NicoGermany

7 minutes ago, Boiler said:

L is used by Foreign Companies to set up US operations. Everybody has to start somewhere.

So would my way work?

3 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I have family members who were offered a move to the US on a L, so definitely a thing, I have also met people who came over to the US originally on a L and were then sponsored in an EB category.

Yeah, that this path exists is known; we had discussed it here in the thread.
What I meant is that I set up a US branch company based on my German company and transfer via L-1 to that US company and then file for EB.

One thing that just came to mind:
I have founded a company in Germany with someone else. It is apparent that it should develop well economically in the next few years.

Would it be possible as a German to open a branch company in the US and then transfer there with a L-1A or maybe O-1 visa?
Would it also be possible to apply for EB-1C green card?

And just assuming, which I hope won't be the case, that the company would go bankrupt and I would have an EB-1C visa, could I then start working in another company as a normal employee without any problems?

12 hours ago, appleblossom said:

I don't know if you have an advantage over a USC, you are still going to cost them a lot more (lawyer fees for my employer to apply for visas and green card for my family were $20k+) and they'll have to wait longer for you to be able to start the job. So I'd say even with a masters it's an uphill struggle, unless you have specialist skills to go along with it. But it certainly would help and make you stand out if other applicants don't have a masters.

 

I'm afraid I don't know about the prestige of the college. I had no desire to move to the US so didn't do my MBA for that, I did it to progress my career as I'd reached a ceiling and couldn't go any higher without one. I just did the MBA that worked for me and didn't think about how it would be considered in the US job market.

 

And yes, LinkedIn, but note that I do also have two decades of fairly specialist experience to go along with the MBA. 

Thank you. All your messages have opened my eyes. Even if degree doesn't matter that much in computer science or software engineering compared to other professions. But I have done a lot of research in the meantime, and I definitely see what you're getting at: You have a greater advantage over other applicants with the same work experience, but most lack it in academics, so in this case, I would probably be favored as having higher academic credentials. As you said, "Consider it a long-term plan" - and that hits the nail on the head.

So thank you! It was actually a life lesson for me.

33 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

Everybody will have a bachelors degree so by having a masters it might just give you the edge over USC’s that don’t need sponsorship and can start immediately. 

So you have an advantage over US citizens in this respect as a European?

34 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

Directly from the US. Mine is an MBA with a specialism in my career area, the approaches from headhunters from the US certainly increased once I had it.

How important is the content of studies and the prestige of the college? Or is it primarily about having a master's degree in the end?

37 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

the approaches from headhunters from the US

How did headhunters from US reach out to you? LinkedIn, etc.?

7 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

As I said above, the main advantage isn’t visa related but is that you’ll be more likely to find a sponsoring employer if you have a masters. 

 

My degree is from the UK, my masters from Norway. Both were accepted as US equivalents. 

Were you hired directly by a US company or were you transferred from a UK office to the US as an example?

And would you say that the content of the master's degree matters at all, because most masters in computer science that I have seen so far also have many introductory classes for instance, Big Data, AI, etc.
I also looked specifically at how others feel about the Master's in computer science and most also say that they can take away some relevant knowledge from 2-3 classes.

On 8/21/2023 at 6:17 AM, Mike E said:

a U.S. masters degree is the next best route.

Do you mean going to the U.S. right after my bachelor's to do my master's there? So that I'm in the US with a student visa.

Just to be more specific, if I understand this correctly - here are my thoughts as I understand it so far:
To qualify for the EB-2 sub-category "Advanced Degree", one needs to have EITHER a higher degree (Master's, PhD, etc.) OR a Bachelor's degree plus at least 5 years of progressive post-bachelor's work experience in the respective field, for instance, Software Engineer after a Computer Science Bachelor's degree.
Because the 5 years of work experience is equivalent to a higher degree(Master's).

For the other EB-2 sub-category Exceptional Ability then the 10 years of full-time work experience applies?

