Media work in Chicago area

[LotsofQuestions 0]

2 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

Don't get your hopes up too high OP, I understand your desire to move to Chicago and the USA, but employer-sponsored visas to work in the US are difficult to get, and the employer has to show evidence that you are highly-qualified and that you are the best candidate for a specific job, more qualified than other applicants who are already in the US and authorized to work here.  I am involved in this process every year, petitioning for professors that I hire, and they all have PhDs, mostly from US universities, and even then, we have to attach pages and pages of documentation to prove to USCIS that the foreigner is the most qualified candidate based on education, specialized training, research ability, etc.  It will be very difficult for you with only a bachelor's degree (which you don't even have yet) in an area that has many qualified people in the US already, journalism and media.  Sorry to be so blunt about your chances, they're certainly not zero, but very small in my opinion, so just trying to be realistic here.  Fields like medicine, technology, computer science, engineering, and academic positions in these areas and business where US-work authorized applicants are in short supply are more likely for work visa approvals by USCIS and even then it is a challenge and not guaranteed.  I suggest that you have a plan B that would involve moving somewhere outside the US in case your dream to work in Chicago does not materialize.  Good luck!

I really like the honesty here. I think I will give up on the dream and return to reality. It's really upsetting, but I do live in the real world and I know my chances are terribly slim. But the idea of working there just for a temporary amount of time is very appealing and a temp workers visa or J1 visa for internships sounds more likely to be successful? What do you think?

[*Snowdrop* 604]

Have you actually had a paid job in the media in the UK yet at a significant level of experience or skill? You must know what the current state of news and media across both the UK and the USA is significantly less stable now than it was even ten years ago. Major news organizations are shedding jobs all the time. To be hired as a foreign employee who needs the expense of an immigration path you'd have something very special to offer - for example if you were a well known writer or award winning investigative reporter. 

 

America also produces thousands upon thousands of trained media students each year all of whom are competing with you to get those jobs. 

 

What's the specific appeal about Chicago? Is this a lifestyle choice (place, friends?) - there's nothing particularly special about the media field there. 

 

 You might be able to find an internship - but that most likely won't lead to a permanent immigration path. 

 

Your other options for spending some time in the USA working in the media: 

 

1.  Get a job with a big media organization in the UK and pitch an idea to them for you to cover in the USA - then you might be able to get an 'I' visa which allows foreign media organizations to send employees to the USA to work for them on a story or project. That would give you a temporary assignment inside the USA - and you would be paid by the UK company to do it. 

 

2. Find a job with a UK or USA media organization inside the UK (AP, Reuteurs, BBC etc) and then see if you can get transferred to their US office on a temp or permanent basis. That's likely to get you into the USA but not necessary in the Chicago area. 

 

 

[Helenlc 157]

8 minutes ago, Trellick said:

Have you actually had a paid job in the media in the UK yet at a significant level of experience or skill? You must know what the current state of news and media across both the UK and the USA is significantly less stable now than it was even ten years ago. Major news organizations are shedding jobs all the time. To be hired as a foreign employee who needs the expense of an immigration path you'd have something very special to offer - for example if you were a well known writer or award winning investigative reporter. 

 

America also produces thousands upon thousands of trained media students each year all of whom are competing with you to get those jobs. 

 

What's the specific appeal about Chicago? Is this a lifestyle choice (place, friends?) - there's nothing particularly special about the media field there. 

 

 You might be able to find an internship - but that most likely won't lead to a permanent immigration path. 

 

Your other options for spending some time in the USA working in the media: 

 

1.  Get a job with a big media organization in the UK and pitch an idea to them for you to cover in the USA - then you might be able to get an 'I' visa which allows foreign media organizations to send employees to the USA to work for them on a story or project. That would give you a temporary assignment inside the USA - and you would be paid by the UK company to do it. 

 

2. Find a job with a UK or USA media organization inside the UK (AP, Reuteurs, BBC etc) and then see if you can get transferred to their US office on a temp or permanent basis. That's likely to get you into the USA but not necessary in the Chicago area. 

 

 

I was just coming here to really say the same thing... I worked in the media industry for 10 years in London and have done various work for American and other international companies while being employed by my London media agency.

 

A lot of big media companies have foreign offices and can allow employees to swap offices internationally after they are established in the company and are willing to help with the process. I have friends who now work in South Africa, Canada, US, Australia through their original company.

 

I personally wasn't on the Journalism side, more on the RTB / advertising side but was invited to speak in New York and LA as well as attend various industry events. It took along time to get established before I left media to look after my little boy who was diagnosed autistic but I was getting offers of jobs in America and sponsorship towards the end of my career.... 

 

Do not give up on your dream but maybe look for a new path to that dream... get experience in the UK and build a reputation and see where that takes you... look for media companies that have offices or associates in where you want to end up etc

 

[geowrian 22,337]

2 hours ago, Boiler said:

I think EB3 ROW is backlogged about 3 years currently.

It's current as of October 1st, actually.

[caliliving 606]

1) Try to find someone to marry. 

 

2) Do a graduate program in the usa. Its expensive but the few years and the 1 year working opt after will give you an option to find someone to marry and contacts to continue working in the USA. 

 

Unless you have alot - and I mean alot of experience! You wont get sponsored. Most of the h1b visas are used for the tech industry like apple and Microsoft. Maybe if you have enough publications you could get an o1? 

 

 

 

[millefleur 5,046]

You could try to aim for a PhD program - super, duper competitive, but a lot of PhD programs are fully funded (or they at least try really hard to aim for as much funding as possible, plus teaching stipends). Just wanted to throw that out there to give you hope. The Chicago area/Illinois has some pretty decent universities for the humanities.

[carmel34 3,620]

9 hours ago, millefleur said:

You could try to aim for a PhD program - super, duper competitive, but a lot of PhD programs are fully funded (or they at least try really hard to aim for as much funding as possible, plus teaching stipends). Just wanted to throw that out there to give you hope. The Chicago area/Illinois has some pretty decent universities for the humanities.

This ^^  Last year I hired 9 new PhDs in business, and 8 of the 9 were foreigners in the US on F-1 student visas, completing their degrees when we hired them, from all over the world--China, India, Russia, Iran, Ukraine, Italy, Korea...  Once we select them for their positions, our university staff and attorneys do all of the paperwork and pay the fees required for their H-1B visas.  If they get tenure after six years, most qualify for LPR status and stay permanently in the US.

Edited September 20, 2019 by carmel34

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