With the battered peso and our sickly economy, I'm seriously thinking of eventually finding a job in the States. It seems that the opportunites are there and not here. What do you think? Is it worth it? Should I? Times are definitly tough here, and from the looks of it, I think the place with a better future is anywhere but here.

I just wanna ask, what are the steps in applying for a job in the US? Any tips on how to get a nice job in the US?

my friend knows of an agency, or something that allows you to work in the states, but i think you need a US visa(im not sure what type) and 1 yr work expereice. ill email u her contact email if u want

joe black : Hi. I share your sentiments! That's why when an opportunity came and offered me a career in the states, I immediately got it. I'm still waiting for my H1 Visa though, hopefully, I'll receive it before the year's end and by the 1st quarter of next year, I'll leave this country. Unfortunately, I won't be able to continue my masteral studies at AITI, so I have to file an indefinite leave of absence.

joe black: my sentiments exactly, that's why i'm hear in the u.s doing just that (looking for a better job).

usually it's much easier for you to first come to the US on a tourist visa and have it adjusted to a an H1B visa... be careful in choosing your agency tho, some are bigtime daylight robbers... mga pinoy pa ang may-ari...

that's true! i think i unfortunately met some na nga eh!

my fellow ateneans,

lend me your ears. going to the US with the hope of finding a good job now a day is the dream of your compatriots - some 7M Filipinos [considering the only the upper 10% percent of the population - the rest will be dreaming about going to Saudi, Kuwait, Quatar, the Middle East and still others hope to see "Manila" someday in their life.

If your plan has been conceived only during the last several months, then you have to do a little bit more spade work. The world has suddenly changed since 911.

As early as now, call on the experts in the field of US Immigration. Avoid and I say avoid the hacksters and there will be many. Call on your co-atenean to lead you to the land flowing with milk and honey - and guys this is true - the bakeries here in North America will dump at the garbage bins tonnes of bread that were not sold during the day; farmers will dump milk on the streets and throw away butter and cheese if the Dairy Boards fail to set up fair prices for these commodities!

So sharpen your pencils and your minds. The place that you are dreaming about is serious matter. Perhaps, it is the place that the Ateneo has prepared you for.

Mga mahal kung kababayan,

Pagkatapos ng 911, eh naepektuhan ang takbo ng buhay dito sa tate...sa larangan ng trabaho, ekonomiya, pakikitungo sa kapwa( lalo na sa mga middle eastern looks), araw-araw na pamumuhay at iba pa. Kung kayo ay may balak pumarito at iniisip ninyung makahanap ng trabaho na katapat sa kursong kinuha ninyu, sa tingin ko ay mahihirapan kayo ng kunti unless na lang na kunektado sa Medical Field (eg. nurse, physical therapist, doctors/nursing asst etc..) ang major mo. Sabagay, sabi nga ang totoong Atenista ay flexible at gagawa ng ano mang paraan upang makamit landas sa kaunlaran. Kaya, ihanda ninyu ang sarili sa ano mang bagay, dito walang paki-alam ang tao kung sino ka man, ang importante legal ka( maraming din TNT na buhay-mayaman din dito), may hanap buhay. Mabibili mo ang gusto mong bilhin, makakain mo ang gusto mong kainin, magagawa mo ang gustong mong gawin (basta within the boudaries of the law). Huwag ka lang mamimili sa umpisa, at kung malakas ang loob mo at talented ka, gumawa ka ng gimmick (legal lang) at ikaw ay uunlad. Ngayun kung may mag-sponsor ng trabaho sa iyo dito...solve na kalahati ng problema mo. Ang pinakamadali eh, sabihin mo sa citizen/immigrant na bf/gf mo na pakasal na kayo o kaya, hanap ka na lang ng citizen na bf/gf na mamahalin ka at matutuhang mahalin din sa parti mo. Warning : kunting ingat sa mga agencies...maraming manloloko, ang sama nito karamihan eh pinoy pa ang may-ari. Ngiti at Lakas ng Loob lang yan.

