I'm currently in California (been driving around the US) and am really enjoying it here.

So much so I'm considering moving here and getting a job.

I have an uncle who iss a US citizen and my grandmother was, but that doesn't qualify me to be sponsored for immigration.

Short of marrying an American girl for a green card (I want time to peruse the shelves first) does anyone know how I can get a job in California in a military industrial capacity? Who employs/how to apply and if I would get permanent residence from one?

Does anyone have any experience in this?

I've got a BEng in Manufacturing Engineering and & am a TA Lt having done Herrick 13, I'm 22 - just don't know where to start! Any help is appreciated.

Contact the state governor's office; they have regular immigration campaigns.

I can give you the answers, though you might not like them.

To live in the US as a foreigner, you need to be either a non-resident alien, or a lawful permanent resident. The difference being, the NRA lives in the US for a number of years (as determined by his visa) and then leaves. The LPR lives in the US without restriction. NRAs may (depending on visa class) apply for an Adjustment of Status (AOS) to LPR. You can apply for LPR from the outset, but it is much more difficult than an NRA visa.

Examples of NRA visa:

F-class - student.
H-class - professional persons (eg engineers, doctors etc)
L- class - intra-company transfers
K-class - marriage based

Examples of LPR categories:

Multinational managers, sporting excellence, researchers, academics
Family

Some NRA visas are very similar to the LPR categories. In my case, I was an L1A Multinational Manager, which is almost the same criteria for EB1(C), Multinational Manager. So after a while of L1A status, I was eligible for EB1(C) green card.

H-class seems to be the most appropriate class for you. However, they are numerically capped per year. There are so many "H1B"s that they open the window for application for the following year's quota in the preceding (IIRC) April. The quota fills within a week. So for one week a year, you can apply for an H1B visa, which would leverage your degree.

I take it an L-class visa is out of the park, as that would require working for a multinational (and at least 1 year out of the US), and at 22, that's probably unlikely.

You might make a student app as an F-class (maybe on a Master's program), and then AOS if you have appropriate grounds.

I won't go into K-class, as you would be committing visa fraud (unless you reverse your position as stated above).

You could join the US forces, but very unlikely as an officer.

So there you have it.

Best of luck, it's an awesome place to live, but not easy to earn the right to live here. There are three pieces of advice from me:

1. Get professional legal advice from an immigration lawyer in the US. This will be expensive (north of $10K, all said, most likely). Worth every penny. I have had no issues whatsoever, and my 1st year salary increase would have covered the $10K (if I had been paying it).

2. Once you apply, either stay out of, or in, the country. DO NOT TRY AND ENTER THE COUNTRY WITH A VISA APP IN PLAY. A buddy of mine fell foul of this; you will be denied entry (almost, but not quite as bad as deportation).

3. If it's all too difficult, try Canada. A beautiful place, almost the same as the US. I love visiting there (and no, I don't mean Medicine Hat; Montreal in the Spring is to be seen to be believed).

Some resources for you

British Expatriate Community : British Expat Community
USCIS Home Page
Green Card Application, Green Card Status, Check Green Card Status, Green Card Tracker

Best of luck, and one final piece of advice. Never, ever, lie or embellish the truth.

Edited to add: One more thing. This is my advice based on my understanding. I'm not a lawyer, if the laws or prevailing conditions have moved on since I did my stuff in the '05-'08 timeframe, you're on your Jack Jones.

I am a (US) lawyer but never was involved with immigration matters and clearly Roadster if more familiar with this sort of thing than I am. I do have a neighbor who is a major immigration lawyer in Boston and occasionally chat with him and from what he tells me all of his clients are major high tech firms who retain him to get visa's for their prime recruits. In the Boston area most are biotechnology/pharmaceutical scientists and electrical engineering firms.

It might be worth your while to see if any firms are interested in your skills but too be honest you may be too young to have developed the experience firms look for. By the way, apparently it helps if a company can say someone has a badly needed skill. I do know a couple of professionals who came here and stayed. The man across the street is Scots, a LSE grad, expert in finance, investments and computers. He came here to work for a big investment house but now works for a company that makes specialized software that is used by banks and brokers. Another is an Irish civil engineer but he had M.Eng in hydrology and was licensed in RoI, France and EU as a civil engineer.

Best of luck with this though. When us septics talk about immigration problems we are not complaining about people like you, more about those who come here with the career goal of being being the richest drug dealer or pimp in town.

Note: re Canada: Canada is fairly open to immigrants with professions. Know a young man who had no problem with them as a doctor, a medical specialist actually. His problem now is that he gets screwed on taxes unless he gives up his US citizenship.

Good luck to you!!

