I did meet a young chap who is a recent graduate from and Australian School who came back to the US to work. His boss was good enough to go thru all the paper work required. He is sponsoring
him I belive for three years.

You have to find a firm, willing to sponsor you first, and have them fill out the HB1 Visa and pay for it. Immigration shouldnt be too big an issue as long as you dont look Arab (INS racially profiles and scrutinizes even its own American citizens) and make sure you come here with enough cash.

Depending on the state, and whether you're seeking licensing, an Australian degree COULD be recognized. The state of Wisconsin will take just about any degree, but dont know what state you're looking to move to (there's 50 of them). Dont even bother w/ NY, were backed up as it is. Also your portfolio/talent is a key factor. Also, dont be surprised if the firm tells you to pay for the HB1 visa, yourself.

The best way to really go about this, is to come here first as a student, and find a job while in school. Most Hindus that come here and end up working, go that route because its the most convenient.

Man that's a good and generous boss, this guy must be worth it! At the end of the day it all depends on your work and your knowledge because 2 guys can graduate from a college in Australia and one becomes successful and the other doesn't even get looked at by any US firms. So where your work is concerned make sure it is your best but where immigration is concerned, maybe someone else here can help you with that.

Good luck!

the horizons are not that broad here fyi.

i've got a dingo

ec does your dingo work for you?

exyde: the young Aussie I met is working for this guy:

http://www.oshatz.com/index.htm

he plays fetch

snooker, that oshatz is pretty weird stuff - not my cup of tea, but you gotta love that website -
"An architect is an artist, creator, logician of evolving aesthetic structures...."
wow!

p2an He is also a really nice guy....way low key. People who work for him also build in the field so you better know what your drawing....

Hi exdye,

If you are an Australian citizen, you don't need sponsorship to come to the USA and work. In 2005 USCIS created a new visa category called E-3, which is like a 2 year working holiday visa, but you can work for whoever you want for the full two years. No restrictions on who employs you etc. Check out this link:

http://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/visa_e3.html

Once you're here and working, and decide you want to stay beyond the 2 years, then your employer will have to sponsor you for a H1-B or green card.

I'm going through the process right now of starting NCARB IDP and getting my degree recognized. Unfortunately only about 1 year of your foreign experience will count towards registration here. Getting a foreign degree (including Australian) recognized here takes at least 6 months and costs $1000. Keep all of your handbooks, course information, get certified copies your degree(s) and academic transcripts before you come over, if you can. Mine are 8 years old and its hard getting all that information together when so much time has passed.

Good luck.

I've been hearing good things about the design culture in Melbourne, and have been daydreaming of taking a break from the US to live/work/explore in Australia for a year or two.
Anyone know the specifics about doing the exact opposite of what Exyde wants to do?
I know the visa situation is based on points, and from what I can tell, I'm right at the border of acceptance. If you've got a company willing to sponsor you in Australia, is it as big a financial burden on them as the H1-B visa is to firms here?

from my experience, most people who do get sponsored in the US for H1-B are forced to work for the corporate megafirms (which are often the only ones willing to deal with the paperwork and fees).

there is the Australia Skilled Worker Visa.

oz is in need of many skilled professions due to boom economy, architects are on the list of needed.

eg.

http://www.migrationexpert.com/Australia/visa/australian_skilled_occupation_list.asp

Melbourne is an awesome city. There are parts of it that look just like European cities. Great transport (tram) system, restaurants etc. Excellent academic architectural culture scene and lots of good firms to work for. Go for it!!

antipodean: what are the salaries like now in oz? i left there 6 years ago and as a grad was getting 25K (good office/low pay) friends were on a bit more, but not much - recently i have been hearing so many stories about cost of living rising, and house prices going crazy. have salaries also risen alot?

Hi p2an,
I think an experienced architect / graduate is getting paid fairly well nowadays. I have more knowledge about New Zealand salaries, and I live in the USA, so my knowledge isn't first hand. I know that roughly Aust. salaries are 20-25% higher than NZ, and the NZ architects are getting paid considerably more than they were 2 years ago because of the skills shortage, and the building boom occuring now.

You have to figure in cost of living and where you live into that equation. NZ housing boom followed the Australian boom, and it was just as bad. Housing affordability (if you're looking to buy) has gone out the window especially in the big cities (think San Francisco), and there is no way salaries would have kept pace.

Also if you have overseas experience, that is good leverage with a potential employer for a higher salary. I can think of several architects / professionals who have gone overseas to return down under to good pay increases / promotions.

I have recently been thinking of taking a 2-3 year working holiday in Australia, but I am now concerned about the global economic recession's affect on this possibility. Have things slowed down there as much as they have here in the US?

yes.

most of the larger firms, have laid off 10 - 20% of their workforce in the last 3 months.

very little commercial work is going on - only the completion of existing projects.

smaller offices seem to be holding on better, right now, but remember, there are now a lot of architects looking around for new positions after being laid off.

as elsewhere, the Australian government is promising lots of "infrastructure" projects, which may translate into schools, university and other public sector projects, but most of the money will go to roads, ports, telecommunications, etc.

so, now is not the best time. and unless you can prove that you have some exceptional talent or skill, it would be unlikely that there would be approval for a working visa.

best of luck.

i have the same concerns for an American working in the EU. any advice?

Thanks for the response DLB. That's exactly what I expected. I wasn't thinking about going in the next year or so, but perhaps in the next 3-4 years. Hopefully things will have improved (globally) by then.