If you’re one of them looking to reach the American Dream, this article will help you start looking for the ideal job and how to get to the US.
Which documents do you need to work in the US legally?
Generally, to work legally in the United States, you need a work visa and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) (the link details the conditions for obtaining it). The EAD serves to prove your legal right to work in the US if you don’t have a permanent residence or a Green Card.
Tips and resources you can use to find a job
There are various ways you can start looking for jobs in the United States. Depending on your status, skills, desired job location, and sector, here are the tips you can take according to your needs.
Nonprofit support organizations
Several nonprofit organizations are working to support immigrants and help them find work in the United States. As is the nature of nonprofits, their scope is often limited to the state or city where they work, but this also means that their efforts are concentrated in the area, which may actually be an advantage since they know their local area well and what they’re talking about. Keep that in mind and be specific with the cities and states if you seek help from such organizations.
Government jobs
The United States government is also open to hiring immigrants. Through USA Jobs, you can search for job openings provided by the government. The jobs offered are from various fields, including highly specialized ones like computer science, civil engineering, and chemistry. USAJobs also arranges in-person job fairs, so keep your eyes peeled for those, and you might just find your dream employer!
Specialist and technical professions
US companies are open to hiring highly qualified specialists worldwide and sponsoring them to work in the United States. The visa program needed for such workers is the H-1B visa. These are some of the fields included under the H-1B visa program:
IT and computer scientistsHealthcare workers Financial analystsAcademics, such as university professors and lecturersScientific researchersEngineersSurgeonsDentistsArchitectsLawyersPhysiciansForeign law consultantsAnd many others
Those were just examples of jobs that are eligible to apply for an H-1B visa. If you have a specialist education and experience, especially if you have special skills that are in high demand, you may go ahead and start looking for employers who look for your expertise and are ready to sponsor you.
Temporary and seasonal workers
Some US businesses are also looking for temporary and seasonal workers in various fields. There’s the H-2A visa, with which temporary and seasonal workers in the agricultural sector may be sponsored and enter the United States. There’s also the H-2B visa, for temporary and seasonal workers in other sectors in which there is a deficit in American applicants.
Keep your eyes peeled
This is common-sense advice, but we should take care to mention it anyway. Browse the Internet for job opportunities: look on job portals, professional forums, professional social media like LinkedIn, and other resources. Online immigrant forums can also be very helpful, learn from the experiences of fellow immigrants and get to know their tips and hacks. Also, try to find in-person job fairs, those might offer advantages over online job portals, as person-to-person interactions may help you understand your future employers better. Such fairs also help you find fellow jobseekers and broaden your network. Broadening your network is generally a great idea especially when it comes to job searching: sometimes it is just not about what you know, but who you know!
