Long Term American Visa?

MercilessKiller

Hey there,

Not sure if I'm posting in the right place so please move if required!

Anyway I graduated from Uni with a 1st in a computer science degree and a one year industry placement.

My currently employer wants to relocate me to San Francisco in January (pretty crazy!!!!) so I'm looking into Visas and seeing the possibilities though it seems there's a lot of conflicting information out there!

So ideally I need a visa for as long as possible as it is a full relocation... I've heard there is one for people with a degree which is 3 to 6 years with 1 year extensions.. Are these easy to get and are they based on the level of qualification or is it more pot luck?

Equally how long does it generally take for Visas to get accepted/declined, and are agencies that charge a few thousand a waste of money or do they actually tend to work?

Any information would be great!

Thanks

Voyager2002

If your employer is moving you there, then it is up to your employer to arrange the visa. There are some hoops to jump through but the process is certainly manageable. And it is completely different from the schemes whereby you would be applying for your own visa (to enable you to look for work in the USA).

MercilessKiller

Ah ok. I got an email saying they were going to look into it today. Maybe I should just sit back and stop worrying! *gulp*

littlefeet_2

Congratulations - I hope that you enjoy your time over in the Bay Area.

I work for an American tech company too - from what I remember they will need to organise the visa for you.

There's two types of visa that might be appropriate

H1B - this is for new hires with special skills. Theoretically limited in number.

L1 - within company transfer. You have to have worked for the company for 1 year within the last 3 to qualify for this type.

If you're really looking for something to plan in the future, have a read up on how to get a Californian driving license, it will be pretty useful to get it sorted fairly quickly as it gives you a form of local ID and means you'll be able to insure a car more cheaply.