I am a huge fan of the US and I want to get a GC and live there. I know the different visa types (H1B, L1, EB2 etc). I am a Software Developer from Eastern Europe with 10+ years of experience with .NET. I have applied for positions at all the big companies (Apple, Facebook, Salesforce etc.) and many not so big ones but I had no luck so far. Not even one telephone or Skype interview. Is there anyone here who is from the EU and accomplished what I want to do? Any advice? Thanks! #workvisa #h1b #l1 #eb2
I have attempted this with staff from Europe. Your best bet is to attend graduate school in the US and then get a job afterward. It is sad, but companies never hire Europeans on H1B. Going to London as interim as the other poster suggested will not help your situation whatsoever. Basically you have India to blame. They have ruined H1B for people from other countries like yourself who want to come to the US. Best of luck to you.
What's wrong with the intra-company transferee (L1) option?
Nothing wrong with it, it’s just extremely rare. I have seen it done only twice for Europeans at past employers. What you don’t realize is that internally you need a company to justify bringing someone over on an inter company transfer. With an inter company transfer, the company needs to pay for your relocation as well as accommodate the tax liability you bear in your home and host countries. Europeans bear higher tax liability than Indians do companies are too cheap to do it.
You can try EPAM or Luxoft. They can trasfer you via L1 or H1B. They can start GC processing after 1 year in the US. Just be aware that your salary in the US will be significantly lower than average(like -30%). I had been working in T-Systems before I moved to EPAM. So feel free to ask me if you have any questions.
I am from Eastern Europe on H1B. Microsoft sponsored my H1B as a fresh grad. You can DM me for any questions.
Okay, so based on the comments so far, it seems to me that the L1 visa is more viable than the H1B. So, the next step will be to find companies that have .NET projects and also an office in the EU. Do you guys know of any such companies?
Pretty sure Microsoft has tons of .NET projects
Or just learn something different
Start with local international companies and maybe transfer with l1 visa to their US location?
FAANG companies were doing hiring events in Europe pre-Covid. I know 100% Amazon did it regularly and I think at least Google and Microsoft did as well. Your best bet would be to get to one of those events and get an offer from top-tier company. Most likely you will need more than one try. But I’m not sure how it happens right now with all the lockdowns and slow hiring. If you’re not hearing back from recruiters - rewrite your resume and look for referrals. Other option is already mentioned bodyshops like EPAM and Luxoft. It’s much easier to get an offer and they will help with relocation but you will be severely underpaid while you’re on visa. Also the project in bodyshops is hit or miss.
Amazon does these kind of events but they are recruiting for positions in Vancouver, where I don't want to go. There is nothing wrong with Canada but I want to go to the USA. No recruiter contacted me on Linkedin from Microsoft or Google and I never heard of such recruiting events in Europe. My resume can indeed be a problem. I tried to adapt it to look more what is expected in the US (I took off the picture and the personal data) but it may still be too European. Any advice (good book/paid service) on how to improve it? Do you know more 'bodyshops' just in case I have no luck with EPAM or Luxoft? And I don't mind being underpaid till I get a GC.
You need referrals, that could help a lot. Bodyshops should be easy to get in comparing to FAANG. You should check, who’s hiring in your country. I would guess GlobalLogic, may be some other Indian consulting companies.
I'd say the most sensible way is to get a job at an American company in Europe then get L1 to the US
Apply for FAANG in London, then move to US after a year on L1B.
There are lots of Belarusians in SSD and flash memory industry.
Don't bother applying for US offices directly, most don't sponsor H1B for fresh immigrants no more. It's not a viable way to get your foot there today. Killed by mass applications from Indian consultancies You best shot is to get hired somewhere in Europe - London especially is the biggest hub of presence of US companies in Europe - and then transfer on L1 in a year. EB2 is not gonna happen for overseas applicant unless you can self petition (EB2-NIW). Although there's a theoretical possibility to do it with job offer and consular processing, it's mostly theoretical in practice. FAANGs are not going to sponsor one for you until after you start working for them in the US. Consider also Canada - although pay is only like in western europe, immigration is much easier and you get passport in 3y. If you have some money you could also do MSc in the US for STEM OPT And learn something other than .Net, it's a dying ecosystem and not popular at FAANGs
Thanks for the answer! Just a quick follow up question on your .NET remark: I have been thinking about making a career change for a while and finding an entry level Data Scientist/Machine Learning Engineer position and it may have been naive but I did a few courses on Coursera in the topic. So, do you have any advice on how to go about it? Specific technologies that are most sought after?
Noone will take you seriously with just online courses. At least do an MSc as an entry to the field. Do it in the US and you should be able to work for 3 years there on STEM OPT. That's two birds (change of field + work visa) with one stone! With a good employer and your eastern European passport you should be able to get EB2 green card within these 3 years and stay in the country.