Work visa, either by being hired by an American company or being transferred from a UK branch to a US branch.
Marry an American
Diversity lottery for the 2025 season. UK usually isn't eligible but will be that time.
That doesn't seem to match the data they have.
https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-1b-employer-data-hub/h-1b-employer-data-hub-files
From 2023, the CSV file says that 38K had been initially approved, only 2K were initially denied.
Anyways, I'm not an expert in this, but isn't the H1B visa country-dependent to some degree? If you're Norwegian your odds of getting approved are a lot higher vs. if you're from India/China
Got it. Looks like the keyword here is registrations. That’s what they use for applications.
In that case it does sound rough. Oof. That figure for greencards.
Oh well. I can’t really sympathize much. If you get a H1B visa you’re already amongst the highest paid individuals in the world already, while a lot of Americans won’t make anywhere close to that in their lifetimes.
How hard is it actually to be hired by an American company, are they willing to sponsor?
Also, is it relatively easy to get a transfer if you already work for an American company in the UK? I’ve heard before that they would have to prove that they couldn’t find someone in the US to fulfill the role before being able to sponsor someone from abroad.
It depends - it's hard for a run of the mill recent grad with a BA or below, especially if you're going for a field without high need. If you have more experienced and education/training, especially in a sought-after field, you'll have an easier time being hired by a US company that's also willing to sponsor you.
Example: if you're CFO of a top tech company in the UK and want to move to a US tech company, you'll be batting them away (assuming the wage you're asking for is industry standard). It'll be SO easy.
Alternately, if you're a recent grad with a humanities degree and no work experience, you're going to struggle. It'll be very difficult.
There's a wide continuum in between. We can't say if it's easy or hard without knowing what you're working with.
Totally, that makes sense. I get the impression that it’s much easier for people working in tech/sciences and have met several people here in the UK who work in those industries who at some point lived in the US.
I’m currently trying to find out if a transfer to the US is possible (5 years in advertising, currently working for an American holding company).
Anecdotally, that's been my experience, too! Friends in STEM careers have had an easier time getting sponsorship than others. Alternately, if you work at a company with a US office, you may be able to get a transfer (the ideal situation).
Here’s part of a response I posted to a similar question about two weeks ago:
By far the easiest way to immigrate is to marry a US citizen. As long as it’s a legitimate marriage there are usually very few problems and it typically takes a year or two before you get your green card.
Otherwise the next best option is to get an H1B visa. You need to find a US employer willing to offer you a job and they have to apply for the visa for you. It has to be for an occupation that is in short supply in the US, typically IT. Even then there is a quota for H1B visas and it’s usually over-subscribed. This year the acceptance rate was about 25%. H1B visas are temporary work visas. They are for a period of 3 years but can be extended to 6 years. You have to remain employed by the sponsoring company during that time. If you lose your job you have 60 days to find a new employer willing to sponsor you. However, once you have a visa, you can apply for a green card. A green card allows you to live and work for whoever you want in the US forever, as long as you don’t commit any crimes. My green card took about 5 years. I am not sure what the wait time is now.
You can also get a temporary visa if you study in the US at a university. This is called an F1 visa and a lot of people go that route and then use that to adjust their status to a work visa, usually an EB2. That is also a difficult and long winded process.
If you work for a company that has offices in the UK and the US, you can get an L1 visa. This is an intra-company transfer. So you have to convince the company you work for to transfer you to America. This is usually for 1 to 3 years but can be extended for up to 7 years. Again once you have that visa you can apply for an adjustment of status to get a green card.
Finally, there is the green card diversity lottery that is held every year. There are no special qualifications to apply for this, although citizens of countries that have a lot of immigrants in other categories are prohibited from applying. It used to be the case that UK citizens could not apply but that changed a couple of years ago. The chances of getting one of these visas is really slim - about 1%, but you may as well apply as you have nothing to lose really. ~~apart from the application fee , which is about $330 I think.~~. Looks like there is no cost to apply.
There are other ways to immigrate to the US but I don’t think they would be relevant to you.
I have to ask a question though. Have you ever actually visited the US? Before you make plans for any of this, have you thought about taking an extended vacation here to see what it’s like? It’s not like on TV or the movies.
Thankyou for your response mate, I’ll have to go down the route of skill shortage I reckon, I work in IT and marketing myself but also have a trade.
I have visited the US, I stayed with friends in Baltimore/Calvert county for an extended period of time and loved it, it wasn’t touristy at all, I was just thrilled with the freedom and the amount of green space, nature and culture. There was also the weather side of it which as you can imagine is a massive pull for anyone from the UK🤣
Having lived in the US myself for many years as an immigrant I can guarantee you that it’s not easy at all.
Since your visa is linked to your employer many of those tend to abuse the power they have over you.
