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Didn’t read the article, I did read the thread. How do I get into the USA? The difference is too big, even when I give 20% to charity. Or any ideas how to be

Didn’t read the article, I did read the thread. How do I get into the USA? The difference is too big, even when I give 20% to charity. Or any ideas how to become well off in Europe? Tech feels so much more difficult than manager or other business roles (cognitively). I feel like I should switch if I can’t get into the USA.

DVassallo 8y ago
I grew up in Europe (Malta), now in Seattle. I think Dublin is the place to be for tech opportunities and competitive compensation. If you work for a US company you can transfer from the EU to the US with an L1B visa quite easily (it’s what I did) as long as the company you work for is okay with the transfer. The L1B expires after 5 years, but you can apply for permanent resident while on it.
- mettamage 8y ago
  Thanks for the strategy. I really appreciate it.
ed_balls 8y ago
> Or any ideas how to become well off in Europe? Start your own company. Work remotely for a US company. Or do both - the company doesn't have to be a startup.
nixgeek 8y ago
I grew up in Europe and now live in Seattle. I'd agree with @DVassallo about Dublin being a good jumping off point. Moving over to the US typically requires a corporate sponsor for L-1, and you must work 12+ months for them overseas before they can petition to transfer you to the US, or winning the H-1B lottery. I think the cost to relocate someone to the US is between $50-100k depending on what benefits they offer employees. Therefore you need to consider the companies motivation - why would they spend that money, and increase their payroll cost by having you in a more expensive market? You need to be a good investment for them. Additionally, I think it's _also_ worth noting that FB E7+ and the equivalent roles at AMZN and GOOG which pay $1MM+ are typically 1-3% of engineers in the company, and for every person making $1MM+ there are many making much less. Finally when you're a 'visa slave' (here on a corporate-sponsored visa which doesn't give you an option to quit and find another employer, the L-1 is an example of this) there's less motivation for the US entity to pay you extraordinary amounts of money. I don't mean to discourage you. I do think it's worth noting this is a hard road to travel. Some luck is involved too.

DVassallo 8y ago

I grew up in Europe (Malta), now in Seattle. I think Dublin is the place to be for tech opportunities and competitive compensation. If you work for a US company you can transfer from the EU to the US with an L1B visa quite easily (it’s what I did) as long as the company you work for is okay with the transfer. The L1B expires after 5 years, but you can apply for permanent resident while on it.

mettamage 8y ago
Thanks for the strategy. I really appreciate it.

ed_balls 8y ago

> Or any ideas how to become well off in Europe? Start your own company. Work remotely for a US company. Or do both - the company doesn't have to be a startup.

nixgeek 8y ago

I grew up in Europe and now live in Seattle. I'd agree with @DVassallo about Dublin being a good jumping off point. Moving over to the US typically requires a corporate sponsor for L-1, and you must work 12+ months for them overseas before they can petition to transfer you to the US, or winning the H-1B lottery. I think the cost to relocate someone to the US is between $50-100k depending on what benefits they offer employees. Therefore you need to consider the companies motivation - why would they spend that money, and increase their payroll cost by having you in a more expensive market? You need to be a good investment for them. Additionally, I think it's _also_ worth noting that FB E7+ and the equivalent roles at AMZN and GOOG which pay $1MM+ are typically 1-3% of engineers in the company, and for every person making $1MM+ there are many making much less. Finally when you're a 'visa slave' (here on a corporate-sponsored visa which doesn't give you an option to quit and find another employer, the L-1 is an example of this) there's less motivation for the US entity to pay you extraordinary amounts of money. I don't mean to discourage you. I do think it's worth noting this is a hard road to travel. Some luck is involved too.