Work Visa Opportunity- Aeronautical Engineer Degree

[hngu145 1]

Hello, 

 

My name is Hang, a citizen of the US, and I am finding information on behalf of my boyfriend.

My boyfriend is from South Korea and he graduated university with a Aeronautical Engineer degree. He is in a career contract with the South Korea Air Force until April 2019. They gave him a scholarship for university and require him to work with them for 5 years. When he leave the Air Force, he want to find a job in the US that is related to his degree such as a plane engine company. I am really new to work visas so I am not sure where to start. I searched aeronautical companies that he can possibly apply for but there is not much information on foreigners jobs. Can anyone help me with these information on aeronautical engineering and work visas? I know that 2019 is far from now, however I want to get as much information as possible to streamline the process when he leave the South Korea Air Force. 

 

Thank you for everyone help! I really appreciate any information that you can give me regarding this topic. If you have any other questions, I am willing to answer them !

[Mollie09 1,543]

1 minute ago, hngu145 said:

Hello, 

 

My name is Hang, a citizen of the US, and I am finding information on behalf of my boyfriend.

My boyfriend is from South Korea and he graduated university with a Aeronautical Engineer degree. He is in a career contract with the South Korea Air Force until April 2019. They gave him a scholarship for university and require him to work with them for 5 years. When he leave the Air Force, he want to find a job in the US that is related to his degree such as a plane engine company. I am really new to work visas so I am not sure where to start. I searched aeronautical companies that he can possibly apply for but there is not much information on foreigners jobs. Can anyone help me with these information on aeronautical engineering and work visas? I know that 2019 is far from now, however I want to get as much information as possible to streamline the process when he leave the South Korea Air Force. 

 

Thank you for everyone help! I really appreciate any information that you can give me regarding this topic. If you have any other questions, I am willing to answer them !

 

He has to find an employer and apply. If the employer wants to hire him, the employer figures out the work visa.

It's tough to find a job as a foreigner and get sponsorship, it's expensive and long and usually not done for people who aren't exceptional. Much easier to marry him and have him immigrate.

[SeabreezeUF 31]

30 minutes ago, hngu145 said:

Hello, 

 

My name is Hang, a citizen of the US, and I am finding information on behalf of my boyfriend.

My boyfriend is from South Korea and he graduated university with a Aeronautical Engineer degree. He is in a career contract with the South Korea Air Force until April 2019. They gave him a scholarship for university and require him to work with them for 5 years. When he leave the Air Force, he want to find a job in the US that is related to his degree such as a plane engine company. I am really new to work visas so I am not sure where to start. I searched aeronautical companies that he can possibly apply for but there is not much information on foreigners jobs. Can anyone help me with these information on aeronautical engineering and work visas? I know that 2019 is far from now, however I want to get as much information as possible to streamline the process when he leave the South Korea Air Force. 

 

Thank you for everyone help! I really appreciate any information that you can give me regarding this topic. If you have any other questions, I am willing to answer them !

Mollie is correct in her advice above and it will be much easier for him if he already has a green card when he applies..  However, your boyfriend's field adds another layer of difficulty in that many positions will require security clearance (which requires US citizenship). 

 

I would encourage you to start searching job openings in general (www.engineerjobs.com may be a starting point) in the roles he's interested in now so that you can get a feel for what is required.  I am an engineer with experience in the aerospace industry and many of the positions require US citizenship or permanent residence.  Some do not but you're wise to start looking at this now so you can decide what the realistic options are and what actions to take.  

Edited November 15, 2017 by SeabreezeUF

[abum 324]

25 minutes ago, Mollie09 said:

 

He has to find an employer and apply. If the employer wants to hire him, the employer figures out the work visa.

It's tough to find a job as a foreigner and get sponsorship, it's expensive and long and usually not done for people who aren't exceptional. Much easier to marry him and have him immigrate.

it seemed easier for the BF to get visa (Green Card) via marriage than having a company to sponsor .

[hngu145 1]

1 hour ago, SeabreezeUF said:

Mollie is correct in her advice above and it will be much easier for him if he already has a green card when he applies..  However, your boyfriend's field adds another layer of difficulty in that many positions will require security clearance (which requires US citizenship). 

 

I would encourage you to start searching job openings in general (www.engineerjobs.com may be a starting point) in the roles he's interested in now so that you can get a feel for what is required.  I am an engineer with experience in the aerospace industry and many of the positions require US citizenship or permanent residence.  Some do not but you're wise to start looking at this now so you can decide what the realistic options are and what actions to take.  

Yes I have heard about the security clearance also for the aerospace industry. I do think that will pose another level of difficulty. I am in podiatry school of medicine right now so I am completely on a different career path. I do not know much about engineering so looking for information is like starting from ground 0. Wow it is amazing that you have experience in the aerospace industry also. We do have plans to marry in the future however it is too soon to say. He's 26 and I'm only 24. Marriage would be the easiest way however I still need to complete podiatry residency so we want to have a stable career before marriage. possibly 29-31. Thank you so much for your input! If you have more information regarding the aerospace industry, can you please let me know. Thank you!