What about Canada ? It’s way more easier and you don’t need a job to move there. After my visa expired in the US after 4 years living there, Canada literally offered me a permanent residency. It’s really easy. 😄
Just a minor correction to this otherwise great reply: it doesn’t cost anything to participate in the diversity visa lottery. It’s free and any website trying to charge you is not the official one. So there is literally nothing to lose by applying.
That’s a bad comparison.
I had parents who bought a cheap house that is now worth $2M. It’s very central and on a huge lot.
But at the time it was a cheap house because it was far outside the city and regarded as a bad neighborhood.
It’s not the same house today.
I can’t even buy a house on $400k where I live
No one trusts English men. There was a lad who abandoned his American family to live his best life as a performer in bars in USA…. Marriage should NOT be encouraged for people who don’t have the emotional/mental capacity to want/have a relationship
J-1 intern/trainee visa. F-2 student visa. Use either as an opportunity to network, do internships, and find an employer who would be willing to sponsor you for the H-1B lottery. Being young is a huge advantage and offers quite a bit of flexibility.
It wasn’t for the US, but I’ve personally used student status as a way to “get my foot in the door” and graduate to more attractive visa types. Education in the US is expensive but there are community colleges that are much less expensive than traditional 4-years.
Google "how much does it cost to move from the UK to the USA" and you should see our article at the top. It outlines the *real* expected cost of making such a move so it should give you a good idea of how much you would need to budget.
We also have a blog that covers the process of immigration which you might find helpful. It covers the visa process, types of visas, requirements etc:
[https://www.shipit.co.uk/blog/how-to-immigrate-to-the-usa](https://www.shipit.co.uk/blog/how-to-immigrate-to-the-usa)
Either way, best of luck on your journey!
Once Trump gets elected, buy a condominium from Trump. Before you do that though I think you should seriously reconsider moving. Myself, I'm trying to figure out how to move to the UK from the US.
google 'us visas' and start from there. the webpage of the us embassy in london has visa information. find one you qualify for or can work towards qualifying for.
Work visa, either by being hired by an American company or being transferred from a UK branch to a US branch. Marry an American Diversity lottery for the 2025 season. UK usually isn't eligible but will be that time.
H1B has 700,000 applicants a year for 85,000 visas. Not easy.
That doesn't seem to match the data they have. https://www.uscis.gov/tools/reports-and-studies/h-1b-employer-data-hub/h-1b-employer-data-hub-files From 2023, the CSV file says that 38K had been initially approved, only 2K were initially denied. Anyways, I'm not an expert in this, but isn't the H1B visa country-dependent to some degree? If you're Norwegian your odds of getting approved are a lot higher vs. if you're from India/China
The number is close to 700k. Birth country is for Green Card. Wait for Indian is 25 years, most others get it in 3-5 years.
Got it. Looks like the keyword here is registrations. That’s what they use for applications. In that case it does sound rough. Oof. That figure for greencards. Oh well. I can’t really sympathize much. If you get a H1B visa you’re already amongst the highest paid individuals in the world already, while a lot of Americans won’t make anywhere close to that in their lifetimes.
How hard is it actually to be hired by an American company, are they willing to sponsor? Also, is it relatively easy to get a transfer if you already work for an American company in the UK? I’ve heard before that they would have to prove that they couldn’t find someone in the US to fulfill the role before being able to sponsor someone from abroad.
It depends - it's hard for a run of the mill recent grad with a BA or below, especially if you're going for a field without high need. If you have more experienced and education/training, especially in a sought-after field, you'll have an easier time being hired by a US company that's also willing to sponsor you. Example: if you're CFO of a top tech company in the UK and want to move to a US tech company, you'll be batting them away (assuming the wage you're asking for is industry standard). It'll be SO easy. Alternately, if you're a recent grad with a humanities degree and no work experience, you're going to struggle. It'll be very difficult. There's a wide continuum in between. We can't say if it's easy or hard without knowing what you're working with.
Totally, that makes sense. I get the impression that it’s much easier for people working in tech/sciences and have met several people here in the UK who work in those industries who at some point lived in the US. I’m currently trying to find out if a transfer to the US is possible (5 years in advertising, currently working for an American holding company).
Anecdotally, that's been my experience, too! Friends in STEM careers have had an easier time getting sponsorship than others. Alternately, if you work at a company with a US office, you may be able to get a transfer (the ideal situation).
