Advice for Newbies

[Hal Smith]

I was part of the process of getting a friend with Mexican film industry experience a green card. One very large concern INS has is regular employment. We got him over the hump because I was able to hire him full time to help out with my engineering business. He's got 3/4's of a mechanical engineering degree from his youth and we used that to create a position for him.

 

But it also was highly helpful that his daughter is a bilingual public school teacher with a Master's Degree. She got her green card with very little fuss since she has professional skills that are highly valued by INS; A fully bilingual person with a Master's Degree in Elementary Education who wants to teach in the public school system. When the INS person she had worked with getting her green card realized that my friend was her father it got a lot easier real quick for him. But he still had to be gainfully employed which is where I came into the equation.

 

Some work, some money, and a bit of luck.

[Guest]

the idea that all O-1 visa holders really are of extraordinary ability is a bit suspect to say the least.

 

P

 

You might be right Phil, I've seen Canadians with near zero professional experience be granted an O-1. The main reason I think they get them is because this is a source of revenue for the INS to process the applications. As there are substantial fees attached. And let's face it the folks crawling under fences from South of the border don't pay the INS a fee for the privledge of doing so :D

 

R,

[Stuart Brereton]

The issue is again that the advisory opinion is something that the potential immigrant supplies. I'm sure there are common matches between organisations and job types but at the end of the day the petitioner is unlikely to approach an outfit that's likely to say he's unsuitable.

 

I can only speak for myself, but i had no choice in the organisations that were approached, I did not approach them personally, and I have never even seen their responses.

 

I know you've looked into this Phil, but honestly you can't have it both ways - if it's that easy, why haven't you done it, and if it's not, why say it is? :)

[Phil Rhodes]

Exactly what I said at the beginning - it's easy if you're in a profession that gets a lot of press. All the people I know who've done it, at least those I consider to have played the system, were actors. God knows LA probably doesn't need another few dozen extra people trying out to be the next big star.

 

Hal's right; I could probably do it quite easily if I had an offer of permanent employment, but none of the people I've ever been interested in working with has a big enough chunk of business to take on an employee. I did once have an offer in New York, but New York is basically just London only taller and with a somewhat higher chance of being shot in the face, so I wasn't that bothered.

 

P

[Phoebe Couzens]

Two things -

 

1) Yes I have had some practical experience whilst on my degree, but not much.

 

2) Although interesting, I think the topic of 'moving to the states' should be moved to a more specific thread rather than on here.

Edited August 16, 2010 by Phoebe Couzens

[Brian Drysdale]

Two things -

 

1) Yes I have had some practical experience whilst on my degree, but not much.

 

 

You could check out Skillset to look at options. Also being involved in making films other than the ones on your course looks good, you need to do something that makes you stand out from the crowd.

 

http://www.skillset.org/