So keen yet so impossible!!!!!!!!!

[ursaminor1985]

Hi there,
I need plain answers and have been looking all over the net for them and this is the best place to come. Im sorry if this question has been asked a million times before but for my state of mind, id like to post my topic.

Basically i am soooooo keen to travel and work in the States (me and millions of others, i know). Is there such a thing as going there, finding/getting a place to stay and THEN looking for a job? Or can you really only apply for a work a visa if you apply, accept and are sponsered by an employer beforehand? Is that really only option? In my ideal world i would book a flight, stay with a friend and look for a job...given if i had the permission to do this, but is there any way that can be granted.

If i go over there on a holiday and decide i want to take on a job, can i then apply for a visa? Or is this a no-go? It wouldnt be to stay though, purely for a limited amount of time. Like i know a H-1/H-2 (i forget which one) grants you up to 3 years with the chance to prolong your stay. Can a H-1 visa be applied for in the US when you are staying for pleasure? (I have US citizen family in America, does this help?)

Probably lots of people have asked this, but i am so desperate to go to the States. I have looked into jobs and its so hard. The fact that they would first have to admit that they cant find a suitable US citizen to carry out the job makes it even harder nowadays. What is the easiest option for a girl like me?

Thanks for any advice and help. Im clinging to hope.....

Rebecca.

[amhilde]

Are you currently at university? There is the BUNAC program for summer paid work in the US with a special visa, though only applicable to university students.

[sb85]

If you have a degree, you can apply for a H1B visa. Do a search on the internet for some companies which will offer you a service for a small charge and provide you with available jobs.

If you don't have a degree, you can try for a seasonal or temporary job in the US on a H2B visa. But you can only take a job less than a year in duration and for which work is only needed on a temporary, seasonal or peak basis. An example would be working in a theme park, for instance. The visa is only valid for the duration of the job, but it can be extended should you find another job. However, extentions and reapplications are watched very closely by immigration. You can stay up to a maximum of 3 years.

For both of these options, you can apply either in the US or in your home country. However, if you want to apply IN the US, you are limited as to what visas you can enter on in the first place and then change while in the US. A visa waiver will NOT allow you to do this.

My personal opinion would say, go on vacation, go talk to some employers and see if there's a job available for you that you'd like to take, then go back to your home country and get all the visa details sorted out from there.