Here’s part of a response I posted to a similar question about two weeks ago: By far the easiest way to immigrate is to marry a US citizen. As long as it’s a legitimate marriage there are usually very few problems and it typically takes a year or two before you get your green card. Otherwise the next best option is to get an H1B visa. You need to find a US employer willing to offer you a job and they have to apply for the visa for you. It has to be for an occupation that is in short supply in the US, typically IT. Even then there is a quota for H1B visas and it’s usually over-subscribed. This year the acceptance rate was about 25%. H1B visas are temporary work visas. They are for a period of 3 years but can be extended to 6 years. You have to remain employed by the sponsoring company during that time. If you lose your job you have 60 days to find a new employer willing to sponsor you. However, once you have a visa, you can apply for a green card. A green card allows you to live and work for whoever you want in the US forever, as long as you don’t commit any crimes. My green card took about 5 years. I am not sure what the wait time is now. You can also get a temporary visa if you study in the US at a university. This is called an F1 visa and a lot of people go that route and then use that to adjust their status to a work visa, usually an EB2. That is also a difficult and long winded process. If you work for a company that has offices in the UK and the US, you can get an L1 visa. This is an intra-company transfer. So you have to convince the company you work for to transfer you to America. This is usually for 1 to 3 years but can be extended for up to 7 years. Again once you have that visa you can apply for an adjustment of status to get a green card. Finally, there is the green card diversity lottery that is held every year. There are no special qualifications to apply for this, although citizens of countries that have a lot of immigrants in other categories are prohibited from applying. It used to be the case that UK citizens could not apply but that changed a couple of years ago. The chances of getting one of these visas is really slim - about 1%, but you may as well apply as you have nothing to lose really. ~~apart from the application fee , which is about $330 I think.~~. Looks like there is no cost to apply. There are other ways to immigrate to the US but I don’t think they would be relevant to you. I have to ask a question though. Have you ever actually visited the US? Before you make plans for any of this, have you thought about taking an extended vacation here to see what it’s like? It’s not like on TV or the movies.
wow great and thorough response
Thankyou for your response mate, I’ll have to go down the route of skill shortage I reckon, I work in IT and marketing myself but also have a trade. I have visited the US, I stayed with friends in Baltimore/Calvert county for an extended period of time and loved it, it wasn’t touristy at all, I was just thrilled with the freedom and the amount of green space, nature and culture. There was also the weather side of it which as you can imagine is a massive pull for anyone from the UK🤣
Having lived in the US myself for many years as an immigrant I can guarantee you that it’s not easy at all. Since your visa is linked to your employer many of those tend to abuse the power they have over you. What about Canada ? It’s way more easier and you don’t need a job to move there. After my visa expired in the US after 4 years living there, Canada literally offered me a permanent residency. It’s really easy. 😄
Canada looks so stunning it’s just a shame that they don’t have a place that has sunny weather all year around like SoCal…
Just a minor correction to this otherwise great reply: it doesn’t cost anything to participate in the diversity visa lottery. It’s free and any website trying to charge you is not the official one. So there is literally nothing to lose by applying.
Thanks! I edited my post.
Get a job at an international corporation, work there for a while and try and see if they’ll relocate you. Easiest to do if you’re a valuable asset
I would apply for a masters degree or PhD. And see if USA is what you would want while studying.
Bring $. A lot of it.
It’s expensive over here.
US looks pretty cheap from where I’m standing
I need like 400k to have the same quality of like my parents had on sub 65k (140 adj for inflation) in the 90s. Shits 🍌🍌🍌
That’s a bad comparison. I had parents who bought a cheap house that is now worth $2M. It’s very central and on a huge lot. But at the time it was a cheap house because it was far outside the city and regarded as a bad neighborhood. It’s not the same house today. I can’t even buy a house on $400k where I live
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What? Most of Western Europe, much of developed Asia, Canada.
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No one trusts English men. There was a lad who abandoned his American family to live his best life as a performer in bars in USA…. Marriage should NOT be encouraged for people who don’t have the emotional/mental capacity to want/have a relationship
J-1 intern/trainee visa. F-2 student visa. Use either as an opportunity to network, do internships, and find an employer who would be willing to sponsor you for the H-1B lottery. Being young is a huge advantage and offers quite a bit of flexibility. It wasn’t for the US, but I’ve personally used student status as a way to “get my foot in the door” and graduate to more attractive visa types. Education in the US is expensive but there are community colleges that are much less expensive than traditional 4-years.
23m - no options. 23f - well, well.
Time to break the scissors out 😳
Google "how much does it cost to move from the UK to the USA" and you should see our article at the top. It outlines the *real* expected cost of making such a move so it should give you a good idea of how much you would need to budget. We also have a blog that covers the process of immigration which you might find helpful. It covers the visa process, types of visas, requirements etc: [https://www.shipit.co.uk/blog/how-to-immigrate-to-the-usa](https://www.shipit.co.uk/blog/how-to-immigrate-to-the-usa) Either way, best of luck on your journey!
Best way is grad school or MBA then getting a job after.
Don't do it.
Once Trump gets elected, buy a condominium from Trump. Before you do that though I think you should seriously reconsider moving. Myself, I'm trying to figure out how to move to the UK from the US.
Wanna swap passports??? I’ve got a cosy little two bed and a cat
Don’t. Work culture. Safety. Not set up for expats. It seems glamorous but it’s not. An Aussie who’s lived in uk as well as USA.
google 'us visas' and start from there. the webpage of the us embassy in london has visa information. find one you qualify for or can work towards qualifying for.
But like why?
Ugh why?
Agreed
If you're only 23m from the UK you could just walk over there