Seeking better IT job market. Where would I fit in?

[DKStuntz]

I am a US citizen who graduated last year from college with a Bachelor's (4-year) degree in Computer Science, and have many strengths in that area. Entry-level I.T. jobs appear to be scarce here in the USA, due to the outsourcing of many such jobs. Since my graduation last year, I have been searching for IT jobs, but have been unsuccessful due to the scarcity of such jobs and the heavy competition for them.

I would like to get a visa to work in a country where there's a demand for my skills and the competition isn't so fierce (whether that country be Canada, Australia, New Zealand, The UK, Ireland, or a mainland European country, etc.).

I think I'm a very suitable type of person for working abroad -- I like to travel, have a sense of adventure, and am not afraid to venture out; I'm not tied down (I'm single, have no children, and do not own a house. In other words, I can move easily), and I'm in good character and have a very clean police record.

However, when pursuing opportunities to work abroad, I have encoundered 3 barriers, as listed below:

1. My lack of extensive and recent professional work experience in I.T. (With the USA's tight I.T. job market in recent years, I haven't gotten a chance to build up much (I hope that there's a country that considers a college degree to be sufficient)

2. My Age. (For some work-abroad programs, I am too old to be eligible for a work visa. Yes, I've gotten a late start in life, and am now 39, but why would age be a problem? Sometimes the authorities seem to believe in youth-supremecy)

3. My Nationality. (I'm a democratic US citizen and have gotten the idea that Americans can't work abroad as easily as those from one of the commonwealth countries, such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the UK.).

I have been told that, despite the barriers mentioned above, there are many different ways that one can legally work abroad, and/or that there are ways to get around those barriers. However, when I contact the consulates of various countries, I encounter confusion and things remain unclear, as to whether or not there's any way I could get a work permit/visa with my background.

Now, to sum things up and get down to the main point, I'm wondering if it's possible to obtain a work permit/visa with my background (for any decent nation outside the USA). If so, I'd like to have a better sense of direction of where to look and how to pursue it. Any opinions, advice, or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[IR]

Hello DKStuntz,

The countries that give opportunities for immigration are divided into 2 types:

1) Those which give you a residence permit (it could be a permanent one or time limited) to legally live in them and the opportunity to search for job (Canada is the best example).

2) Those which strictly require that you will have a job offer in order to obtain a work permit and residence permit (Among those are European countries).

I am not mentioning the fact that if you marry a woman, who is a citizen of those countries your chances would look completely different.

Most of these countries use the credit points systems to scale the chances of the potential immigrants, based on their age, education, working experience, marital status and other factors. You have to pass a certain threshold in order to be entitled for residence permit.

The best source for you to get accurate and updated information is the formal immigration departments of the pertinent countries you wish to explore. Most of the counsultants aren't an alternative source to the reliable information posted in the websites of the immigration departments.

Your age can reduce your credit points, but can't stop you from getting the residence permit or work permit. A big adavntage would be if you get a job offer from an employer abroad. This will definitely ban away all the other barriers you mentioned.

Good luck!!

-IR

[marialear]

Good morning,

Have you thought about Ireland?

There is a program set up for people who are specialized in an area of the workforce that is particularily understaffed here (IT professionals, Dr, nurses, engineers...) called the Work Authorization scheme.

Basically, you get a job offer from a legit Irish employer, apply for a Work Authorization in your home country from the Irish consulate/embassy, pay your fee and you can come over. You need:

A completed application form.

A job offer from an Irish employer on company letterhead stating estimated start date, particular skills needed by them that you have, your passport # and some tax info from the prosposed employer.

2 passport photos and vaild passport for the length of work authorization (I advise that you have at least 6 months+ left on your passport after the expiration date of proposed work authorization just to be on the safe side)

Original copy of your qualification.

Fee (think it's about 100 Euro)

Some rules: To be considered for the Information Computer Technology route, you must have a minimun of a degree (to be an ICT Professional) or a diploma (to be an ICT Tech) from a recognized 3rd level institution, just having work experience or a qualification from Microsoft or IBM won't cut it. You can work up to 2 years on WA and have mobility within the Irish market & can change employers as long as you stay within the same sector of work (ie working as a IT professional in Dublin and moving to work as an IT professional in Cork.)

All will be revealed on the Dept of Enterprise, Trade and Employment website at www.entemp.ie. click on International Workers, then onto Fast-track Work Authorization and you can download an info packet there. I haven't heard of age or nationality being a problem with this route, I think it's basically the skills that are important here.

Good luck wherever you choose to go.

Regards,
Maria

[IR]

Hello,

No doubt or dispute about the facts that Maria provided. However, the employment situation in Ireland, especially in the IT sector is not good enough to bring overseas applicants, as the unemployment rate in this sector is high enough to occupy first the local citizens. Not to mention that Ireland is part of the EU, and as such it is obliged to give priority to EU citizens before others. A company has to prove it hasn't found a candidate throughout the entire EU member countries in order to be entitled to hire an overseas applicant.

I would try Canada as an option. I would also look in New Zealand even though I had a very bad experience with this country (An employer there misled me 2 years ago by breaching the working contract), yet the IT sector in NZ is constantly blooming, so I would give it a chance.

- IR