck.

To qualify for asylum though, you'd have to be from a real sh!thole, manage to get a visa, or seek in illegally, and them claim asylum. To get granted asylum, you have to prove that if returned, you'll be killed, tortured or cruelly imprisoned for completely ridiculous reasons, and that your country's government is either incompetent and unable to protect you, or actually the ones trying to kill/torture you in the first place.