Any Tips to migrate to the USA? Emigration stories and experiences

[Cantaim]

I'm in the process of trying to find a job or a sponsor or a visa to emigrate and leave my southern European country, so a topic where other users shares their experiences and how long it took them, would be great.
I'm really trying to find people who managed to do something similar, so that I can have a better understanding if it's feasible/doable and how long it took for them to find a company that would sponsor them. Experiences from people who got in through other methods are also encouraged to chime in. Like diversity lottery which I have been trying to get for several years now but never got lucky and managed to win.

This thread was posted on behalf of andrespi
Please direct all advice to them.

 

[GameAddict411]

It really depends on your skills, and education level. An engineer for example is more likely to find a sponsor in the United States compared to someone with Social science background. The immigration process in the United States is pretty rough as well since there are limited slots available for every country in the world. Meaning that even if you manage to get a sponsor, getting a work visa and green card afterwards will probably take years. Immigration to Canada is significantly easier if you can speak french and English fluently and have a college degree. Also depending on where you are coming from, immigration could be even more difficult(middle east for example).

I am sorry if I am painting a negative picture of the process, but it's what a lot of people I know are going through. The Trump administration is actively trying to slow down immigration as well, and with the anti immigration agenda, I really can't recommend coming to the United States in the it's current state. Maybe several years from now if things get better.

edit: I will give you an example here, my friend graduated with master's degree in electrical engineering and done another master's in statistics. All in the United States in a large state university. He couldn't find a sponsor and it's been months. Ge graduated earlier this year. Someone who already speaks English fluently and is considered to be highly skilled. He also have lived here for several years. Just imagine how steep it is for someone who can't speak english.

 

[Vern]

Easiest way is to have 500,000 USD that you can invest through the EB5 program. Otherwise have a unique skill.

 

[Face it Tiger..]

Canada is better :3

 

[andrespi]

So, I was the one who asked the topic. I work as a freelancer/ web marketing consultant (I'm 30 years old) working from home, and I've been working in this field for several years now.

The issue is that I've lived for several years in London (while studying for my dregree mostly), and for 6 months in Australia. About two years ago I came back to Italy, but my life here is really miserable compared to London or Sydney. It's missing that modern lifestyle that instead I could find abroad. Here in Italy there is a lack of fast food, lack of ethnic restaurants, lack of any basic public transport, I miss having my groceries delivered, I miss having shops and supermarkets open 24/7 and so on.

This is on top of the lack of jobs. I had to start working as a freelancer, because it was the only realistic way to have a stable income (and it's going pretty well); unemployment here is very high and most companies only hire on very short contracts and often low-paid. I have friends of my age that are still paid a few hundreds of euro per month, which is nothing, and basically less than 10% of them has a permanent job, most of them are short term contracts.

So I'm trying to move abroad again; I'm just not happy here in Italy. Certainly I don't want to go back to the UK, because I don't really like cold (so Canada is not an option) and rainy weather. I've been trying the diversity lottery for several years, but I never got lucky and chances of winning are extremely low so I was trying to find another way, possibly through a sponsor. But from what GameAddict411 is saying, the process seems a lot more complex/harder than I imagined.

 

[GameAddict411]

So, I was the one who asked the topic. I work as a freelancer/ web marketing consultant (I'm 30 years old) working from home, and I've been working in this field for several years now.

The issue is that I've lived for several years in London (while studying for my dregree mostly), and for 6 months in Australia. About two years ago I came back to Italy, but my life here is really miserable compared to London or Sydney. It's missing that modern lifestyle that instead I could find abroad. Here in Italy there is a lack of fast food, lack of ethnic restaurants, lack of any basic public transport, I miss having my groceries delivered, I miss having shops and supermarkets open 24/7 and so on.

This is on top of the lack of jobs. I had to start working as a freelancer, because it was the only realistic way to have a stable income (and it's going pretty well); unemployment here is very high and most companies only hire through very short contracts and often low-paid. I have friends of my age that are still paid few hundreds of euro per month, which is nothing, and basically less than 10% of them has a permanent job, most of them are short term contracts.

So I'm trying to move abroad again; I'm just not happy here in Italy. Certainly I don't want to go back to the UK, because I don't really like cold (so Canada is not an option) and rainy weather. I've been trying the diversity lottery for several years, but I never got lucky and chances of winning are extremely low so I was trying to find another way, possibly through a sponsor. But from what GameAddict411 is saying, the process seems a lot more complex/harder than I imagined.

