Visa for a barista

[Jägermasterize 1]

Dear VJ folks.

I look for some advices for a friend of mine that is a barista and wish to find the proper visa to work in the US.

We don't know what category of visa she should target for.

-She is a trained coffee Barista.

-She is french citizen.

-She never applied for US visa before and came several times on tourist visa waiver.

-She never overstayed her tourist visas.

-She has a motivated coffeeshop ready to sponsor her.

Would you recommend a particular type of visa?

Thanks dear VJ community!

[Andrea&Henry 311]

One of the ways to come here to the US legally is through a working visa. In order to get one, there must be a company willing to sponsor the candidate. When I say willing means that there is a legal contract/ job offer already signed and accepted. On top of that, the company needs to proof that this candidate has special, almost unique characteristics no one in the country or just a few, have. Usually certain degrees qualified for this kind of visa with no issue or certain and very unique and specific ocupations like a chef for Tahitian food. I met this girl, a friend of her opened a Tahitian restaurant and needed a Tahitian/East Pacific Food chef expert. She was sponsored by the restaurant owner after a formal job offer and she got it with no issues.

In this case, a barista is not a unique occupation as a matter of fact there are thousands of baristas in the US....so is very very unlikely your friend would get a working visa just for brewing coffee.

Your friend must revise other legal options to come to the US

[JFH 12,191]

She won't be able to get a work visa to work as a barista. She will need to do something far more specialist than that. Why the USA? If it's to improve her language skills then why doesn't she come to the UK? Ireland is still part of the EU so there's another option.

Has she looked into Australia or New Zealand?

If it's for the American Dream, then it's likely to remain just that.

[RodDetroit 118]

Dear VJ folks.

I look for some advices for a friend of mine that is a barista and wish to find the proper visa to work in the US.

We don't know what category of visa she should target for.

-She is a trained coffee Barista.

-She is french citizen.

-She never applied for US visa before and came several times on tourist visa waiver.

-She never overstayed her tourist visas.

-She has a motivated coffeeshop ready to sponsor her.

Would you recommend a particular type of visa?

Thanks dear VJ community!

she wont be able to get a work permit for that, Canada is way easier and they are desperate to get French speakers. if she is under 30 she may get the Canadian holiday working visa and she will land with a work permit in Canada.

She won't be able to get a work visa to work as a barista. She will need to do something far more specialist than that. Why the USA? If it's to improve her language skills then why doesn't she come to the UK? Ireland is still part of the EU so there's another option.

Has she looked into Australia or New Zealand?

If it's for the American Dream, then it's likely to remain just that.

it is still hard to get a work permit in Australia and New Zealand specially if you are not coming from a common wealth country.

[Jägermasterize 1]

Thank you all for your quick and clear replies!

Andrea&Henry, Thanks for your very clear description of the working visa process in the U.S. And indeed, the experience of the Tahitian cook is a clear example of special and unique qualification. It seems like barista is a qualification that US citizens can fulfill without the need of introducing foreign workers in the American workers pool.

JFH, I will introduce the idea of gaining her work experience in Ireland, Australia and NZ to her. she expressed that it was to broaden her foreign work experience.

But as RodDetroit mentioned, Canada seems to offer very interesting opportunities in terms of Holliday/Working visas. I think she will concentrate on this option that sounds more to her reach regarding her professional background.

That's great help. Thanks again. Take care.