UK / US working VISA Help

[deca300]

Hi guys,

 

Maybe I can start here with the first steps..

I am looking at getting work experience in the US or UK for a year or 2, I have heard its almost impossible for us as South Africans to do this, is this true?

I am in the IT industry.

 

Have any of you done this? Or doing this at the moment? Can you please point me into the right direction? Where do I start? How long does it take more or less? Any idea on cost?

 

Thanks guys

[Minion]

I went through the UK Tier 2 (General) visa process at the beginning of this year, so I can help you with that a bit.

 

The most fundamental requirement is that you will need to get a job offer before you can apply for the visa. Your company will then apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship for you. Once that is approved, you can then apply for the visa itself.

 

I found the CoS to be a major obstacle to the job search - it involves a fair amount of admin for a company to be registered as a sponsor and can cost £500-£1500, depending on the size of the company. Smaller companies weren't even willing to consider my applications, since they weren't willing to go through the admin. This generally leaves your only options as companies that are already registered as sponsors.

 

If your position is on the shortage occupation list, the company can apply for the CoS straight away, provided the salary is above a certain level (usually around £21,000 for entry-level workers and £29,000 for experienced workers).

For jobs that aren't on the list, the company needs to perform a labour market survey (basically, they must advertise the job for a month) to show why they must employ a foreigner, instead of a local. They must also pay you more than £20,500.

 

An alternative to the General category could be an intra-company transfer, though you'd then need to find a job at a company with a SA and UK presence and that is willing to transfer you.

 

Once you have the job offer and your employer has obtained a CoS, the visa application is relatively straightforward, though some potential obstacles are:

1. You may need to show that you've had at least £900 in cash in your bank accounts continuously for three months before the application.
   
2. You need to go for a TB test at an approved clinic. There are three: in Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban.
   
3. You need to apply in person for the visa. The application centres are in CT, JHB, Pretoria, Durban and PE.
   

The total cost for the process is about £560 + about R1000 for the TB X-ray and the visa is valid for three years. There is now also an option for a more expensive, five year visa at an extra cost.

 

Sponsorship applications are only submitted on the 5th of each month and mine took about 5 days to be approved. There is an annual limit of 20,000 CoSes per year (April to April), but I my application only went in in February and I didn't have any problems. My visa itself was processed in a week from when I submitted it.

 

Here's a link to an overview of the process, including lists of sponsors and shortage occupations:

https://www.gov.uk/tier-2-general/overview

[camelman]

Normal USA working visa (H1B) you can forget about. They are oversubscribed and unless the company you are applying for has some serious pull in the visa department it is not going to happen and on top of it, it takes months. What you could look for is companies offering internships/trainee programs. You will get paid peanuts, but you will be getting your foot in the door. From that visa you could then go and apply for a permanent work visa if the company wants you. My sister got an 18month visa, I think it was a J1 and got a job offer from the company she worked for. However she has already been waiting for 8 months for her H1B visa.

 

You can get some more info here: http://j1visa.state.gov/

 

Good luck on that

[deca300]

I went through the UK Tier 2 (General) visa process at the beginning of this year, so I can help you with that a bit.

 

The most fundamental requirement is that you will need to get a job offer before you can apply for the visa. Your company will then apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship for you. Once that is approved, you can then apply for the visa itself.

 

I found the CoS to be a major obstacle to the job search - it involves a fair amount of admin for a company to be registered as a sponsor and can cost £500-£1500, depending on the size of the company. Smaller companies weren't even willing to consider my applications, since they weren't willing to go through the admin. This generally leaves your only options as companies that are already registered as sponsors.

 

If your position is on the shortage occupation list, the company can apply for the CoS straight away, provided the salary is above a certain level (usually around £21,000 for entry-level workers and £29,000 for experienced workers).

For jobs that aren't on the list, the company needs to perform a labour market survey (basically, they must advertise the job for a month) to show why they must employ a foreigner, instead of a local. They must also pay you more than £20,500.

 

An alternative to the General category could be an intra-company transfer, though you'd then need to find a job at a company with a SA and UK presence and that is willing to transfer you.

 

Once you have the job offer and your employer has obtained a CoS, the visa application is relatively straightforward, though some potential obstacles are:

1. You may need to show that you've had at least £900 in cash in your bank accounts continuously for three months before the application.
    
   
2. You need to go for a TB test at an approved clinic. There are three: in Cape Town, Pretoria and Durban.
    
   
3. You need to apply in person for the visa. The application centres are in CT, JHB, Pretoria, Durban and PE.
   

The total cost for the process is about £560 + about R1000 for the TB X-ray and the visa is valid for three years. There is now also an option for a more expensive, five year visa at an extra cost.

 

Sponsorship applications are only submitted on the 5th of each month and mine took about 5 days to be approved. There is an annual limit of 20,000 CoSes per year (April to April), but I my application only went in in February and I didn't have any problems. My visa itself was processed in a week from when I submitted it.

 

Here's a link to an overview of the process, including lists of sponsors and shortage occupations:

https://www.gov.uk/t...eneral/overview

 

Hey Minion, thank you so much for this detailed explanation. Really appreciate it. Im am busy looking into all of this. Just trying to see if there are sponsor companies. Really Thanks again, now I know the way to go!