How to start a new life in the US as a European ?
Posted by Frank_Washington@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 67 comments
Hi everybody, I’m an 27yo male living in Greece my whole life. I have 3.5yrs of experience as a Software Development Engineer in Test and I’m truly interested into starting a new life in the US. I want to contribute in this country and live happily there, respecting the laws and following all the rules. The thing is that I don’t have any family members living in the States so it will be difficult for me to be hired while they could simply take an American citizen already for the role. Do you know any legal-immigrant-friendly companies who hires people abroad more easily than others ?
Thanks in advance!
Early-Afternoon124@reddit
Why would you want to? This place is a disaster right now, especially for immigrants
MizWhatsit@reddit
Are you Greek / English bilingual?
Perhaps look into a specialty language teaching school that does crash courses in various languages for executives.
FewRecognition1788@reddit
This is not a "friendly" time for any immigrant to try to make a life in the US, and unless you are very blonde and blue eyed, you would be exposing yourself to real physical danger.
Please wait until we (hopefully) are able to get rid of the thugs in charge and become reasonable members of the world community again.
thalaya@reddit
Dude, right now is not the time to immigrate to the United States.
Legal immigrants and even citizens are regularly being arrested, held without due process, and even deported unjustly. Citizens and immigrants alike have been murdered by ICE for protesting this treatment.
damutecebu@reddit
OP, I live in an area with a ton of H1B workers in the tech industry. None have been arrested, killed or harrassed by ICE. Don't get me wrong, what's going on is awful, but it's hardly widespread and doesn't directly impact the vast majority who are here legally.
thalaya@reddit
You have literally no way of knowing that NO HB1 workers have been arrested or harassed in your area. Just because you haven't personally heard accounts of it doesn't mean it's not happening.
damutecebu@reddit
It’s not happening.
Big-Profit-1612@reddit
Yep, same. I'm in Silicon Valley. Trump only has probably 9 months left of terrorizing immigrants before the House is flipped (Senate is also at risk). This is a good time to start making plans to come to America.
I work with a ton of H1Bs, as ICs and managers.
tyamar@reddit
My thoughts exactly. In fact I was joking with my roommate (TSA) that now that ICE is in our airport I can se them just hanging outside of the international arrivals terminal to have an easy shot at grabbing someone at random.
psychobetty303@reddit
Wait until the draft... then they’ll be there to prevent us from leaving.
Masqerade@reddit
Look at the banner of his account, he's a freak himself
Bootmacher@reddit
😆😂🤣
Useful_Humor_1152@reddit
This!!! Do not come to America!
rocky8u@reddit
Watch out for tech companies doing H1B programs. Sometimes they use them to exploit you by holding your visa over your head to work for cheap and extra hours.
halfscaliahalfbreyer@reddit
Yup, my husband was in this situation. Silicon Valley engineer making $40k a year. Completely unlivable for the area.
husky_whisperer@reddit
That’s barely livable anywhere
rocky8u@reddit
Oracle, for example, is shameless about it. They just laid off a ton of American employees and then filed for over 3000 H1B visas.
Bcatfan08@reddit
This. Anything Elon owned is notorious for this. I work for a company that loves to poach from Elon's companies because most of their employees are miserable. Overworked and underpaid. Most Americans working there are either stuck because they're underqualified for what they're doing and can't move laterally to another company or they're just waiting to get enough time in to put it on the resume to move on to an enjoyable job.
rwanders@reddit
Hard to get poached if you don't come over and put in the time working for a shifty company though.
StarWars_Viking@reddit
The real solid advice is:
Don't come to the USA. Other comments cover more detailed reasons not to as well.
ShipComprehensive543@reddit
No, the cost is significant for companies. Find an American to marry, that's your best bet.
MungoJennie@reddit
Even then, the process is long, complicated, and very expensive.
Throwaway_dinosaurs_@reddit
A lot of us Americans are leaving software dev. They're laying us off for "AI" (read: hiring foreign workers and exploring them for less money) and abusing H1B employees. Please be careful.