Hi people,

if you're at least permanent legal resident in the U.S. and can't find a job despite your degree and end up working at a Walmart or Albertson's, try considering joining the U.S. armed forces --- it's a good way to get a career because of the training and the college bonuses they give trust me on this!!!

If it's possible, can you drop a few names of agencies which are not to be trusted for work visa applications? thanks.

what are the steps in getting a job in the US now? I still havent applied for a US visa of any kind. Any tips?

My husband and I first applied for a tourist Visa 6 years ago. A Visa that lasted for a year. We first checked whether if we do have a good future here or will it rather be better for us to go back, stay and look for a job in Manila (since we were fresh graduates) After landing a decent and good paying job, it was our boss that extended the Visa for us to stay a couple of more months. A few years later, we finally got the chance to apply for a greencard.
Try to apply for a tourist Visa like we did.
Here's a tip: mas madadalian kayong mabibigyan ng Visa kung mapapatunayan nyo sa Embassy na may willing mag-back up sa inyo dito for housing and other expenses.
If that didn't work, magpa-petition na lang kayo sa relative nyo. Sa ngayon, after 6 months pa lang nagbibigay na ng notice ang government na approved na ang petition. Hindi na nila pinatatagal like before. It's all worth it. It is true na naghigpit sila and mejo naghirap dito after the 9/11 tragedy, pero I assure you na hindi kayo mahihirapan makahanap ng trabaho.
Mas gusto nila ang Filipino as employee kase mas branded tayo as masisipag which is true

[ April 09, 2003: Message edited by: Mellisa ]

I understand the "anywhere but here" sentiment, but I don't understand why a lot of people limit their options to the United States, especially when the United States has arguably the toughest employment and/or residency requirements.

Maybe you can let other Atenista.Netters know what opportunities (grad education, career, immigration, etc.) there are in other countries besides the US. From what I know, one of the reasons why the US is a popular destination is bec. many Ateneans pursue grad studies in US and thus look for work there first while maximizing their OPT visa. There's also been a lot of promotion on the part of US-educated alumni who hold info sessions in Manila over the winter and summer.

Perhaps it is understandable for those who pursued post grad education in the US to look for work opportunities there. My response was addressed more to those who are basically just generally looking for overseas work opportunities, yet tend to limit their sights to the US.

I have a friend in Cali who's been there for probably over two years now yet couldn't find a company to sponsor his work visa. By his account, it is incredibly difficult to get a work visa (H1B) these days. He's the typical Filipino who went there with a tourist visa hoping to get some company to sponsor him. Now, he can't even get out of the US anymore, fearing that his visa will be revoked (because he overstayed) and will never be able to return.

Now, I'm not really familiar with work and immigration issues in other countries, but anecdotal evidence would suggest that it is so much easier to get into Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, just to give you some examples. With regards to way of life and lifestyle naman, Vancouver (Canada) and Melbourne (Australia) consistently top surveys as the most liveable cities in the world.

Closer to home, there's Hong Kong and Singapore (pre-SARS) where residency requirements are, I'd suspect, more lenient than the US.

Point ko lang, for most Filipinos, the "anywhere but here" mentality seems to be synonymous to "I desperately want to work and live in the US". That is limiting your options, and with the way the US economy is running and America's general attitude towards migrants, can lead to many disappointments.

This is a good time to talk about US immigration policy and how it relates to the Atenean context. As per my discussion with an immigration lawyer, there are 3 general ways to attain a long term residential/employment status in the US: First Through family relations - ex. petitioned by a relative, spouse, etc. Second Corporate sponsorship - ex. H1 visa. Note that obtaining an H1 visa is a very complicated process for the hiring company. Even in good times, it still has to justify to the INS why it will hire a foreigner instead of a local. Third Having a technical skill considered "preferred" by the USINS - ex. teaching, MD, nursing, programmer, etc. Number of visas in the second and third categories are determined by an annual quota. There are also other very specific instances where one might earn LT status such as having a Phd in fields that are critical to national interest (ex. nerve gas research, bio weapons, etc.) but by their very nature, these are rare.

