From: Matthias Neeracher < >
Date: 10 Feb 2000 20:23:37 +0100
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In article <200002090649.PAA13888_at_isl.hiroshima-u.ac.jp>, "Olivier Liechti" <olivier_at_isl.hiroshima-u.ac.jp> writes:
> I would be interested to know about other people's experience and advice,
> related to working visa in the US. I have heard that it is not an easy process
> to go through, and I am really wondering how much time it could take.

If you have a company willing to hire you (which should be no problem at all
with your qualifications), they will do pretty much all of the work for you,
and it won't take very long. (My employer brought me in on a J1 visa, which
they obtained within about 4 weeks, and later switched me to a H1).

> I am currently finishing a Ph.D. in Computer Science, have published papers in
> international conferences and journals. I am a Swiss citizen, and have spent
> the last 3 years in Japan.

These are all excellent preconditions for a visa (good scientific credentials
and no national origin subject to quotas).

> I think that what I should apply for is an H1-B visa, but I am not even sure
> about it.

It may already be pretty late in the year to get a H1-B, but I'd suggest that
you focus on getting a job and let your employer worry about the visa
details.

There's maybe one catch worth mentioning with H1-Bs: They are tied to your job,
so switching jobs within the US can be rather difficult on a H1. Many H1
holders would like a green card, a process which may take years and has to be
restarted every time you switch jobs, and some employers are more than willing
to take advantage of the fact that their H1-B employees cannot readily switch
jobs. When looking for a job, it's worth paying specific attention to how your
prospective employer treats his H1-Bs.

Matthias

-- 
Matthias Neeracher   <
>   http://www.iis.ee.ethz.ch/~neeri
  "And that's why I am going to turn this world upside down, and make
   of it a fire so *bright* that someone real will notice"
                                -- Vernor Vinge, _Tatja Grimm's World_
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