Moving to America

[Ben Kenobi]

Casper of Natrona Country in Wyoming State sounds good to me.

Anyone know anything about that place?

Really pretty in the summer. Passed through last year. I prefer Sheridan though, absolutely stunning.

[KrazyHorse]

I actually doubt that illegals account for much of the US IT workforce.

I never claimed they did. I only claimed that illegal IT workers existed.

I'm sure illegals exist in all countries in all occupations. The question is the ease with which you can do it. If you want a real job then they ARE going to ask for an SSN card and it WILL be checked.

[Theben]

Uhm, if below 0 weather bothers you that much it cuts a huge chunk of the U.S. out of your final destination requirements. As well as the entire Midwest. Winters can be very cold and summers very hot (not as bad as Singapore though). Think -20 at some point in the winter and 100 in the summer (Fahrenheit).

[FrostyBoy]

I know.. and I hate humidity, so Florida is out. What about Arizona or Utah?

[SlowwHand]

No. San Diego, California maybe. You don't like cold, you won't like Utah. Arizona has very little to offer. You can only go to Apache Indian souvenier tepees and be interested so many times.

Actually, you might like Austin, Texas.

[Dinner]

Does being skilled help?

If you have an advanced degree, yes. The reality is we've really clamped down on immigration which is dumb but it is the way it is.

[Lancer]

If this is a pleasant fantasy then its fine. If not Rufus is correct. Getting a green card and work visa are nearly impossible unless you marry an American, then its nearly impossible but just doable. I believe there is a list of needed professions such as nurse and that might make things easier if your profession is on the list, provided there is a current list. You could check with the USCIS, just search it.

...and have fun.

[Alexander I]

I know.. and I hate humidity, so Florida is out. What about Arizona or Utah?

Arizona is dry and super, super hot. Uncomfortably so. Utah is hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but it's a dry cold, with no humidity factor, so it's not as bad.

Having lived in both places, I find Utah's climate to be tolerable, and Arizona's not.

[Aeson]

Southern Utah is pretty warm most of the time. Gets cold at night, and snows once in a while at lower elevations, usually melting off the same day. Gets really hot in the summer. I lived near Zion National Park for a few months, during that time only one day had a high under 100F. It cools off a lot at night even on the hottest days.

You'd probably have to live in St. George or nearby for reliable high speed internet though.

[SlowwHand]

And work? Like there's a lot of it in southern to central Utah?

[KrazyHorse]

If this is a pleasant fantasy then its fine. If not Rufus is correct. Getting a green card and work visa are nearly impossible unless you marry an American, then its nearly impossible but just doable. I believe there is a list of needed professions such as nurse and that might make things easier if your profession is on the list, provided there is a current list. You could check with the USCIS, just search it.

...and have fun.

A PhD and an employer willing to put up the 20k to sponsor you will generally do it.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Does being skilled help?

Yes and no. Broadly, "skilled labor" is an work visa field. Unfortunately for you, these days "skilled labor" mostly means "Indian code jockeys" "Filipina nurses," not "dime-a-dozen graphic designers."

The big issue, though, is that you can't do it yourself. You have to find an employer who (1) is actually willing to engage in the hassle and expense of filing Department of Homeland Security paperwork on your behalf, and (2) is lucky enough to win one of the coveted, limited visa numbers in the annual visa lottery. And -- and this is a fun twist -- if you come to the US in the hopes of finding such an employer, and DHS even suspects you've come to job hunt instead of visit Disneyland, you'll be turned around at the border and taken of the Visa Waiver Program forever.

[Theben]

Northern Arizona is much cooler due to higher altitude and is quite beautiful. But not much else besides sight-seeing.

[FrostyBoy]

Yes and no. Broadly, "skilled labor" is an work visa field. Unfortunately for you, these days "skilled labor" mostly means "Indian code jockeys" "Filipina nurses," not "dime-a-dozen graphic designers."

The big issue, though, is that you can't do it yourself. You have to find an employer who (1) is actually willing to engage in the hassle and expense of filing Department of Homeland Security paperwork on your behalf, and (2) is lucky enough to win one of the coveted, limited visa numbers in the annual visa lottery. And -- and this is a fun twist -- if you come to the US in the hopes of finding such an employer, and DHS even suspects you've come to job hunt instead of visit Disneyland, you'll be turned around at the border and taken of the Visa Waiver Program forever.

Land of the free my ass.

[Asher]

Why were you pimping Singapore to me when you're hightailing it out of there?