No_Resolution_9252@reddit
If you want to relocate permanently just on the merits of your skills, you are going to need to be top tier on EB1, 2 or 3. 2 or 3 would most likely be most relevant. 3.5 years experience is probably not enough, but it could be if you can demonstrate your skills somehow.
It would be easiest (and much less bureaucratic) to get in on a h1b visa then get married, but it doesn't mean you can't get sponsored for citizenship just from work.
ThatKaleidoscope3388@reddit
This isn’t a very good subreddit for learning what immigration pathways are open to you. Very few people know how their own country’s immigration system works since one generally doesn’t need to worry about it.
That being said, you have a few advantages: Greece has better lottery odds for a green card than say India, and tech companies do sponsor foreigners regularly. In the US, companies don’t need to prove an American couldn’t do the job like in Europe, it’s more that they have to pay extra to hire you.
3 YoE is tight. It will be harder for you to find a role. It would be better for you to try at 5 YoE.
There are downsides to being hired on a visa though. Companies tend to exploit visa hires and pay them far less unless they are exceptionally experienced. You may have to accept work at a less than ideal company for a few years, but that’s often the price of entry.
Obviously family and marriage are the two easiest ways into the country. America is very generous when it comes to immigration through those pathways.
Mysterious-Lab974@reddit
It's honestly a bad time to move here.
Big-Profit-1612@reddit
Things are bad here. But not that bad that you need to avoid America. Midterms are coming soon and we can hopefully course correct. I work in tech and a citizen. The Americans hating on you for taking their jobs are too incompetent to do your job. Come and welcome to America.
Tbh, many of my former managers were H1Bs and they made equal or more pay than me. And I make really, really good money. So, people saying H1Bs make shit pay aren't necessarily correct.
prowl_great_cain@reddit
Bro, you’re better off in other countries. Not even counting all the ICE stuff, we’re on the knife’s edge, economically speaking. Now’s not the time to give it a go in the US with 0 support systems.
john510runner@reddit
The shortest and most certain ways…
1) marry an American citizen or 2) train to be a nurse in Greece
Is there a specific place in America you’d like to start your new life in?
In any case I hope you find what you’re searching for.
SuperBajaBlast@reddit
You could always come and pick strawberries in central California
duabrs@reddit
I'll just trade you places. You're gonna love my kids. My wife? Not so much.
MentalChance4368@reddit
You are going to love your new boyfriend!
Bootmacher@reddit
Just living in Greece? What is your citizenship?
Frank_Washington@reddit (OP)
I’m born and raised in Greece 🇬🇷
onlyshoulderpain@reddit
You’re from Greece and want to move WHERE?!?! Are you mad?
Bootmacher@reddit
What are your assets?
We're cracking down on H1B visas. An employer would have to pay $100k to sponsor you. You also picked a bad field for immigration to the US, because it was dominated by Indian H1B holders, and tech jobs are the focus of the crackdown.
witchy12@reddit
Don't, this country sucks right now, both politically and economically.
p2dadecka@reddit
No it doesn’t lol.
WarmLeg7560@reddit
Economically still one of the best worldwide
Pretty-Biscotti-5256@reddit
We currently have a president who hates immigrants, despite that he is married to one, so now would not be a good time to come here. I love that you want to come here, but give us a few years and hopefully we can get this country back on track. It’s off the rails right now. Companies barely protect their legal citizens, so you’d have little employment guarantees or protection.
tombolo_1@reddit
Not sure about your question but just out of curiosity what specifically draws you to the US? If you just want out of Greece I’d imagine moving to somewhere else in the EU/EEA would be far easier than here.
p2dadecka@reddit
Easier yes? More opportunities very unlikely.
tinypicklefrog@reddit
DON'T.
Bootmacher@reddit
Lol. The solipsism.
Slow_Concern_672@reddit
You could try working for a multinational and then transferring. Software dev is shrinking a lot in the US because of ai. If you can get an in demand niche experience or cert it could help.
Pitiful_Fox5681@reddit
Higher education is a good pathway for you. Apply for master's degree programs. Generally that can get you in the door as an intern, and that opens doors for full time work later.
