How hard is it to get a working visa to work in the states for two yrs and bring my wife and kids too?

Question

CPG, many thanks for your comments and help but you will notice that i have asked two different quetions here. One asking what i need and another asking how hard it is to get it. They may be two completely different ranges. Thanks to you i now know what i need but still not how hard it is to get it as no-one has said wether the us government frown upon bringing outside workers in or wether they welcome them. I just wanna see the states for longer than three weeks and so im trying to work out how i can acheive that.

I work on the railway in England as a signalling engineer. I build points and signalling systems and also test them. I am fairly well qualified in what i do.

The problem is i do not have enough funds to support myself and my family without working for any longer than the luxury of a three week break. Thanks for the tips

Answer 1

Near enough impossible, as I stated in your previous question. You must have a job in the United States, the employer must petition for a work permit on your behalf to the USCIS, it is a long, complicated process.

I already gave you the websites to read.

Edit: In regards to your additional details.

I am aware of the difference in questions and myself and others have pointed out, it is possible to obtain the visas I mentioned but the likely-hood of you doing so (I notice you are a U.K. citizen) is next-to-none.

It is not that the government 'frowns' upon outside workers, it is just the policy in place makes it extremely difficult for your visa applications regarding work visas to be successful.

If you want to see the States for longer than 3 weeks, then as a U.K. citizen you can travel visa free for 90 days under the visa-waiver program, you can also apply for a B-2 visa which could give you entry for 6months but this 6 months is at the discretion of the USCIS at your port of entry if they grant you this length of time.

For more information regarding the visa-waiver program and the B-2 visa see the following two websites.

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/vwp.html
http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/b2.html

Note - you are not permitted to work under the vwp or B-2 visa but it is a much easier option than a work permit.

Answer 2

Actually you might have a real shot at a job. Right now the railways are on a hiring spree. They are sending many new hires off to technical schools to learn basic electronics in order to become signalmen.

Do a good Google search and get contact info for the various railroad companies. Call them up and get in touch with their Human Resources departments. See if any are willing to sponsor you as a skilled immigrant.

The railways here are highly unionized. You might use your union contacts in the UK to get contact numbers for their counterparts here. You'll get plenty of good information from the unions.

Email me if you need more assistance.

Answer 3

It depends of what you do in life.
If it is something that they consider helpful for the USA, you will get it immediately but if you do the same as millions here, kind of hard to get the visa

Answer 4

At this point in time, I believe it would be very difficult.

Answer 5

Possible, but you have to be hired first by a US company.