If this is correct, where is the advantage of the Master's degree in relation to the visa (except for the career prospects)?

How does the recognition of the degree work, can one assume that an accredited Bachelor of Science from a university is always considered as US equivalent? Related to the visa.

3 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Yes. Also sometimes EB-3 has a shorter wait time. Until 2023, some people were doing EB-2 to EB-3 downgrades.

Ok, thank!!

I have one last question: how long is the waiting time between EB-2 and EB-3 on average? Is it usually only a few months? So EB-3 only takes a few months longer on average?

Just saw this statistic. According to this statistic, the difference was not too big in August 2023. 

I'm just trying to figure out if it makes sense and makes a difference to do a master's just to get into EB-2 or if it makes little difference in the end.

https://www.immigrationhelp.org/news/visa-bulletin

16 minutes ago, Mike E said:

As noted there are  higher qualifications   for EB-2

An EB visa is a single entry immigration visa. Once one enters the US on any type of immigration visa, one becomes a lawful permanent resident (LPR). If one pays a separate immigrant fee, one will get a green card after entering the U.S. on the immigration visa.

 

Until the green card is in hand, the stamped visa acts as a temporary green card for one year.

 

A green card and a stamped visa are called I-551s. An I-551 is evidence of LPR status.

 

EB-1, EB-2, EB-3 lead to 10 year GCs.

 

EB-5 leads to 2 year GCs, and the so called LPR status requires a removal of conditions.

 

Thank you you make many things much clearer to me!

But I still don't really understand the difference between EB-2 and EB-3. 
As you said, for EB-2 you need a higher qualification with a shorter waiting period. Those are the only difference?

And how much is the difference in waiting time between EB-2 and EB-3?
Because as I have seen, it also depends on the country of origin, so it takes a long time in India, for instance.

1 minute ago, Mike E said:

Right now yes. See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2023/visa-bulletin-for-september-2023.html

 

Your category is Employment based 3rd aka EB-3. This category was current for years, and in 2023 it retrogressed.

 

There is faint hope it will be current in October 2023.

 

With a master’s degree, EB-2 opens up to you.  Shorter wait. 

So the main difference between EB-2 and EB-3 is essentially the wait time, right? 

And the EB visas are the visas that are called green cards in day-to-day life, right?

27 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Given there is no master’s degree ….

 

Find a job with company that has operations in the U.S.  

 

Apply to transfer to the U.S.  Your employer will sponsor you for an L-1B visa.

 

L-1B is dual intent. Once in the U.S., your employer can start the EB-3 green card process. It will be several years before you can file to adjust status.

What does "several years" mean, more than 3 years?
 

Quote

Given there is no master’s degree ….

How would the process change with master's degree?

Hi

I'm about to graduate with a BS in Computer Science in Germany.
I don't really want to do a Master's because in order to finally earn some money myself and grow in my career. 

My goal is to emigrate to the US, preferably to Southern California to work as a software engineer.

My plan would be to work for 3 years after graduation and then somehow immigrate to the US. I can also imagine spending a large part of my life in the US, which is why US citizenship is definitely interesting for me. 

How do I achieve the goal of getting the green card as quickly as possible as I don't want to have other visas that are too tied to an employer for a long time because that could jeopardize my whole new existence there since I have to find a new job within 30 days of being laid off?

Of course, I will always apply to the green card lottery, but that doesn't assure me that I will eventually get to the US.

Which visa would make the most sense and is the best? Without knowing much, it seems like the EB2A visa would be the best, but there is the thing that I need a Master's degree or a Bachelor's degree with 5 years of work experience.
I'd also be interested in how likely it is that I get this visa with a bachelor and 5 years of work experience? So what is the acceptance rate for this case?

I'm bothered by the high uncertainty of ever living in the US. 

There is also the possibility of being transferred by an international company with German and US offices. 
But I don't know how fast I can get a green card there.

So for me, the most important goal is to get a green card as soon as possible.

Maybe someone has some ideas/tips on how best to proceed.