Good luck! Hope to meet you here soon! (And I won't complain if you offer me some spanikorizo!)
Clean_Broccoli810@reddit
I'm sad that you feel the need to say you're gonna follow all the rules and respect the law, like we're an authoritarian country... which yeah, those guardrails on our democracy are being put to the test right now.
lokland@reddit
Man it is tougher than ever to immigrate. But you’re in the right industry to do it at least. Get those credentials up and move to a company that could sponsor you. The second option is marrying an American. Otherwise you have a better chance of becoming the first Greek astronaut.
Civil_Dragonfruit_34@reddit
Not at all with the increase in h1b costs and massive layoffs.
Now if OP was a doctor or maybe a nurse...
blipsman@reddit
I’d wait a few years honestly…
Certain-Monitor5304@reddit
I suggest working remotely for a tech company for a year or so, just to see if it's a good fit.
Sparkykc124@reddit
The only way you’re going to work here legally is with an H1B visa, and there are currently mass layoffs in your field, so getting hired would be unlikely.
Now is not the time to immigrate to the US. Remember the austerity measures forced on Greece 20 years ago? That is coming to the US as soon as the GOP no longer controls the presidency. I am not a doomer, but the US is swiftly falling behind China in economic and technological supremacy, and I don’t see us digging out of the hole.
Bcatfan08@reddit
Best bet is find a global company that is already in Greece. Get a job there and apply for positions in the US after a couple years. Aerospace companies like GE and Boeing allow their employees to do this and they'll sponsor employees to move to the US. It just takes the right position and a lot of patience.
Froggirl26@reddit
Look up Interexchange, or Camp America. We hire international staff through these programs.
Not_Sure__Camacho@reddit
Look for a US remote job first, then see if that job will sponsor a relocation. Linkedin and indeed are a good place to start.
genericuser_12345@reddit
You need a sponsorship by an employer
frisky_husky@reddit
Unfortunately, now is a really difficult time to be:
a.) Trying to immigrate to the US through skilled-worker pathways; and
b.) Trying to get hired as a software engineer in the US.
The current administration has made it much, MUCH harder and more expensive for US companies to sponsor skilled immigrants. It has basically turned into a racket in which only the largest and wealthiest companies can afford to bring in the best people from wherever they want, while the vast majority of businesses cannot afford to. This is made worse by the fact that the job market is in a pretty bad place right now, as seems to be the case everywhere. Software engineering is in a generational hiring glut right now. My partner is in that field, and he's basically trapped in a secure job he hates right now because there is so little hiring going on, unless he wanted to go full evil and work for Palantir or something.
My honest advice is that I would focus on building your experience in Europe right now, and then perhaps consider coming to the US if/when things have stabilized a bit. I'm not sure when that's going to be.
BrumblebeeArt@reddit
I would advise going literally anywhere else in the developed world. I'm an American btw.
mcfrems@reddit
Unfortunately you’re not going to get a lot of nuanced answers here. I would try the software devs
halfscaliahalfbreyer@reddit
You could potentially try a path through grad school. How much in savings do you have roughly?
DismalNitchfish@reddit
You can legally work anywhere in Europe with much better work protections, healthcare and you won't have to deal with an actual fascist police force, (Italy and Hungary excluded). Why on earth would you come here?
MetroBS@reddit
Honestly most American tech companies are pretty good for this kind of stuff, so you’re in the right field for it
TheGrandAdmiralJohn@reddit
Yeah you just gotta find a way to market your skills and it will be a lot easier than most industries.
treymata@reddit
I would check out r/recuitinghell first, finding a job in tech right now is really tough. I wish you luck.
MeasurementGood1703@reddit
Software Devs are being laid off left and right because of the rise of AI. You couldn't have picked a worse industry to get into right now.
Lereas@reddit
Do you support the current US administration? There are a lot of Americans trying to LEAVE at this point, so if you're not interested in this administration representing you, you may want to consider another place. Immigrants are...not being treated well here right now.
RatonhnhaketonK@reddit
Why would you want to come here? Especially with ICE murdering, torturing, and arresting people and sticking them in prisons in deplorable conditions?