Ways for a computer scientist with BS degree to immigrate to the USA

[NicoGermany 0]

Hi

 

I'm about to graduate with a BS in Computer Science in Germany.
I don't really want to do a Master's because in order to finally earn some money myself and grow in my career. 

My goal is to emigrate to the US, preferably to Southern California to work as a software engineer.

 

My plan would be to work for 3 years after graduation and then somehow immigrate to the US. I can also imagine spending a large part of my life in the US, which is why US citizenship is definitely interesting for me. 

How do I achieve the goal of getting the green card as quickly as possible as I don't want to have other visas that are too tied to an employer for a long time because that could jeopardize my whole new existence there since I have to find a new job within 30 days of being laid off?

 

Of course, I will always apply to the green card lottery, but that doesn't assure me that I will eventually get to the US.

Which visa would make the most sense and is the best? Without knowing much, it seems like the EB2A visa would be the best, but there is the thing that I need a Master's degree or a Bachelor's degree with 5 years of work experience.
I'd also be interested in how likely it is that I get this visa with a bachelor and 5 years of work experience? So what is the acceptance rate for this case?

 

I'm bothered by the high uncertainty of ever living in the US. 

There is also the possibility of being transferred by an international company with German and US offices. 
But I don't know how fast I can get a green card there.

 

So for me, the most important goal is to get a green card as soon as possible.

 

Maybe someone has some ideas/tips on how best to proceed.
 

[Mike E 11,739]

Given there is no master’s degree ….

 

Find a job with company that has operations in the U.S.  

 

Apply to transfer to the U.S.  Your employer will sponsor you for an L-1B visa.

 

L-1B is dual intent. Once in the U.S., your employer can start the EB-3 green card process. It will be several years before you can file to adjust status.

[NicoGermany 0]

27 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Given there is no master’s degree ….

 

Find a job with company that has operations in the U.S.  

 

Apply to transfer to the U.S.  Your employer will sponsor you for an L-1B visa.

 

L-1B is dual intent. Once in the U.S., your employer can start the EB-3 green card process. It will be several years before you can file to adjust status.

What does "several years" mean, more than 3 years?
 

Quote

Given there is no master’s degree ….

How would the process change with master's degree?

[Mike E 11,739]

14 minutes ago, NicoGermany said:

What does "several years" mean, more than 3 years?

Right now yes. See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-for-september-2023.html

 

Your category is Employment based 3rd aka EB-3. This category was current for years, and in 2023 it retrogressed.

 

There is faint hope it will be current in October 2023.

 

14 minutes ago, NicoGermany said:

How would the process change with master's degree?

With a master’s degree, EB-2 opens up to you.  Shorter wait. 
 

If you find an employer that is willing to transfer, you should have a GC in hand in less than 10 years.

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Mike E

[NicoGermany 0]

1 minute ago, Mike E said:

Right now yes. See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-for-september-2023.html

 

Your category is Employment based 3rd aka EB-3. This category was current for years, and in 2023 it retrogressed.

 

There is faint hope it will be current in October 2023.

 

With a master’s degree, EB-2 opens up to you.  Shorter wait. 

So the main difference between EB-2 and EB-3 is essentially the wait time, right? 

 

And the EB visas are the visas that are called green cards in day-to-day life, right?

 

[Mike E 11,739]

9 minutes ago, NicoGermany said:

So the main difference between EB-2 and EB-3 is essentially the wait time, right?

As noted there are  higher qualifications   for EB-2

9 minutes ago, NicoGermany said:

 

And the EB visas are the visas that are called green cards in day-to-day life, right?

 

An EB visa is a single entry immigration visa. Once one enters the US on any type of immigration visa, one becomes a lawful permanent resident (LPR). If one pays a separate immigrant fee, one will get a green card after entering the U.S. on the immigration visa.

 

Until the green card is in hand, the stamped visa acts as a temporary green card for one year.

 

A green card and a stamped visa are called I-551s. An I-551 is evidence of LPR status.

 

EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 lead to 10 year GCs.

 

EB-5 leads to 2 year GCs, and the so called LPR status requires a removal of conditions.

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Mike E

[NicoGermany 0]

16 minutes ago, Mike E said:

As noted there are  higher qualifications   for EB-2

An EB visa is a single entry immigration visa. Once one enters the US on any type of immigration visa, one becomes a lawful permanent resident (LPR). If one pays a separate immigrant fee, one will get a green card after entering the U.S. on the immigration visa.

