Is it possible to get a job as an architect in the US with the following criteria?
Foreign Citizen
B.Arch
3 years work experience
Already living in the US in a H4 visa (will need sponsor for work visa)
Flatfish
Mar 3, 18 11:06 am
Yes it's possible, but not easy. The biggest problem for employers is the way that the prevailing wage is calculated. To sponsor a work visa the employer has to agree to pay the prevailing wage - but the way that's calculated for architecture is to take the median of everyone in the profession in that region. It doesn't have any breakdown for different job titles or experience levels., so it ends up being much higher than what most employers would ordinarily want to pay someone with 3 years of experience. Also the employer has to certify that they can't find a citizen who is qualified to do the job. In my experience these factors result in more sponsorship opportunities in larger, production-oriented irms in tertiary middle-America cities that people aren't clamoring to work in -think Charleston, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis- because those are firms that legitimately can't find enough employees who are citizens.
Is it possible to get a job as an architect in the US with the following criteria?
Yes it's possible, but not easy. The biggest problem for employers is the way that the prevailing wage is calculated. To sponsor a work visa the employer has to agree to pay the prevailing wage - but the way that's calculated for architecture is to take the median of everyone in the profession in that region. It doesn't have any breakdown for different job titles or experience levels., so it ends up being much higher than what most employers would ordinarily want to pay someone with 3 years of experience. Also the employer has to certify that they can't find a citizen who is qualified to do the job. In my experience these factors result in more sponsorship opportunities in larger, production-oriented irms in tertiary middle-America cities that people aren't clamoring to work in -think Charleston, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis- because those are firms that legitimately can't find enough employees who are citizens.