[hngu145 1]

2 hours ago, Mollie09 said:

 

He has to find an employer and apply. If the employer wants to hire him, the employer figures out the work visa.

It's tough to find a job as a foreigner and get sponsorship, it's expensive and long and usually not done for people who aren't exceptional. Much easier to marry him and have him immigrate.

Thanks for your advice! I knew it would be hard but I'm trying to find as much information possible to decide. we are still so young so we don't want to rush into marriage without a stable career. I'm in podiatry school and will be graduating in 2018 however I will still have to go through residency for another 2-3 years. 

[SeabreezeUF 31]

43 minutes ago, hngu145 said:

Yes I have heard about the security clearance also for the aerospace industry. I do think that will pose another level of difficulty. I am in podiatry school of medicine right now so I am completely on a different career path. I do not know much about engineering so looking for information is like starting from ground 0. Wow it is amazing that you have experience in the aerospace industry also. We do have plans to marry in the future however it is too soon to say. He's 26 and I'm only 24. Marriage would be the easiest way however I still need to complete podiatry residency so we want to have a stable career before marriage. possibly 29-31. Thank you so much for your input! If you have more information regarding the aerospace industry, can you please let me know. Thank you!

I got married at 31 so I completely understand where you are coming from and applaud the pragmatism behind your decision, both marriage wise and researching options at this stage.

 

You mentioned he was interested in working on jet engines: I worked for one of the Big 3 manufacturers and now, although I've changed jobs, I work with all three now and as such, am required to be a USC specifically because of the work I have to do with them. If you are still a few years removed from marriage and securing that green card when he wraps up with the air force, I would suggest researching what presence those companies have in South Korea and getting a foot in the door with some sort of position there.  He may be able to convince them to do a transfer to the USA.

 

He will not be able to work on military engines. That's an ITAR area and he would have to have clearance and be a USC.  No getting around that, I'm afraid.

 

He could work on commercial engines and I was friends with foreign nationals who held those roles, typically as contractors for companies in the engine alliance programs. They're blocked from many areas of the campuses/buildings due to the presence of the military engine work. 

 

My other aero friends are all working in the rocket sector and have security clearance so I can't offer much helpful insight there.  I'm sorry it's not the easiest path and greatest news but I hope it helps a little to at least have an idea of what the industry is like.

[hngu145 1]

55 minutes ago, SeabreezeUF said:

I got married at 31 so I completely understand where you are coming from and applaud the pragmatism behind your decision, both marriage wise and researching options at this stage.

 

You mentioned he was interested in working on jet engines: I worked for one of the Big 3 manufacturers and now, although I've changed jobs, I work with all three now and as such, am required to be a USC specifically because of the work I have to do with them. If you are still a few years removed from marriage and securing that green card when he wraps up with the air force, I would suggest researching what presence those companies have in South Korea and getting a foot in the door with some sort of position there.  He may be able to convince them to do a transfer to the USA.

 

He will not be able to work on military engines. That's an ITAR area and he would have to have clearance and be a USC.  No getting around that, I'm afraid.

 

He could work on commercial engines and I was friends with foreign nationals who held those roles, typically as contractors for companies in the engine alliance programs. They're blocked from many areas of the campuses/buildings due to the presence of the military engine work. 

 

My other aero friends are all working in the rocket sector and have security clearance so I can't offer much helpful insight there.  I'm sorry it's not the easiest path and greatest news but I hope it helps a little to at least have an idea of what the industry is like.

Thank you so much for all of your advices! It is definitely useful in getting started with this process. I really appreciate your honesty with the industry. 

I have suggested that he should try to get into a company in Korea, which is something that he will try to do and see if they can do a transfer. I think that might be the best way as of now. 

 

We have been long distance since the beginning of our relationship so it doesn’t make a difference with just a few more years. But it would be nice to have him nearby or in the US. Thank you so much! I

[Coco8 1,042]

If you do not want to rush into marriage because you are young, then, I would suggest your boyfriend to apply for a MA/PhD program in the US. He has education+experience so he would be a good candidate for a PhD program in something related to his interests (being Aeronautics, Aerospace, Material Sciences, Mechanics, etc.). Most PhD programs offer funding and tuition remission (though funding is much more competitive in engineering than in other disciplines because sometimes funds come from professors grants, so fit in terms if interests is very important; but there are some top universities in his area that provide great funding like Caltech, MIT, Stanford, etc.). 

 

Studying will give him a better chance at a good job when he graduates. It will also allow you to be close without having to marry (maybe not in the same city but at least in the same country). 

 

I concur with others that getting a job in the US is hard, plus, he in his area not having a green card/citizenship is a particular drawback not only due to security reasons, but because a lot of the funds involved in projects comes from the DOD, etc., which requires people involved to have green cards/citizenship. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2017 by Coco8