H1B Visa, Brazil -> US/California

[Alarmed_Swordfish 0]

Hey! I'm a 18yo unemployed male from Brazil. I've been really, really stressed lately regarding work visas and the ultimate green card. It's my dream to immigrate (permanently hopefully) to the US at my mid-20s. However, I'm extremely confused.

I'm an aspiring concept artist for video-games (A creator of drawings that 3D artists would use to digitally sculpt a character or an environment) or the animation industry. It seems that the only way I could make it to the US would be through a H1B visa, however, it requires at the bare minimum a bachelor's degree or 9-12 years of work experience.

I might try to get an animation degree (its extremely expensive and I barely have the money for it. Graphic Design is cheaper but I could only find associate degrees), but I also have questions regarding the work visas.

Is it extremely hard to get a H1B visa without a degree and without a decade of work experience? If I got a H1B visa, how hard would it be to get a green card? How often do companies (preferrably companies who may accept remote work) sponsor for the H1B visa and green card? Can it happen without a bachelor's degree?

Deos getting an immigration lawyer facilitate the process? Would a lawyer be able to sort what visa you should pursue based on your skills, regardless of degree? What's the success rates for this? Are there any other visas I could know about that could be useful for my future skillsets (like the O1 visa, though it basically requires national recognization, which isn't what I'm going for).

I would also appreciate the help of Brazilians familiar with the immigration system! I've been studying about this for a few months now.

Thank you so much! I know this is complicated, however I am seriously in need of help regarding this!

[Boiler 45,513]

If you are gods gift in this area and an Employer really wants you then there are options

 

Obviously qualifications matter

 

Lawyer is something for your Employer not you

[Alarmed_Swordfish 0]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

If you are gods gift in this area and an Employer really wants you then there are options

 

Obviously qualifications matter

 

Lawyer is something for your Employer not you

Wouldn't talking to a professional on the field of immigration and asking for advice on how to move on regarding this still be useful though? Thanks!

[PaulaCJohnny 713]

1 minute ago, Alarmed_Swordfish said:

Wouldn't talking to a professional on the field of immigration and asking for advice on how to move on regarding this still be useful though? Thanks!

Any information is useful. 
 

In this moment your changes to get this visa is almost none. You have no years of work experience, no degree.
 

You have no job and money seems to be a problem too.

 

Brazil doesn’t have DV Visa. So my recommendations for you are to study, try to find a online job for a company in this area, doesn’t matter the country. 
 

Immigrate can be a cute dream but if you want to put this like a goal will be easier for you. Things here are not easy or cheap. The job market is really competitive and you need to be really prepared.

 

You are super young and I’m sure if you took the time to study hard you will have more changes.

[Boiler 45,513]

It would seem your only option is through work? What do you want to discuss?

[Alarmed_Swordfish 0]

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

It would seem your only option is through work? What do you want to discuss?

I'm mainly researching if there are any other things I'm oblivious about, such as other visas for my kind of career, other methods, rates of success, etc, anything that might be of use in the future

[SalishSea 17,829]

8 minutes ago, Alarmed_Swordfish said:

I'm mainly researching if there are any other things I'm oblivious about, such as other visas for my kind of career, other methods, rates of success, etc, anything that might be of use in the future

Without skills, education and work experience, you will not have any work visa opportunities in the United States.  Like others have suggested, focus on getting those things if you want to be considered a serious candidate for an employer-sponsored visa.

 

 

[PaulaCJohnny 713]

2 hours ago, Alarmed_Swordfish said:

I'm mainly researching if there are any other things I'm oblivious about, such as other visas for my kind of career, other methods, rates of success, etc, anything that might be of use in the future

No, there is nothing special for this type of career and again, you have a loooong way before even apply.

You need to study and get a lot of experience working on this field. 
 

For a company to apply for a person from another country they need to proof that they cannot find anyone else here that can do the job. The process is not easy or cheap for them. You are much steps away from it.

 

Without a career, experience and money to support a move to another couuntry, all you can do know is dream. When you complete those steps you can start to really look deeper and start any Visa application. Who knows if the rules will be the same in 5 or 10 years?

 

EB-3 visa is a good one to try when you get ready for it.

 

https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-third-preference-eb-3
 

Focus on the way and not just on the final destination. You can miss a lot of things on your journey.

 

Good luck 

Edited July 2, 2022 by PaulaCJohnny

[Laniakean 13]

Many already gave you good advice, but as someone who was once in your shoes, I will leave my 2 cents here. 

 

1 – Forget about immigrating right now as this is a very long process. I know how it feels, but if you want to do things right, work on reasons to be appealing to foreign employers before thinking about visas.

2 – Work on your Kung Fu. Meaning, go chase your degree no matter what. It is feasible (or at least was) to work and study in Brazil simultaneously. Also study on your own and start working on your reel right now. In this field, many employers ask for your reel before they look at your resume. And yes, I know you said you are unemployed, but even if it’s not on your field, don’t scoff at opportunities that have nothing to do with what you want to do as long as it helps you pay for the degree you want.

3 – Don’t focus so specifically in the US. Many Brazilians are entitled to EU passports and either don’t know about it or do not consider Europe as a viable option. Not only there are many big name studios either based or with offices in Europe, but you may find that the US is very different from what Hollywood shows.

 

In sum, take a deep breath and relax. Immigrating is a long-term project and the quicker you accept it might take a long time, the quicker you will start building a solid foundation to do it right.

 

Good luck!

[Coco8 1,042]

Study computer science. Video games is very competitive and you are not getting into the industry by studying graphic design and being a "video game concept artist". Graphic designers are disposable now because now it's mostly using software; what really gets you into the industry is computer science.

 

There's no way you are getting an O visa. You need to be internationally recognized for those visas. People are I know have PhD with publications. Actors can get it if they are nominated for a golden globe or something like that. Artists could get one if they show at an important museum or win a competition. Usually those visas have ton of paperwork and then letters of recommendation from important figures in your field. You are not getting that one as someone in your mid 20s.

 

If you do well in university, you can apply for PhD program in the US and go for graduate school. It's very competitive but you can get fellowship + scholarship (meaning you don't pay tuition and get paid a salary -- not much but enough to get by while you stuyd/work all the time). However, you need to do something like computer science,  not graphic design because there's no PhD for graphic design.