Ideas for How to Obtain a United States Work Visa
A Request Asking How to Obtain U.S. Work Visa
Dec 27, 2010
This Hub is in response to a request from new Hubber, jungsujan, who is from Nepal and currently working in Afghanistan who asked:
I am Nepalese im working here in Afghanistan with US ARMY for the security force i want to come US for the work live so can u give me an idea about it?
As I have stated in other Hubs regarding immigration and citizenship, I am not a lawyer and the laws and regulations surrounding immigration are both complex and change frequently. Therefore, the information in this Hub will consist of ideas and suggestions for starting the process and doing further research.
From your question it appears that you are only interested in working in the U.S. and not, at least at this time, looking to become a citizen.
Start by Talking to Your Current Employer
You state in your request that you are working with the US Army for the security force in Afghanistan.
My first question would be are you employed by the U.S. Government as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army or are you employed by a private firm that has a contract to do work for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan?
In other words who signs your paycheck - the U.S. Government or a private company?
The distinction may be important as your employer may be able to assist you in your efforts to work in the U.S.
If your employer is a private contractor contracting with the U.S. government it may also have plants or contracts in the U.S. where it would be willing to transfer you to and sponsor your for a work visa.
Similarly, if you are employed by the U.S. Army directly they might be willing to transfer you to an Army facility in the U.S. and sponsor you for a work visa.
Links to My Hubs on Immigration
- Ideas for Mexicans Desiring to Come to U.S. as Citizens
The citizenship process for Mexicans is the same as that for people from other nations desiring to immigrate to the United States and become a citizen. The only difference is that Mexico shares a border with... - How to Become a U S Citizen
There are three ways to become a citizen of the United States of America. The first two are automatic and occur when a person is born in the United States or is born abroad to American citizens traveling or... - Should You Apply For Citizenship if You Marry an American Citizen?
The simple answer to this question is that it depends upon the needs and desires of each individual in question. There can be both advantages and disadvantages to becoming an American citizen depending upon a... - How to Apply for Emigration to Ireland from India
The information in this hub is, to the best of my knowledge, true and accurate and, while the request was for information on how to emigrate from India to Ireland, the information provided here should work for... - Bringing Your Foreign Fiancee to the U S
October 13, 2006 So, in your travels abroad, or your recent foreign posting in the military, or while surfing the Internet, you have found the love of your life in a foreign country and are now ready to get...
There are Different Classes of Work Visas for the U.S.
There are some classes of U.S. entry and employment visas that require sponsorship by an employer who has need of your skills within the United States and wants to bring you to the United States to work for them.
If your employer, private or government, is not able or willing to provide you with work in the U.S. and/or sponsorship for a work visa, my next suggestion would be for you to talk to your co-workers especially American civilian and military co-workers, to see if can refer you to U.S. employers who either currently looking for employees with your skill set or who regularly hire people with your skill set.
You can then begin contacting them to look for work and sponsorship.
The United States Currently Has High Unemployment
I will warn you that employers in any nation generally seek foreign workers only when they are unable to or find it difficult fill the jobs with their own citizens. Traditionally, U.S. employers have sought foreign nationals or immigrants for either low paying labor intensive jobs for which few Americans are applying or highly skilled jobs for which there are not sufficient numbers of Americans with the skills.
Given the current high unemployment in the U.S. today, more Americans are available and willing to take the low end jobs. This has resulted in a drop in both the legal and illegal immigration of people looking for these jobs. This leaves highly skilled jobs as your best bet, but even here, the recession has caused employers to cut back on hiring in this area as well.
Links to My Job Search Hubs
- The Job of Getting a Job
In a previous Hub on Maintaining a Positive Attitude After Being Laid Off, I stressed the importance of working daily at marketing your skills to employers after being laid off. Despite the fact that you have... - Using Your Network to Help Find a Job
Networking is basically a combination of word of mouth advertising and information gathering. A network in this case is the people you know and who know you. This includes family, friends, current and former... - How to Find a Job in Ireland When You Don't Live There
In July of 2007 I responded to a request, in the request section of HubPages, asking for advice on how to go about emigrating from India to Ireland. At the time I wrote the article the world economy in...
Networking Can Be a Great Help in Your Job Search
Networking with co-workers in Afghanistan as well as with friends or relatives in the United States will be critical in your job search.
You will need a job in the U.S. to either obtain certain classes of work visas or to keep one of the other types of work visas and green card that don’t require employer sponsorship (see the link in the links section of this Hub for links to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service - USCIS - web page).
You might also want to look into and sign up with Linkedin.com and Facebook.com as part of your networking efforts.
Facebook is free (but keep your profile professional) and Linkedin has a free level that I have found works well.
Also, don’t forget HubPages as it is not only a place to make money writing articles but it is also a great source for information as well as a place to connect with others and network.
A Global Job Search Might Be the Best Way to Start
Finally, since you indicated in your request that you are just looking to work in the U.S. but not become a citizen I am assuming that your motivation is a better income and better career opportunities.
If this is the case I would recommend that, given the current world-wide economic downturn, that you expand your search world-wide in order to increase your chances of finding the work you want. We live in a global economy with hundreds of thousands of people, including thousands of Americans, working in nations other than their own.
You appear to speak English which is a plus as it has become the unofficial language of business. This should help you in applying for work in both the U.S. and other nations, especially English speaking nations such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom itself to name a few.
Global companies would probably offer your best opportunity for finding work in the near term and, with their world-wide operations, would also offer you the best chance of eventually working in the United States itself if you can’t find one here immediately.
Finally, the more high demand technical skills you have the better, so I encourage you to take every opportunity to expand these skills as they will not only provide you with higher pay but also more opportunities in the global economy.
Links to Immigration Resources on the Web
- USCIS Home Page
Homepage for United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) - H-1B visa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- http://www.usagcls.com/
The United States Green Card Lottery Service provides free information about the Green Card Lottery Program and assists individuals in preparing and submitting their greencard lottery applications.
Persist and Don't Give Up on Your Dream
While I can’t tell you specifically how to come to the United States and get a job immediately, I hope I have been able to give you some ideas for coming up with a plan to eventually realize whatever dream you had in mind when you made your request to me for this Hub.
It may take a while to realize that dream but I believe that anything is possible if one is willing to both work at achieving it and being flexible enough to try different approaches.
Good luck in your search and be sure to click on the links below for some of my other Hubs on immigration and job search topics.