Hi, I currently live in England (have done so all of my life) and am seriously thinking of moving (this country is beginning to really dishearten me - that's another story though).
A few months ago my company sent me to America to trial some equipment.
I really enjoyed the lifestyle there, the weather, stuff is much cheaper, houses much nicer/cheaper, nice people, ladies :) etc. Also my American counterparts also got paid a lot more than myself.
I'm just wondering how hard it is to move to America (with regard to entry requirements, age, trade skills etc).
I am looking at saving money now and moving in 3 to 4 years, at which point I will be 27 years old. I will by that point have over 6 years experience with embedded systems, C, DSP and MFC in the communications field (I graduated in 2001 with a degree in Electronic & Computer Engineering). I will have also completed my PhD (if all goes to plan).
I am looking to move to the east coast, and am wondering how much (ball park figure), I would be looking at earning?
The house prices here are really high also, I'm just wondering how much a 2 bedroom house would cost on the east coast (I'm not sure if that's answerable, but a ballpark figure for a 2 bed house on the east coast would be great).
Thanks in advance for any help, hints, or advice, it is very much appreciated.
If you come through San Diego it is easy. You just have to travel at night with someone on your back.
There is no way to tell. You earn what you are worth. Figure anywhere from $35k to 75k.
Depends on where it is. In Appalachia they are only a few thousand. In New York, apartments are 1Million. Across the coast prices vary widely. Figure an average of $150k to $250k for suburban areas on the coast. I live on the west coast and average housing prices here are very high so I am just guessing.
You're welcome to come to America as far as I am concered. Become a Citizen if you can.
no... he comes to NY on vacation and never goes back to UK. After Kerry becomes president and gives all illegal aliens citizenship status, he becomes an instant us citizen...fastest way to do it...
I moved here about three years ago. Here are my comments :
The embedded job prospects are reasonably good.
Look at salary.com for a ballpark salary. I'd probably pay you around $50-60K in Houston, but maybe I have a chip on my shoulder about PhD's and maybe that'd be worth more to other people.
Having said that, do try to get some real experience in product development (there's a world of difference between a project and a product). Try to get some hardware experience.
Your first move here will probably be by finding a company that wants to employ you, then gaining H1-B status (specialized worker). This isn't too long winded if the company pays for premium service etc. This visa lasts for three years and can easily be extended to six years.
If you change employer (I did), the visa can be relatively easily transfered.
Make sure you get an employer who'll pay for all of this, and has some experience or will pay a specialized law firm.
That gets you here.
To become a permanent resident you'll need a Green Card. This is very long winded, requiring Labor Certification and change of status. The whole process can take several years. If you go to work in a "strategic" area, you may be able to circumvent some of this "in the national interest". Be careful, if you change empoyer during this process, it resets the clock.
Make sure you choose an employer who'll support all this and pay for it.
As a general comparison between engineering salaries, T&C's etc between the UK and US, I'd say it is better paid here, but the cost of living isn't so much cheaper in the end. I'd say, think of how much "better off" you expect to be, and it'll be about half that.
There are a lot of culture shocks - some subtle, some less so. I moved to the South (Texas), I suspect this would be less so in the East or West. If you're a right winger (lots of people who're sick of Britain tend to be), maybe this would also be less of an issue for you than it was for me.
Also, I'd be a little careful about exptrapolating from the impression you get during a short visit. In general (with apologies to my many good American friends), I've found Americans much better at friendliness than friendship.
On the whole, however, I'd say do it - I think it's a great experience to live in a different culture than the one in which you were raised.
Gary.
If you have any specific questions about the process, you can Email me at gXaXrXyX_XaXtX_XpXaXcXeXeXmXbXeXdXdXeXdX_XdXoXtX_XcXoXmX (delete all the X's and do the obvious)
First, to establish my credentials: I moved to the USA (from Australia) almost exactly five years ago, and I've been on the east coast most of that time.
