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Ask HN: How can I move to USA?
I want to move to USA in the next years and I would like to know which steps I should take to do that.
Currently I'm self employed and I'm not looking for a job in the US. I'm from Italy and have no family if that makes any difference.
- osipov 17y agoMind if I ask why? US is in a serious decline and the future is looking pretty bleak both politically and economically.
- oscardelben 17y agoIt may sound bizarre but I want to move there because it's way more fun than living here and when I've visited before I've always found great people. Also I have some friends who live there and I would like to visit them more often. On a related note, here the situation is not better in terms of economy. EDIT: Also I can't see but more opportunities in the programming industry in the USA than any other country.
- slater 17y agohttp://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis has all the info you need. Specifically the Green Card section.
- oscardelben 17y agoThanks!
- markpercival 17y agoOh come on, is it really THAT bad? :) As much as I like pontificate on the doom and gloom of our current economy, there are PLENTY of opportunities left in the US for an educated worker.
- osipov 17y agoTrue, there are many opportunities but in my experience the trend is pointing to fewer opportunities, more competition and less money to be made even by the most talented. Here's an interesting post by Kent Beck who is finding that it is more difficult to make a living from his craft: http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/blog/?p=231 http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/blog/?p=231
- fauigerzigerk 17y agoNo, I don't think it's _that_ bad. Maybe a good comparison is with the UK circa 1920. The empire is in steep decline, other powers are on the rise. But during that time the UK was still one of the better places in the world, just not the center of it any longer.
- peridot2001 17y agoI second that. I am a business marketer and I have seen my clients increase paying for marketing campaigns during this recession, so some industries benefited from the recession.
- euroclydon 17y agoDid you read the post? He's coming from Italy!!!
- tokenadult 17y agoIt would establish context for your remark if I knew where you suggest someone who was born in the United States should go to avoid decline and a bleak future.
- jhancock 17y agoThe economic troubles in the U.S. are shared by most developed countries. If you look at national debt or large numbers involving the Treasury or Fed it looks like we stand alone. However, any country that holds or trades with USD is in it with us. Whatever happens to the USD will not cause irreparable harm to the U.S., its people, its natural resources. If you need context, go find a 100 year old American that is blessed with a clear mind. They can tell you of much tougher times. My grandmother is 99 and can recall with absolute clarity the U.S. of the 1920s, 30s, 40s. I write this post from my iMac, in a large warm house drinking a cup of good coffee.
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- ojbyrne 17y agoYou have to have around $500k in the bank. Otherwise you have to have a job to go to. Finally, and I suspect this might be a problem for the OP, for most visas you have to have a university degree.
- andr 17y agoYou have 3 options: 1) As an Italian citizen you can go to the US and stay there for up to 3 months at a time using the tourist visa waiver program. You are not allowed to work, but you are allowed to interview for a potential job. 2) If you get a job, it is now easy for a company to sponsor you for an H-1B working visa. It will last for 2 years, after which it can be renewed. 3) Other options, such as a Green Card, the EB-1 (Alien of Extraordinary Ability), and an Investor Visa (if you have more than $1 million to invest) exist, but don't apply to most people. I'd urge you to consider such a move carefully. It is a commonly exhibited bias to think everything will be better if you move to a new country, but there is hardly a correlation. For what you will gain by moving you will lose a lot of what you have in Italy.
- andrewcooke 17y agoalso, you can extend (1) to 6 months with a tourist visa. and i can confirm the last paragraph. it varies from person to person, obviously, but i have lived in a "foreign" country for around 10 years now, and it's still hard at times.
- georgecmu 17y agoA better choice would be Canada. For an educated professional with command of English or (even better if it's "and") French, it's very easy to become a permanent resident in Canada. 3 years later you'd be eligible for citizenship and ability to work and live in the United States (on a visa, but with very few restrictions). Otherwise, not having family in the States, you don't have many options, although not needing to work makes a few things easier. The easiest one is to enroll in an academic program. Another is to marry a US citizen. I believe Italians are still eligible for green card lottery, but you may want to double-check that. If you have 500K-1M lying around, you may invest them into a company and get a green card that way. Unless you're an Arab or a Jehova witness, you probably won't qualify for refugee status. Maybe being gay in Italy can help, but I don't have much info on that. Finally, you can get a job on an H1-B and apply for employment-based green card with your employer's cooperation.
- oscardelben 17y agoI don't have those money and I don't have a degree. However my mom was born in Canada although she doesn't have the citizenship, maybe that could help.
- gaius 17y agoA bachelor's degree will make things a bit easier, and a PhD a lot easier. But remember, you can move anywhere you want in the EU like, tomorrow, with no fuss whatsoever. Is the grass really greener on the other side of the Atlantic?
- fauigerzigerk 17y agoAssuming he speaks itialian and english the EU comprises the UK and Ireland for him. About the only two places in the world that are greater desaster zones than the US at the moment (well, apart from Spain and Greece maybe).
- gaius 17y agoWith only a little of the local language you can get by pretty well in Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt... Any city with a significant commercial/financial community. It is actually even more difficult to learn Dutch in Amsterdam because as soon as you open your mouth, they reply in English. Outside of the major cities yes you might find it difficult, but not insurmountably so. There are Italian-speakers in Switzerland too.
- nfnaaron 17y agoIt looks like http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html is step 1. Step 2 might be to visit the nearest US embassy or office. Step 3 is probably determined by steps 1 and 2. Step N might involve one or two visits to a specialist lawyer in your country or the US, for advice.
- Larry42 17y agoHi, I'm in a similar situation. I live in Europe and plan to move to the bay area after earning my bachelor degree here in Brussels. I know some of the implications of moving to America, but I am wondering if the following situation could make things easier for me. I have co-founded a non-profit organization (incorporated in NY) with my partner (who's living on a student visa himself at the moment). We also got our own web development & consultancy company (though not officially registered as a company yet), and I would like to work independently with my partner when I move to the bay area. Do you think the companies we have founded could provide us with a work visa?
- gaius 17y agoIf either organization employs 10 or more Americans, you could get a Green Card very easily with an EB-5 visa.
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- physcab 17y agoSergey Brin gave a few maybe-helpful links: http://too.blogspot.com/2009/10/journey-of-lifetime.html http://too.blogspot.com/2009/10/journey-of-lifetime.html
- elblanco 17y ago1) Come over on a student visa. Major restrictions, you have to go to school full-time and you can't work anywhere. But in the meantime you can apply for jobs at places that might sponsor an H1-B visa and/or greencard. 2) Apply for a job at places that might sponsor an H1-B visa and/or greencard. 3) Marry a U.S. Citizen.
- peridot2001 17y ago$750,000 is a lot. I have known people first hand to invest only $125,000 and get a long term business visa to US.