ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area uk spark considering moving over

Not to forget: Check with the US Embassy!

The UK will not issue me a work visa unless I have secured employment while outside the UK. I believe we return the favor.... you'ld have to get hired first ... leave the US... apply for visa ... then return to work.

I don't think you'ld have this problem if you went to Canada.

As someone who has done what you are thinking I can pass on my experience.

I served a 4 year apprenticeship, with 5 years college parallel. I was 5 years out of my apprenticeship when I left the UK. I saved money and got a tourist visa which allowed me to stay 6 months. When I got here I started looking for jobs and finally got my current job. Before I got it though, I had to go through immigration to change my visa. Do not over stay your welcome like I did, I got an official certificate from the US Immigration, but was told I had to go to the US Embassy in London to change my status. When I got there they refused my visa saying I had been working. Luckily I had bank statements showing I had money transferred over by my parents from my UK account. My company was my sponsor and I got a 3 year working visa. We had to prove there was no-one in the area to do my job, which my boss had interviewed and advertised the position. My qualifications translated over here to 3 years of a degree and then 3 years work experience amounted to 1 year of a degree. After 2 years of working I applied for my Green Card. The company had to advertise my Job again and go through the same procedure of showing nobody in the area could do my job. I am still on my Green Card and have worked here for 10 years. The pay scale cannot be compared to the UK easily as it does differ greatly from area to area.

Good Luck on your adventure.

I know this is a sensitive issue, but feel someone should explain, without rancour, that Trades Unions in the UK cannot be equated in any way with the 'union' in the US. UK Unions do no more than negotiate terms of employment for their members, [ ie. the employees ], with the management or owners' of companies, on subjects such as pay, pensions, redundancy situations, manning, retraining, local or national disputes, safety etc.; and they also are committed to educational courses and sponsorships to universities. It is illegal for them to take any action [ on strikes or stoppages ] without secret balloting of their members and gaining a majority mandate for specific actions.

It is also illegal to discriminate between union-members and non-members in any organisation, which is why schuby19 questioned whether it was a 'big issue' in the US .

UK unions do not organise labor; if you want a job, you find it yourself. The UK unions were at one time, historically, closely allied with the Labour Party, [ ie. Tony Blair's party ]. This is also less of an issue now, some unions support Liberals others the Conservatives, with donations, which by the way are open and tranparent to all. All part of how the Brits fund their democratic parties- nothing sinister. I wouldn't say the UK unions are dead- just more sensible and realistic as to the economic realities of the global economy!

Alan

Thanks for the info, Alan!

I did not mean to get anyone upset by referring to trade unions. It was simply my experience as a union member (once) was quite an education for me; my little local had all sorts of agreements with trade unions in every corner of the world.

Had someone appeared at Union Hall with papers from their "allied" association back in Mongolia (or wherever), chances are the local would find some way to accomodate them as a "guest" member. This is somewhat different from the welcome an aspiring new apprentice recieves, BTW.

Politics aside, those who 'know the secret handshake' have a resource available to them that 'outsiders' do not.

One of the biggest hurdles to employment (for a non-citizen) can be the need to find a job before they come across the pond. I may be mistaken, but I believe a trade union is legally able to 'sponsor' someone, just as an employer can.

Not that I'm a shill for any union; I am not a union contractor ... and I bet I could find a way to put a Brit to work ... assuming he had the proper visa!

And that visa process can be another load of redtape.

I had to wait ages while the Neb. Dept. of Labor went through all the formalities, checking that local advertising had failed to secure suitable applicants, etc. Then another wait that went to the INS in Washington and then on to the U.S. Embassy in London.

My application was to go straight for permanent residency (the "Green Card") though, so an initial work visa might be simpler. Then again, my application was about 11 years ago, so it may all be different by now anyway.