Ask HN: Options for foreign hackers looking to work in the US?
Using a throwaway because I don't want the discussion to be centered around me personally (although my account is 1k+ days old)
I'm sure I'm not alone in being frustrated seeing all of these posts and discussions on how hot the job market is for software developers in the US.
Rather than suffer in silence, I figured we could have a real discussion about what the practical options are for those of us who are non-US citizens.
If the market is as crazy as everyone seems to be saying lately, why aren't more US startups looking to hire people from abroad?
Is it impossible for a startup to sponsor an employment visa?
For those of you who are not native US citizens but are currently working in the US, how did you get there?
What is a realistic way for a skilled software developer to come to the US?
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I know this process is not really cheap (+20k) for the company and surely not a walk in the park but would it be more appealing for the company if the job applicant would agree to pay all the expenses related? Possibly this way it will (I think) be treated as any other local applicant.
Are there any other road blocks beside the costs involved? How long would the process take (without the interview)?
- There are costs involved in the whole process, I usually hear 15K-20K (could be more)
- Committing ~20K upfront for an employee who you don't know much about involves risk. Hiring & firing becomes complicated and involves attorneys.
- Depending on what country the employee is in, there are different quotas for visas and they fill up very quickly. I know this is the case for India, not sure about other countries.
- Another potential problem I can think of is what percent of your workforce is non-US. I believe there are laws around that too.
All this being said, I have thought about this and a few of my founder friends. Most of the H1B hires I have seen is students who come to US for MS and get the visas. I don't know anyone who was hired from their native country and relocated to US. There might be some cases though.
Will just assume that getting the Visa won't be a problem. At least in my country not.
Hopefully will have the _pleasure_ to try the system soon.
Other than that, you have to look for a company that would hire you from overseas and sponsor an H-1B visa. The company has to prove that it couldn't find any qualified Americans to do the job.
This might be difficult, especially if a face-to-face interview is required, which it is in most cases. Then, to come for a face-to-face interview to the US, you legally must not have an intention to stay and work in the US, since you're coming as a "visitor/tourist". It's a Catch-22 situation.
Can you please link to an official document that states this? Because i thought the only relevant clause was not paying the Visa holder less than what an American would get. In other words, the Visa sponsor must pay market rates.
Edits: Sorry, bad connection.
The issue is that all the devs here have a great job market to pick from - and there are a ton of startups looking for technical folks who cant compete with BigCo for devs.
Further, there is so much energy (money, interest, thought, etc) flowing in the startup space right now. Get into/form a company here - build an MVP, get funding, sponsor your own visa or at least regular visits (trust me, the living costs are really high here).
I know I am looking to connect with people.
###Copyright 2009 Not-working-for-money-in-the-us