Click to shrink...

No offense, but for someone who wants a better life elsewhere you seem picky. Since you are a European Union citizen( I assume?), why not in other parts of Europe such as Germany? There are some warmer parts of Canada such as British Columbia where it doesn't snow much even in the winter. Most job availability in the US are in the northern part of the country where the climate is similar to Europe and sometimes a bit colder. California is also a place to consider, but it's super expensive almost everywhere there. The climate is warm down south though.

 

[andrespi]

No offense, but for someone who wants a better life elsewhere you seem picky. Since you are a European Union citizen( I assume?), why not in other parts of Europe such as Germany? There are some warmer parts of Canada such as British Columbia where it doesn't snow much even in the winter. Most job availability in the US are in the northern part of the country where the climate is similar to Europe and sometimes a bit colder. California is also a place to consider, but it's super expensive almost everywhere there. The climate is warm down south though.

Click to shrink...

About Germany, It's just that I don't speak german. I fear starting a new language from scratch would require a lot of time, and to find a job in Germany I fear it would be impossible or really hard without knowing german beforehand. I guess I could learn it, but to do it while working full time would probably require several years to reach a level where I can apply for jobs and speak it fluently.

 

[DoggosPuppersWoofers]

I'm in the process of trying to find a job or a sponsor or a visa to emigrate and leave my southern European country, so a topic where other users shares their experiences and how long it took them, would be great.
I'm really trying to find people who managed to do something similar, so that I can have a better understanding if it's feasible/doable and how long it took for them to find a company that would sponsor them. Experiences from people who got in through other methods are also encouraged to chime in. Like diversity lottery which I have been trying to get for several years now but never got lucky and managed to win.

This thread was posted on behalf of andrespi
Please direct all advice to them.

Click to shrink...

Do you have a Bachelor's Degree or higher?

 

[andrespi]

Do you have a Bachelor's Degree or higher?

Click to shrink...

Yes, I do (I got my bachelor's degree 3-4 years ago while living in London from a traditional university with on-campus attendance). I've also almost completed my master's degree (already submitted the final dissertation; just waiting for final results).

On top of that I even got also an undergraduate certificate from a distance learning uni, but it's quite old (got it a few years earlier before starting my bachelor's).

I must say that I have a preference for the USA, because my grandfather was american (born in the USA but moved to Italy when he was 20 years old or about that age), and I remember him always going back and forth when I was a kid. I also have some distant relatives (from my grandfather's side) living outside New york.

 

[DoggosPuppersWoofers]

Yes, I do (I got my bachelor's degree while living in London). My master's degree is also nearly completed (already submitted the final dissertation; just waiting for final results).

Click to shrink...

That means you have minimum requirements to be hired by an US company on a H1B visa.

The bad news is that you're not a coder, medical professional, or engineer, so your chance of somebody offering you a job is very low.

The process of hiring a foreign national is long and expensive. They will have to get a visa for you, which are limited per year and companies like google and Microsoft are hogging. That means the company will have to spend money in advance, prove that you have a unique skill that can't be found on the domestic market, and hope that they are granted a visa.

Basically, your chances are slim.

 

[andrespi]

That means you have minimum requirements to be hired by an US company on a H1B visa.

The bad news is that you're not a coder, medical professional, or engineer, so your chance of somebody offering you a job is very low.

The process of hiring a foreign national is long and expensive. They will have to get a visa for you, which are limited per year and companies like google and Microsoft are hogging. That means the company will have to spend money in advance, prove that you have a unique skill that can't be found on the domestic market, and hope that they are granted a visa.

Basically, your chances are slim.

Click to shrink...

I see. I figured that it would be hard for my field. I might have probably to consider other options/countries, unless I get lucky with this year's diversity lottery.

 

[Lime]

Try another European country thanks to the Schengen freedom of movement. If you come to Scandinavia, you even are allowed free education and benefits due to EU laws!And everyone speaks English really well, so you don't have to worry about learning the language too much.

I honestly don't know why you would try your "luck" with the US when it obviously has some horrible aspects to it (healthcare, working conditions, huge wealth inequality, pollution, white supremacy, militaristic culture, outrageous lack of gun laws, mass shootings, a neo-fascist as president, an entire fascist political party, and on and on) when compared to other European countries.