H1B working visa for IT Industry

[*rayman*]

Anyone work in I.T here? Know of any jobs going that will offer a H1B visa for employment?

My fiance and I would love to live in and experience the U.S for a couple of years, but finding employment is the biggest hurdle. We don't have enough money to holiday for that long.

Any help with pointing us in the right direction would be much appreciated. We're willing to look at relocating to many different areas, but somewhere in preferably in California or the East coast would be great.

I've got a decent skill set in I.T, and my partner works in child care.

Any help to companies that specialise in this sort of thing, or links for additional information would be greatly appreciated.

[out2kayak]

By IT, what specifically do you mean?

For instance: software (languages), databases, networking, etc.

Typically a bare minimum is a baccalaureate degree (prefer in computer science) and five years experience to get you an interview unless you are an intern.

Be aware that most folks I know in IT (I engage at all levels, to include network admins, software engineers, DBAs, etc.) work long hours. I was just talking to a guy today that put in 70+ hours two weeks ago and 50+ hours last week. I won't mention what I put in....

The US market is pretty tight at the moment in all sectors due to the great recession. A software company a few miles up the road just laid off 150 people yesterday and this is after already cutting this year.

Here in the US it is normal to receive two weeks vacation time with the accrual spread over the year. Accrual starts after six months.

Health care here is expensive. Currently the US Supreme Court is hearing litigation on Obama's health care overhaul. It may bring down prices in several years, but a lot will happen between now and then.

On both the east and west coast, fuel and other commodity prices are going up. They are still less than Europe and there is no VAT, but just something to think about.

The income tax system here is a bit different than Europe as well. Here, there are Federal taxes (http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneybui...rs-tax-rates/), state taxes (depends on where you live), county taxes (ex: http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/tax/ and http://individuals.marylandtaxes.com...x/localtax.asp) and local income taxes (http://taxes.about.com/od/statetaxes...ome-Taxes.htm). Yes, the tax man cometh.

There are other taxes as well (eg: sales taxes, FICA taxes and property taxes). As you move to the coasts the amount of gross taxes you will pay goes up.

For more information on FICA, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal...utions_Act_tax and http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answ...xable-earnings.

There are many positives that living in the US brings, but you need to be aware of both sides of the coin.

So, given that have you looked on monster.com, dice.com and the other job websites? Look for organizations that are H1B sponsors. These tend to be a bit of a small fish in a very big pond, but it does not hurt.

Have you setup your LinkedIn account? Are you an active participant on the forums where you have skill in (helping others and participating in the conversation)? It is a great way to network and build up a rapport.

As well, do you participate in your local technology users groups, such as INETA (http://www.ineta.org/)? Do you present? Activities such as this show a potential employer that you know your stuff, can be in the public face, and can communicate. Again, it will give you that edge over the next person. In the meetings I go to, employers will mention that they have an opportunity.

Something to think about is working for a transnational company that has offices in both Australia and in the US. If you work there and show that you are able to handle the job, you can work your way into an expat opportunity.

Something else to think about is getting involved with the Australian government, who do have people fielded around the globe.

I personally have done the above and have worked in Belgium, UK, and other places as a US citizen. I'm not saying that it's perfect, but it's what worked for me.