Confused over visa eligibility types.

[davidbutcher007 0]

hi,
I am 59, a British Citizen and have a research MSc. and an BSc honours degree (software development).

I currently live and work in Republic of Ireland in web services for a college (external services contract), my contract is shortly to end so am considering spending probably up to 10 years in the USA working before I retire.

I am confused by the visa types, HB-1, EB-2,EB-3? which would be the right one to apply for? Am I too old?

Will I need an employment sponsor and if so how to find one? I see agencies but they don't specify if the companies they represent would sponsor or not.

Any ideas where to find that information? oh I put HB-1 in the profile as it is a required field but I haven't started the process at all yet.

David

[kzielu 1,149]

All of them require an employer to file for you, how to file one is a million dollar question. H-1B is a temporary work visa and typically is easier to find an employer for, however it has annual quota that typically runs out few days after application period begins - next one starts April 2015 and visas will be given October 2015.

EB-2 and EB-3 are employment based permanent resident visas and it typically is much more difficult to find a company you haven't worked for before to file for EB-x right away.

Bottom line - lots of people want to work here, since very few of them actually make it that should tell you something...

All of them require an employer to file for you, how to file one is a million dollar question. H-1B is a temporary work visa and typically is easier to find an employer for, however it has annual quota that typically runs out few days after application period begins - next one starts April 2015 and visas will be given October 2015.

EB-2 and EB-3 are employment based permanent resident visas and it typically is much more difficult to find a company you haven't worked for before to file for EB-x right away.

Bottom line - lots of people want to work here, since very few of them actually make it that should tell you something...

[davidbutcher007 0]

thank you.

[jan22 3,056]

And -- not to put a further damper on your plan -- it is highly unlikely that a company would hire you, go through the process of filing the required petition and other paperwork, and wait for a visa to be issued when you are likely to be 60 years old before getting the visa. While age discrimination is technically illegal, there are all kinds of legal ways to avoid investing in the training and visa costs for someone who does not have a significant work lifespan left to contribute to the company. VERY hard for a 59 year old to find a job in the US without having significant connections.

[Mrs O. 29]

hi,

I am 59, a British Citizen and have a research MSc. and an BSc honours degree (software development).

I currently live and work in Republic of Ireland in web services for a college (external services contract), my contract is shortly to end so am considering spending probably up to 10 years in the USA working before I retire.

I am confused by the visa types, HB-1, EB-2,EB-3? which would be the right one to apply for? Am I too old?

Will I need an employment sponsor and if so how to find one? I see agencies but they don't specify if the companies they represent would sponsor or not.

Any ideas where to find that information? oh I put HB-1 in the profile as it is a required field but I haven't started the process at all yet.

David

It doesn't hurt to try. If you are not the kind that gets fed up easily, continue going through the job sites. Kzielu and jan22 are very correct in their comments ,it will be hard to get a company to sponsor you at that age. Most companies avoid having to file for people altogether even regardless of age. Do you have management experience? Valuable experience being key. Going for a technical project management role might be easier than hands-on software development - too many kids with more up-to-date skills to keep up with.

Maybe start with working for an American company in Ireland? I once worked for a US company in Ireland that allowed employees to apply for positions in the US branches after one year of service(of course with other conditions" stellar evaluations etc). That wasn't my route to the US but I remember at least 2 Irish colleagues that moved to the US that way.

Won't be easy, not at all. But try...Good luck to you.

[Boiler 45,911]

First you need an Employer. Working for someone who will eventually transfer you has a lot of advantages.

No different than getting a job anywhere, often contacts/networking are the best bet.

[umeranyth 0]

It doesn't hurt to try. If you are not the kind that gets fed up easily, continue going through the job sites. Kzielu and jan22 are very correct in their comments ,it will be hard to get a company to sponsor you at that age. Most companies avoid having to file for people altogether even regardless of age. Do you have management experience? Valuable experience being key. Going for a technical project management role might be easier than hands-on software development - too many kids with more up-to-date skills to keep up with.

Maybe start with working for an American company in Ireland? I once worked for a US company in Ireland that allowed employees to apply for positions in the US branches after one year of service(of course with other conditions" stellar evaluations etc). That wasn't my route to the US but I remember at least 2 Irish colleagues that moved to the US that way.

Won't be easy, not at all. But try...Good luck to you.

I think this is an excellent idea; this visa is called the L-1 visa. It's not a very well-known visa, but if you've been working with a company that has an office based in the US for at least a year, you might be able to transfer over. I'm not familiar with the specifics, but that is definitely something you could look into.

Also, while it's true you need sponsorship for nearly everything (EB-2 and EB-3 especially), there are certain Employment Based immigration options available that doesn't require sponsorship such as the EB-1 or EB-2 NIW categories. In fact, considering you're 59 and at the pinnacle of your career, you might want to check out the EB-1 category to see if you're a match, as it is a category reserved for very accomplished individuals. Check out this article: http://www.curranberger.com/eb1_niw/overview-applying-for-a-green-card-without-an-employer-sponsor and good luck!

[davidbutcher007 0]

thanks to everybody for the replies which I found very helpful.

I did suspect that my age would be against me, that said there is no guarantee that younger people would stay for ten years in one employment.

Working for a US company would be a good idea, I don't know of any in Kerry so that will require moving first from the remote South West of Ireland probably to Dublin first. I will investigate this, but am trying to avoid moving twice.