Question on work visas

[Wynand0729 0]

Thank you everyone and especially Dorame for your replies, i appreciate it alot, seems it is impossible to come and work in the US, atleast things are a bit clearer than they were when i asked my initial question. Thanks for your input, Have a nice day.

[Cathi 5,755]

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?

you need to have a highly specialized degree/profession to get a work visa to the US. US employers are required by law to hire US citizens/permanent residents for US jobs. There are plenty of qualified pharmacy techs in the US. And a tourist visa is for tourism, not for job hunting

[Adil & Jeanne 296]

it means some american employers are skitting the laws and paying cheap wages under the table for low paying jobs that are not advertized

Americans are willing to work and have worked every small and dirty job there is from diving in contaminated water like my son has to as a commercial diver

but what everyone is telling you work visas are applied for by employers who seek to fil employee positions when they are not able to find qualified help here / usually a specific skill

there are plenty of pharmacy techs here since it is only an 18 month degree / to apply here for that position, you would have to be certified in the state where you were applying for work

[Wynand0729 0]

Thanks @Mimolicious and Adil & Jeanne for your insightful detailed replies, they clarified things alot, may i then ask a general question: how is it that america is so littered with foreigners? How does one go about moving there? I mean we get alot of american tv, and every second person is a foreigner of some sort, how does that work or happen if it "soooo" tough to get, work, or live there? Thanks!

Edited May 29, 2016 by Wynand0729

[canadian_wife 1,822]

As stated earlier some employers are skirting the law, some are under other classes of visas such as student or religious leader, and of course some are illegal.

Good luck

[Dakine10 5,452]

@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.

You will be asked for the purpose of your trip to the USA. You are unlikely to be admitted to the USA if you give job search as a reason. You have no immediate path to employment in the USA. It is also illegal to misrepresent the purpose of your trip. If your sole purpose is to enter the USA to look for jobs, you will have to do one of those two things. You will be putting yourself at risk for this entry and for future entries.

As a matter of technicality, you can look for jobs anytime. You can look for jobs now. If you visit the USA as a tourist, you can still look for jobs. Looking for jobs is not illegal. It can not be the purpose of your trip.

I agree with Boiler though. You are putting the cart before the horse. You don't have a work visa option available. You can find your dream job, kill your interview and then what? They can't hire you.

[Wynand0729 0]

Thank you very much @Dakine10 for the information. Does anyone know what the crack is with student visas? Are you allowed to work on a student visa to fund your schooling? Is that an option?

[canadian_wife 1,822]

You are expected to show how you can fund an expensive education in the U.S. before granted a student visa. Work for student visa holders is restricted to on campus. However, there are employment authorizations that one may apply for but the work must be directly related to the program of study.

Good luck

[HollywoodNorth 22]

Are there any special visas for South Africa?

Canada & Mexico has a special provision for Pharmacists under the TN-NAFTA program but that doesn't help you.

Your only route is to go to school in the US and show that you have means of paying for the education (Do research into the F1 visa program).

[Wynand0729 0]

Are there any special visas for South Africa?

Canada & Mexico has a special provision for Pharmacists under the TN-NAFTA program but that doesn't help you.

Your only route is to go to school in the US and show that you have means of paying for the education (Do research into the F1 visa program).

Thanks HollywoodNorth for your reply and reference to specific programs and visas, I went and read up on it and the TN-NAFTA definitely doesn't help me as you said, the research into the F1 program did yield some results however, and seems with enough funding it could be a possibility.

Thank you again for the information, as of yet it has at least offered me an option as opposed to everyone just telling me it can't be done.

Any idea where I can find out what schooling and related costs would be? (How much for varsity or collage, boarding, travel, etc)

Cheers!

Edited June 2, 2016 by Wynand0729

[canadian_wife 1,822]

The costs for specific universities can be found on their websites. It is usually under something like 'student finances' which breaks down the costs per year of study, make sure you look at international students because they often have additional fees than resident students do

good luck

[Wynand0729 0]

Thank you, is education substantially cheaper in some states than others?

Edited June 2, 2016 by Wynand0729

[arken 4,197]

The link below will provide some info you want.

http://www.internationalstudent.com/school-search/usa/

Just for reference, average expense of 30000 USD a year (varies by location and college)

[lurkingAround 1]

Thank you, is education substantially cheaper in some states than others?

Yes, the fees are varied among universities. A school near by or inside a big city would cost a lot more. A famous school would also cost more. However, you could pick a school you want to apply and go with them. Once you come here, you could ask for transfer and move yourself to another school (but may have to meet certain criteria).

While you are in school, you may try to look for an employer who would sponsor you for work visa. You could use your current qualification (transcript, work experience, etc.) from your country to apply for work visa instead of wait until you finish school here. However, you still need to keep your legal status (as student) until the work visa kicks into effect. The work visa starts on the 1st of October in the year you get. Most universities (if not all) in the U.S. start their semester either late August or early September. You must still be a full-time student during the time you are waiting for the work visa starting date, or you will become illegal during the time. This short period of illegal could easily affect you in the future if you want to get a green card because you have to provide all evidence/documents to show that you are in the country legally AT ALL TIME.

One possibility, which noone mentioned because it is unusual and risky, is to get a tourist visa and then change it to student (F1) while you are in the country. If you happen to come in as a tourist and want to change your status to student, you must have been in the country for at least 90 days before attempting to file for the change. If you try to change your status before 90 days, your application will automatically be rejected. Usually, you could this change of status by yourself, but you need to talk to a school couselor for more information (and documents).

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

I mean we get alot of american tv, and every second person is a foreigner of some sort, how does that work or happen if it "soooo" tough to get, work, or live there? Thanks!

You are basing your understanding of the US on television?