Hi All,
My wife and i want to move to the usa for a year on a working holiday. were Ausralian and have been told the process for obtaining a visa is very time consumung. any tips out there? any companys willing to fast track visas like canada has???

thanks.

Well Americans aren't going to know much about getting a visa to work here. The only substantive advice I can offer is to contact the american embassy or consulate nearest you.

My understanding - from friends who have hired (illegally) nannies or au pairs - is that the process is extremely long, complicated - and that you need to be able to offer some legitimate service that is so specialized that no american can provide it. Several have hired young women who entered on tourist visas and stayed illegally - but they are given room, board and a small weekly salary - and typically return home after a year or so. If caught they would be deported.

Given the very bad state of our economy and our current high rate of unemployment (officially more than 10% - but really higher - since after your unemployment payments from the government run out, now 39 weeks, you are no longer consider unemployed - you're just in limbo) the chances of even finding a job would be slim to none. Really the only way to do this is to have a very specific talent (opera singer, star of a broadway show, etc) that cannot be provided by a citizen.)

You don;t say what your career/jobs are - but as a first step I would do a search to see if there is any possibility of getting a job even if you could get into the country. Monster.com is our most comprehensive job source nationwide and is searchable by all sorts of job categories and regions.

I would think this really depends on what you want to do for work while in the US and where you plan on living and at what standard of living you are accustomed to. Unemployment is at an all-time high here so in many parts of the country just showing up and getting a job is not going to happen. People with advanced degrees are getting turned down for jobs at fast food restaurants. Depending on your education and vocation this might affect your chances. Seasonal employment visas are only for 4 months.

I'm assuming you've already visited the US websites regarding different visa types and what you are and are not allowed to do for each. I would then deal with the consulate's office. They will be able to give you a real idea of what to expect. You might try to get a position with a company in Australia that wants to transfer someone to the US.

Forget working in your field, unless you have a rare specialty.

I think you will be able to come here for 6 months and work on an H2B visa, which are meant for seasonal workers in resorts. Numbers have been cut, but there are agencies that essentially peddle you to employers, then get you a visa. They exist because the need for seasonal workers in the tourist industry (June-December or December-June) does not correspond to the US academic year, so people do not want to hire students. Most jobs exist where people with families can't take off and go. Google is your friend.

I don't know what you do about the second six months. If you do an H2B visa for the first six months, you can scope out the possibilities for staying on illegally. People do. But if you get caught, it may be unpleasant for a very long time.

A lot of companies import tourism workers, lifeguards, and the like. I think those are your most likely options. Most of this work is for the summer season, so you'd better get cracking if you want to do this. The trade-off is that the hours are quite long and the pay isn't so great. And most of the places that import workers are not in places that have public transit, so you won't be seeing much of the U.S. while you're working. Still, it might be a possibility. There are agencies that handle these workers, but I don't know about them.

A lot of import workers are Australians. I saw a lot of them when I was in Zion National Park (Xanterra Resorts is the company that runs a lot of the national park service hotels and restaurants). Needless to say, you'd be pretty isolated if you were working and living in a national park, but the scenery would be outstanding.

I think the best place to start to collect info would be at US Embassy or consulate in Australia. I agree with much of what is said above - used to be anyone willing to work hard could find a job doing something - no longer the case - I know a lot of hard workers who are unable to find employment.

But if you work out the visa thing - tourism is not just limited to summer, although that is by far the most likely time to find employment. Ski resorts in winter, Florida in winter - but all these type places have also cut way back on employees.

Good luck - great idea if it works out.

This will tell you all you need to know:

http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consul...as/niv/e3.html

This not really a working holiday visa, such as Canada has. It requires you to have a "specialty occupation" and a job offer prior to applying for it in Oz.

Without knowing what your "specialty occupation" is, it is impossible to predict what your chances of being admitted under the E-3 visa are. You WOULD NOT be able to enter under E-3 and do casual work like ski resorts, national parks. You you need to be eligible for an apply for a J-1 visa like under the BUNAC program.

I see in a prior post you state you are an architect and a builder.

Given the severe decline in real estate, and the very tight market on loans for mortgages/construction, I don't see how you could possibly expect to be offered a job in the US right now.

There is every expectation that both the residential and commercial real estate markets have farther to drop in the next 18-24 months, there is a huge "shadow inventory" of unsold properties, and no one, repeat, NO ONE is building or planning to build right now.