Question on work visas

[Wynand0729 0]

I am a qualified pharmacy technician from south africa and i was wondering if it would be possible for me to come to the USA on a travel visa, find work and apply for a work visa and then work and study to become a qualified pharmacist? What would the procedure be, would i be given a chance and is pharmacy technician considered a skilled profession that will nett me the opportunity for a work visa?

[canadian_wife 1,822]

I do not believe one is able to look for work while on a tourist visa. Tourist visas are for tourism not for looking for work.

Someone will correct me if I am wrong

Good luck

[arken 4,197]

Correct, tourist visa is not for job hunting.

Anyway, you can't simply find a work and apply for a work visa. A company has to sponsor you for work claiming there are no US citizens/residents available to do that work. I don't think pharmacy technician falls into that category.

[dorame 1]

Best advice... Talk to an immigration specialist attorney from your country. There are always various possibilities but each case is unique. The people on this site are trying to be helpful but don't rely on it. My opinion based on experience.

[dorame 1]

By the way don't you have a better country there in South Africa than America? USA is getting kind of weird you could probably have a better life where you are. I wouldn't mind moving there from the US.

[dorame 1]

B

Edited May 28, 2016 by dorame

[Boiler 45,497]

Begs the question which work visa a prospective employer would apply for, nothing obvious comes to mind, best bet would be to get qualified first and then seen employment.

[Wynand0729 0]

@Canadian_wife, thanks for your response, however right you might think you are, there is nothing that can stop one from coming into contact with potential employers whilst on a tourist visa, as long as i am not actually working i am not in breach of my visa and doing nothing wrong. Obviously if you thought about it further, by asking, i am looking to do things the right way and would purely investigate on a touriat visa, but get the appropriate work visa before working.

@Arken, do you mean to tell me every mexican doing a hard labour job is there and granted a work visa because there are no americans with the skill to do the same job? (does this mean all americans are too lazy to do the job) Surely this can not be true, and companies must have some right to hire whomever they want or sponsor visas for different reasons than not being able to find a local that can do the job.

[Wynand0729 0]

@Dorame, thank you most for your sensible response, i will seek help from a specialist as soon as i can afford it. Yes we do have a lovely/beautiful country, however it is a dangerous place and i have been a victim of too many crimes, so one gets tired of it. Also it is hard to make a living even if you work 30 days a month on minimum wage. Nevermind wanting to afford University. I wouldn't want to live in the US forever, simply come and work there and afford to complete my studies, then thereafter i am willing to return home and should be able to make a decent living once qualified. Have a nice day!

In essence nobody has really answered my question, was hoping a business owner would comment here and tell me "yes or no" someone like myself can be hired or not. As it stands it seems like everyone is just sucking thumb and assuming facts not in evidence... If i was to answer a question about this with regards to my country i would find out what the facts are, and then respond.

[TBoneTX 45,288]

We're going into a long holiday weekend here, so responses might be few. Be patient.

[Boiler 45,497]

Begs the question which work visa a prospective employer would apply for, nothing obvious comes to mind, best bet would be to get qualified first and then seen employment.

You must have missed my reply.

[Unlockable 7,314]

It would be a huge investment for a small business owned to invest in your work visa because it is expensive and arduous process. Most work visas are with large corps via their lawyer.

Remember, it is not you who applies for a work visa. It is the company. Also, the company must show that they can't find a qualified USC to fill the position.

[arken 4,197]

@Arken, do you mean to tell me every mexican doing a hard labour job is there and granted a work visa because there are no americans with the skill to do the same job? (does this mean all americans are too lazy to do the job) Surely this can not be true, and companies must have some right to hire whomever they want or sponsor visas for different reasons than not being able to find a local that can do the job.

Having worked in the US under work visa for so many years and, I responded with how the work visa works in the US and you questioned back my response with your illogical explanations which are not true. Seems like you know better or pretend to know better or you are not ready to listen to suggestions that's not useful to you. All I want to say is good luck.

[canadian_wife 1,822]

@Canadian_wife, thanks for your response, however right you might think you are, there is nothing that can stop one from coming into contact with potential employers whilst on a tourist visa, as long as i am not actually working i am not in breach of my visa and doing nothing wrong. Obviously if you thought about it further, by asking, i am looking to do things the right way and would purely investigate on a touriat visa, but get the appropriate work visa before working.

All the best then

good luck

[kzielu 1,149]

@Dorame, thank you most for your sensible response, i will seek help from a specialist as soon as i can afford it. Yes we do have a lovely/beautiful country, however it is a dangerous place and i have been a victim of too many crimes, so one gets tired of it. Also it is hard to make a living even if you work 30 days a month on minimum wage. Nevermind wanting to afford University. I wouldn't want to live in the US forever, simply come and work there and afford to complete my studies, then thereafter i am willing to return home and should be able to make a decent living once qualified. Have a nice day!

In essence nobody has really answered my question, was hoping a business owner would comment here and tell me "yes or no" someone like myself can be hired or not. As it stands it seems like everyone is just sucking thumb and assuming facts not in evidence... If i was to answer a question about this with regards to my country i would find out what the facts are, and then respond.

Technically yes, practically no. First nobody hires pharmacy technicians on work visa. Second, timeline to obtain one (assuming you found an employer) would stretch far beyond your period of authorized stay making you ineligible. Third - what you're going to tell CPB entering on your tourist visa ? Truth will make you turned away immediately. What if you get a week of stay ? For all this reasons it is only theoretically possible.