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ASK:how likely is it for a EU citizen to get a programing gig in the US?

2 points by JohnIdol ↗ HN
Let's say I am your average coder toying with the idea to move to the US. How likely am I to be considered for openings in the US and how do I maximize my chances? Are companies taking incentives from the government to hire locally?

4 comments

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michael_dorfman
Do you have a green card? Are you legally permitted to work in the US?

If the answer is "yes", then you shouldn't have any particular problems, supposing that your skills (including English language skills) are competitive-- "any particular problems" meaning "no problems related to your EU citizenship, just the usual problems that people have trying to find jobs in a difficult market."

If the answer is "no", then you're shit out of luck. There's absolutely no way you're going to get an offer without a green card, unless your skills are absolutely stellar-- and your question refers to you as "your average coder."

JohnIdol
If I had a green card I would not be asking. I am fluent in English and probably am not exactly average, but just wanted to get a feel for it. So no company is gonna bring you in and sponsor you for a green card unless you're one of those 'rockstar' developers, is that it? I am happy where I am now, but knowing there's places I cannot move to kinda sucks.
michael_dorfman
That's right, no one is going to sponsor you and bring you in unless you've got talent they can't get domestically.

On the bright side, there's a whole lot of countries where you can go and get work-- a lot more than there are for the average USA resident. I've heard the that there's quite the scene going on in Cambridge, for instance. And, at my last start-up, here in Norway, we hired from all over Europe.

JohnIdol
Yeah - I know the UK is quite active at the moment. I am in Ireland at the moment and it's not too bad either. It just doesn't feel good that one cannot move around freely in the civilized world. Canada for instance appears to be much easier to get into.