Working with an American Architectural company in India for 2 yrs. Planning to move next year. What's the current status of an immigrant Architect in the U.S? Is it worth spending $ 40k on masters & relay on H1-B until you get green card? How often companies sponsor H1B?
Pls share your thoughts. (Please don’t ask me to marry an American or move to other country, as U.S. is the only choice)
Some US firms sponsor H1Bs - particularly larger firms located in 2nd & 3rd tier cities that don't have endless supplies of local applicants.
But, it's difficult to sponsor someone at your level (only a couple years of experience) because in order to sponsor someone the firm has to show that it has tried but can't find a qualified citizen to fill the job - which is kind of hard to prove for such a low-level position - it's much easier to establish that for a more skilled, higher-level positions (people with 15+ years of experience). Also to sponsor an H1B the firm has to show that it's paying the prevailing wage, and that usually ends up being the sticking point that prevents them sponsoring an H1B for a relatively entry-level person. The prevailing wage is usually determined to be the 50th percentile salary for that position in that region - but unfortunately the DOL doesn't break down architecture firm positions very finely, so basically there's just "Architect" and "Drafter" - no stepped levels or titles within those general categories, so the prevailing wage ends up being what someone mid-career would typically make - so unless a firm is willing to pay you what someone with 15-20 years' experience would typically make then it won't be able to legitimately satisfy that requirement.
Don't worry about the prevailing wage because it is not the most difficult issue. Your title is neither architect nor drafter. Your title is likely be architectural designer because you don't have a license in the US.
The real issue is whether the company wants to hire you.
Fron my experience, large companies do not sponsorship due to higher application rate. Big cities have higher chance because you may have a connection and companies care constantly looking for people.
Madvice is to apply for a small company in a big city.
The title that the employer gives you is irrelevant (and anyway, "architectural designer" is an illegal title for an unlicensed person in most US states). The problem is that the US DOL only has two categories for purposes of determining the local prevailing wage for most architecture firm jobs: architect and drafter. The biggest difficulty we have in sponsoring fairly entry-level people is that we have to show that we're paying the 50th percentile wage for the region - which is typically what someone mid-career would be making. It is a difficult issue - it makes it next to impossible to hire someone with 2 or 3 years of experience, because we'd have to pay them what someone in the 10-20 year range would be making. I know that people get around these rules - I've had applicants hoping for visa sponsorship offer who have offered to pay us back as much as half of their salary under the table if we'd sign off on offering them the prevailing wage. I've also had applicants offer to pay all the fees that are supposed to be paid by the employer. But in my opinion people who will do shady things to get a visa are likely to be unethical in other aspects of their career, so those kind of offers put the person in the Do Not Hire folder.
the avg international fee paid for a master deg in architecture is twice the regular fee the native pays and after completing the degree the government gives 3 years, which is not enough to get a license and after that, there has to be a begging status for H1B or any type which gives us at least another 3 years if all worked ( mostly it wont) and eventually return to our homes with debt your government looted from the international masters fee and taxes which are more than our annual savings to pay our loans.
you won't give us enough savings, license, at least a 10-year time-period to make some and return where we came from, looting our time, 120k masters degree for a 60K job which comes with a 12 percent tax cap, the unaffordable living expense for 3 years, and no opportunity for H1B, making us go debt all ways,
imagine a 120K master's degree if we are only to save 22K each year for the 3-year grace period after completion 22*3=66K, half of our master's degree and half of our salary/year goes to your government, nice profitable business model!!
Dec 20, 23 2:36 am ·
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Job in the U.S for an immigrant.
Working with an American Architectural company in India for 2 yrs. Planning to move next year. What's the current status of an immigrant Architect in the U.S? Is it worth spending $ 40k on masters & relay on H1-B until you get green card? How often companies sponsor H1B?
Pls share your thoughts. (Please don’t ask me to marry an American or move to other country, as U.S. is the only choice)
Thank you!
Some US firms sponsor H1Bs - particularly larger firms located in 2nd & 3rd tier cities that don't have endless supplies of local applicants.
But, it's difficult to sponsor someone at your level (only a couple years of experience) because in order to sponsor someone the firm has to show that it has tried but can't find a qualified citizen to fill the job - which is kind of hard to prove for such a low-level position - it's much easier to establish that for a more skilled, higher-level positions (people with 15+ years of experience). Also to sponsor an H1B the firm has to show that it's paying the prevailing wage, and that usually ends up being the sticking point that prevents them sponsoring an H1B for a relatively entry-level person. The prevailing wage is usually determined to be the 50th percentile salary for that position in that region - but unfortunately the DOL doesn't break down architecture firm positions very finely, so basically there's just "Architect" and "Drafter" - no stepped levels or titles within those general categories, so the prevailing wage ends up being what someone mid-career would typically make - so unless a firm is willing to pay you what someone with 15-20 years' experience would typically make then it won't be able to legitimately satisfy that requirement.
Don't worry about the prevailing wage because it is not the most difficult issue. Your title is neither architect nor drafter. Your title is likely be architectural designer because you don't have a license in the US.
The real issue is whether the company wants to hire you.
Fron my experience, large companies do not sponsorship due to higher application rate. Big cities have higher chance because you may have a connection and companies care constantly looking for people.
Madvice is to apply for a small company in a big city.
The title that the employer gives you is irrelevant (and anyway, "architectural designer" is an illegal title for an unlicensed person in most US states). The problem is that the US DOL only has two categories for purposes of determining the local prevailing wage for most architecture firm jobs: architect and drafter. The biggest difficulty we have in sponsoring fairly entry-level people is that we have to show that we're paying the 50th percentile wage for the region - which is typically what someone mid-career would be making. It is a difficult issue - it makes it next to impossible to hire someone with 2 or 3 years of experience, because we'd have to pay them what someone in the 10-20 year range would be making. I know that people get around these rules - I've had applicants hoping for visa sponsorship offer who have offered to pay us back as much as half of their salary under the table if we'd sign off on offering them the prevailing wage. I've also had applicants offer to pay all the fees that are supposed to be paid by the employer. But in my opinion people who will do shady things to get a visa are likely to be unethical in other aspects of their career, so those kind of offers put the person in the Do Not Hire folder.
the avg international fee paid for a master deg in architecture is twice the regular fee the native pays and after completing the degree the government gives 3 years, which is not enough to get a license and after that, there has to be a begging status for H1B or any type which gives us at least another 3 years if all worked ( mostly it wont) and eventually return to our homes with debt your government looted from the international masters fee and taxes which are more than our annual savings to pay our loans.
you won't give us enough savings, license, at least a 10-year time-period to make some and return where we came from, looting our time, 120k masters degree for a 60K job which comes with a 12 percent tax cap, the unaffordable living expense for 3 years, and no opportunity for H1B, making us go debt all ways,
imagine a 120K master's degree if we are only to save 22K each year for the 3-year grace period after completion 22*3=66K, half of our master's degree and half of our salary/year goes to your government, nice profitable business model!!
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