A slightly OT comment here: IMHO this is not a good reason to be moving. Wanderlust and discontent is not what a potential employer wants to hear.
There are several routes to the US, but for you probably the fastest route is via an H-1B visa. Age is really irrelevant. I was 24 when I moved. The only "mandatory" requirement is a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, so you're well-qualified. You also need to find a company that wants to hire you and jump through the hoops of sponsoring you and obtaining the visa. This can be the difficult part.
An H-1B can be renewed once, and is somewhat portable between employers. It can be used as the basis for legal permanent residence ("green card") status, but you should be prepared for a very long wait
- ten years from the day you set foot on US soil is a good ballpark figure. Of course, you could get lucky, as I did, and find one of those "nice ladies" who wants to marry you :)
ObWarning: If you have any criminal convictions, no matter how trivial, the process will be long and difficult, maybe impossible. Particularly - If you have any kind of record with any illegal drug (and this includes the most minor possible offence you can imagine, e.g. possessing a pinch of marijuana) then forget about moving to the USA unless there is a revolution of some kind. It is beyond impossibility.
This varies widely, but employment sites like monster.com have salary calculators that you can use to get a VERY VERY ROUGH ballpark figure. I would not consider moving unless you have an offer in the low 70s (I'd consider this rather a low salary for your qualifications, but see below). If you're heading direct into a senior engineering position, your starting salary could be in the mid-80s.
Traditionally, H-1B supplicants (not a mistyping) are offered lowball salaries. With the qualifications you mention, as an H-1B, I'd expect to be earning in the mid-70s. Once weaned off the H-1B, you could expect to get at least $10k more (in today's market).
If by "communications" you mean telecoms, that's probably a bad angle to take; the industry is still in a slump and not really hiring over here. In general, though, there *are* lots of embedded opportunities here. I've recently gone back into the job market, and I've had a good response rate to my resume.
Again, totally a variable question! In the suburb where I live, which is in a borough of New York City, a 2br house is a shade less than US$500,000. Five blocks away, they go for upwards of $750,000. In upstate NY you could get one for under $150,000. However, this is all kind of irrelevant. I advise you to rent for at least two years, better five years, when you come to the States. There are a couple of reasons for this:
(1) you really need to live around the area for a while to get a good feel of living costs and quality of life, so you can make an informed decision as to where to live. For example: In my county, I have to pay an extra city income tax, but the property taxes (rates) are fairly low, and groceries are also quite cheap. In Westchester, where I used to live, there is no city income tax, but property taxes and values are higher. Groceries are also more expensive up there. But on the other hand, public schools [in the US sense of the phrase] in the metro NYC area are appalling, while up in Westchester, they're relatively good.
(2) it takes at least this long to establish a credit identity, and you won't get a mortgage without one. Unless you have the wherewithal to pay cash for your house, you need a credit history and although it is *possible* to obtain a nontraditional credit report (for mortgage purposes) that includes overseas information, it is extremely difficult and complicated and most real estate agents won't handle a case like that.
I suggest you visit the About.com immigration pages at immigration.about.com - there are message boards there where you can discuss many of these issues, and many articles that may provide useful insight.
Not amnesty as was offered in 1986, but a temporary work program which the media don't understand (or perhaps think their readers can't understand) so they simplify it to "amnesty." Complicated, messy, and unworkable, imo. Fortunately, it's unlikely that it will come to pass.
In fact, I'm suspicious that the plan was nothing more than a way to let Fox claim he had made progress, while knowing it wouldn't fly.
Kerry, on the other hand, has come out solidly in favor of an amnesty program, accusing Bush of formulating his temporary worker plan solely to exploit workers. His actual voting record has been on both sides of immigration issues. (Not necessarily a bad thing - there are many issues, and it's complex.)
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Al Balmer
Balmer Consulting
removebalmerconsultingthis@att.net
Alan Balmer wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Not to mention all the inevitable completely unrelated riders tacked on to just about any bill, which can make an otherwise palatable bill completely unpalatable.
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