 

Until the green card is in hand, the stamped visa acts as a temporary green card for one year.

 

A green card and a stamped visa are called I-551s. An I-551 is evidence of LPR status.

 

EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 lead to 10 year GCs.

 

EB-5 leads to 2 year GCs, and the so called LPR status requires a removal of conditions.

 

Thank you you make many things much clearer to me!

 

But I still don't really understand the difference between EB-2 and EB-3. 
As you said, for EB-2 you need a higher qualification with a shorter waiting period. Those are the only difference?

 

And how much is the difference in waiting time between EB-2 and EB-3?
Because as I have seen, it also depends on the country of origin, so it takes a long time in India, for instance.

[NicoGermany 0]

Just saw this statistic. According to this statistic, the difference was not too big in August 2023. 

I'm just trying to figure out if it makes sense and makes a difference to do a master's just to get into EB-2 or if it makes little difference in the end.

https://www.immigrationhelp.org/news/visa-bulletin

[SalishSea 17,791]

1 hour ago, NicoGermany said:

I'm bothered by the high uncertainty of ever living in the US. 

This is the nature of the beast of US immigration.  It is not an easy, fast or cheap process.

[Mike E 11,739]

23 minutes ago, NicoGermany said:

As you said, for EB-2 you need a higher qualification with a shorter waiting period. Those are the only difference?

Yes. Also sometimes EB-3 has a shorter wait time. Until 2023, some people were doing EB-2 to EB-3 downgrades.

[NicoGermany 0]

3 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Yes. Also sometimes EB-3 has a shorter wait time. Until 2023, some people were doing EB-2 to EB-3 downgrades.

Ok, thank!!

I have one last question: how long is the waiting time between EB-2 and EB-3 on average? Is it usually only a few months? So EB-3 only takes a few months longer on average?

[Mike E 11,739]

3 minutes ago, NicoGermany said:

Ok, thank!!

I have one last question: how long is the waiting time between EB-2 and EB-3 on average? Is it usually only a few months? So EB-3 only takes a few months longer on average?

Read the visa bulletin link. As of today, you are looking at least 5 years for EB-2 and 7 years for EB-3. This time next month month I expect these times to improve.

 

https://immigration.net/2023/06/15/the-coming-apocalypse-for-employment-based-immigrantswhat-the-current-backlog-in-perm-labor-certifications-dol-prevailing-wage-requests-and-pending-and-approved-i-140s-means-for-future-visa-b/

 

Think in terms of 10 years as I wrote before.
 

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Mike E

[theprogrammerguy 4]

That's VERY pessimistic. 10 years? Come on. The new fiscal year is about to hit, and it's definitely going to bring good news - if not CURRENT, at least close to it. You're bringing the poor guy down for no reason. The expected wait time is so high because of the retrogression, but that has no bearing on reality to be honest, since it gets pretty much reset every fiscal year. 3 years is much more realistic than 5, let alone 10!

[Mike E 11,739]

10 minutes ago, theprogrammerguy said:

That's VERY pessimistic. 10 years? Come on. The new fiscal year is about to hit, and it's definitely going to bring good news - if not CURRENT, at least close to it. You're bringing the poor guy down for no reason. The expected wait time is so high because of the retrogression, but that has no bearing on reality to be honest, since it gets pretty much reset every fiscal year. 3 years is much more realistic than 5, let alone 10!

Get a job with a multinational plus L-1B, plus I-140 plus I-485 / IV

 

10 years

 

U.S. needs too many nurses, U.S. education system cannot provide enough nurses, foreign nurses will not be satisfied with cap exempt H1-B, so EB-3 will be under historic pressure.

Edited August 20, 2023 by Mike E

[kzielu 1,149]

5 hours ago, NicoGermany said:

I'm bothered by the high uncertainty of ever living in the US. 

 

So for me, the most important goal is to get a green card as soon as possible.

 

 

Think of this way - there's literally tens of thousands of people with same goal as you - why they're not here ? Because it's neither easy nor fast. For all the employment routes listed above, you have have to provide value for the employer to sponsor / transfer you to US. You have to be better than hundreds of other candidates. 

There is literally zero certainty in this route and as soon as you make peace with it, easier it will be.