Originally Posted by Apocalypse_later

I'm Short of marrying an American girl for a green card (I want time to peruse the shelves first) does anyone know how I can get a job in California in a military industrial capacity? Who employs/how to apply and if I would get permanent residence from one?

I moved to California back in 2002 though I was sponsored by my company for an L-1 visa as I was transferring internally. I work for an international engineering firm, and we have a number of non-US citizen engineers (with US professional qualifications) who are not getting their visas renewed and being forced to return to their home countries.

With regard to working in the military industrial capacity, one of my projects is on site for a defence / space contractor, and apart from US citizens, only Green Card holders are allowed access to the site because of US government restrictions. You may therefore have to get the green card first, and then apply for a job in that field, unless you want to work for a UK firm who will transfer you.

California_Tanker I believe has a job in the field you are looking to enter, though he may have got it after getting his US citizenship.

Further to Roadster's comments, there is no limit on H-1B visas if you are teaching or doing research for a non-profit organization. The H-1B is only valid for up to 3 years, though, with an option of extending for another 3 if you're aiming for permanent residence (the much-vaunted Green Card). You have to find a company willing to go through the ballache of admin and pay about $3000-4000 for your visa. You can also expect to hand over about $2000-3000 in lawyer's fees too. And here's the real kicker- even though the visa is transferable from one job to another, if you lose your job for any reason you have until the day you come off the payroll to find another one. If you're still unemployed at that point, your visa becomes invalid, you become an illegal immigrant and people like Dogface will feel empowered to shoot you on sight. I don't know how you feel about living in the knowledge that you have to be prepared to pick up and move your entire life halfway across the world at two-weeks notice, but if you're going to do this, it's an idea you should get used to.

Also, without permanent resident status you're going to have a hard time getting things like a car loan or a mortgage.

Your best bet would be to apply for a graduate degree in a US University. Masters degrees are quite expensive and funding opportunities are limited. PhDs on the other hand- although more selective- do provide better funding opportunities. The general rule for looking at PhD programs is "If they don't pay you, don't go." I was fully funded for the duration of mine and while I didn't exactly life a life of luxury, I didn't go hungry. Once you're close to getting your diploma in hand, you can apply for a one-year Optional Practical Training placement. I believe if you work in the hard sciences this can actually be extended for another year. After that, you need to talk an employer into sponsoring you for an H-1B. You can intern at firms while you study, but this require a bit of paperwork on your part if you're going to be working outside the university.

Not so sure about the technical visa stuff since I came to the US 17 years ago and became a citizen by virtue of once being married to one...bitch...but let's save that for another day! What I can say is this; it is easy to be seduced by how similar we appear to be, but never loose sight of the fact that the US is a foreign country, and you are very different from them, particularly in regard to standards and values. What you have done may have some relevance to a few, but in job hunting, you may as well be from Mars. I had enourmous difficulty trying to explain the quality of my degree (Nottingham) and my commission (RMAS), and then still find it hard to comprehend how willingly your peers and bosses will shaft you for their own advantage. (I never worked as a civvy in the UK, so perhaps it is the same there, too). So, be aware of the cultural differences, but also be willing to leave the mole skins and brogues behind and assimilate a little. The US is a wonderful place, with amazing opportunities, and lots of quality women with great boobs. So keep the accent!! Good luck, Fear Naught!

RE:Relocating to the US
Hello, I'm Kenyan and I have a girlfriend who is a U.S. citizen. She wants me to go to the U.S for us to get married there and live together. How long will it take after my marriage was granted citizenship?

Originally Posted by Apocalypse_later

I'm currently in California (been driving around the US) and am really enjoying it here.

So much so I'm considering moving here and getting a job.

I have an uncle who iss a US citizen and my grandmother was, but that doesn't qualify me to be sponsored for immigration.

Short of marrying an American girl for a green card (I want time to peruse the shelves first) does anyone know how I can get a job in California in a military industrial capacity? Who employs/how to apply and if I would get permanent residence from one?

Does anyone have any experience in this?

I've got a BEng in Manufacturing Engineering and & am a TA Lt having done Herrick 13, I'm 22 - just don't know where to start! Any help is appreciated.

Four hundred and thirty eight vacancies for engineers were advertised in Perth in the last seven days. We've got more sunshine, better looking girls and better prospects than the septics can imagine. Forgot those losers and hit the big time in the state that could use Texas as a doormat.

Originally Posted by littlejim

Four hundred and thirty eight vacancies for engineers were advertised in Perth in the last seven days. We've got more sunshine, better looking girls and better prospects than the septics can imagine. Forgot those losers and hit the big time in the state that could use Texas as a doormat.

Don't forget Aborigne child hunting.