Ateneans typically fit in the second category w/ a few mainly CS, MIS and CE grads making it to the third. This was fueled by the booming years of the 1990s when i-banks and consulting firms - companies that usually sponsor H1s - recruited heavily from grad schools. Nowadays when these firms are laying off by the thousands, company-sponsored work visas have been difficult to come by. Ateneans have been hit very hard bec. many of them do not fit into the third category - many aspire for non-skilled managerial jobs in marketing, finance, and general management where there is an abundance of local skills in the US.

How do immigration policies compare w/ that of other countries? I have not spoken to any non-US immigration lawyer yet so I can't say for sure. But friends who live in other countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand say that at least in principle, the policies are similar to the US. The difference is that these other countries have a higher quota for the third category - technical skills deemed as "preferred". People who do not have these skills will find it more difficult to get sponsored. Singapore and HK, on the other hand, are more known for issuing short-term work permits for expats. Again, I'm just basing this on feedback from non-lawyers and as many already know, immigration policies change constantly (back in the 60s, a college degree would have been enough to get a green card).

The biggest take-away from this is that in general, it doesn't pay for somebody to just pack his bags and head for distant shores. This may have worked for some people, but supply and demand brought about by changing times will make this method difficult for most others. Come prepared with a battle plan - ex. grad degree, technical training, etc. - that will give more options and flexibility and perhaps less disappointment.

[ April 27, 2003: Message edited by: reyesaa ]

Just to add to that, and this is solely based on my experience here in Australia, compared to the US, Australia has a lesser number of "soft-skilled" workers (eg. Marketing, Finance, HR, General Management), which in a way explains the higher quota. Put bluntly, tertiary - and post-graduate - education is not such a big deal for Australians as it is for Americans. So while you may find it difficult to get residency in the US even after finishing your MBA from a top B school, an Australian MBA is likely to be enough to guarantee a residency based on the independent skilled migration criteria (assuming you can't get through family or work sponsorship). If you want to know more about Australian immigration, there are lots of information available in the Australian Department of Immigration website. To give you an idea of some occupations that may be qualified for migration, here's a link.



Exactly my point. One other way that you can also consider, and I have suggested this to some friends already, is to apply for independent skilled migration to a country of your choice (I suggest one that does not have as stringent a requirement as the US - application for skilled migration to the US more often than not leads to disappointment), and just continue with your job in the Philippines while you wait for your papers to be approved. For a country like Australia, for as long as you qualify using its points assessment criteria (more info on this can be found in the Australian Department of Immigration website), it's just a matter of time before you get your approved papers. The benefit of a skilled migrant over that of a company-sponsored one is you have more employment flexibility and are not bound to the company that sponsors you.

just an aside and I know it's pretty irrelevant right now but during the time the Bases were still around, Filipinos got their greencards by getting recruited into the US armed forces. Now in time of war, it is good to note that there is an INS rule that if you are somehow able to enlist into the armed forces, and serve in war, you need not even have a greencard to acquire citizenship. the problem being how in the world do you enlist in the US armed forces without first being a permanent resident.

I think this is the reason why the Pinoys featured in the Fil-Am papers who have acquired citizenship after serving (and being injured/killed in battle) in Iraq were already permanent residents upon enlisting. Their service made their citizenship application move faster.

Unless there is a special BICS (formerly INS) provision that covers Filipino applicants, recruitment of foreigners into the US armed forces is dependent upon demand just as it is with the corporate world. If there is a need for certain skills that cannot be filled by US manpower (ex. marine engineer, etc.), then they will recruit foreigners. During the Cold War, there was a very high demand for military manpower at all levels, including enlisted men, so it was easier to get in the military.

The only other military unit I know that recruits foreign combat personnel and gives them citizenship very quickly is the French Foreign Legion. Because of tradition, they continue to recruit actively around the world.

hi! what's INS and BICS? thanks! hmm... this thread sorta gave me the idea that why migrate in the US when i can also do so in Australia.. well, far fetched lang..
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