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Topic: Which Publishers sponsor H1 working visas ?
| Author | Message |
| fixxion | Posted – 4/17/2007 8:07:25 PM | show profile Hi everyone, I am a senior in college and will graduate this fall semester. I have a big passion for the fashion magazines industry and have been interning for some of the best titles in the industry. However it is not clear to me yet which companies sponsor working visas since I am an international student and will have to get one in order to get a job in one of them. Conde Nast, TimeInc, Hearst and NicheMedia are the ones that interest me, however it is so hard to find a straight answer from them in which they specify whether or not the sponsor visas and in which conditions. Do any of you have an answer for this question? personal stories? is it hard to get them to sponsor? nearly impossible or totally possible? Id love to hear the answers since I dont want to keep on interning for a company that in the long run will not support me with such an important document. Thanks a lot for your time and help! Trully appreciated! |
| Foreigner | Posted – 4/17/2007 11:32:48 PM | show profile Your best bet is to call your country of origin's U.S. consulate first to get an idea for the whole process - some visas require you to be outside the US when you apply. I first came to the U.S. on a J1 visa, which was a paid "internship." I had to write an essay explaining how the visit would advance journalism in my home country and in the U.S. The idea was to offer cultural exchanges, and strictly speaking it is not designed to be a full-time job. I earned enough to support myself and my company decided to then sponsor me for (I think, from memory) an H1B. How did I find the company (a daily newspaper)? I flew to the US for a vacation and hit the ground running, introducing myself to prsopective employers, showing my clips and explaining the J1. I had to get the offer from the company in order to get the visa. It helps if you build rapport with potential employers in key positions, show you're eager and have something unique to offer and make the process very easy for them. Eg. offer to pay for the visa if necessary, clearly explain the paperwork. Good luck. |
| LiveNewsToday | Posted – 4/17/2007 11:44:38 PM | show profile I'm sorry - you are not eligable. |
| foodlit | Posted – 4/18/2007 8:50:08 AM | show profile | email poster Do you currently have a student F-1 visa? What you may be able to take advantage of is the one year practical training that the F-1 will cover, that lets you work for one year after graduating without a company needing to sponsor you. However, this still will put off many companies because in order to keep you after that year, then they will need to sponsor you. To sponsor you, they will have to show that you are uniquely qualified to do the job and they really can't find a US citizen to do it. So, you tend to find more H-1Bs granted for difficult to fill technical jobs. It will be a challenge to land a job in fashion where there are tons of US grads dying for the jobs. But, you might be able to take advantage of the one year, and get in somewhere, and then maybe take that experience back home....or have the company fall in love with you and find a way to make it work. Good Luck! :) Pam |
| df | Posted – 4/18/2007 1:22:54 PM | show profile as pam said, F1 is the way to go. I think it might be nearly impossible to get someone to sponsor and H1B unless you are close to a god in what you do, and even then it might be hard to convince the INS why they need a foreigner to cover fashion. they have correspondents in other countries and my bet is the INS is not going for any other stuff then inter company transfer. Again, not impossible, but will a company go through all that trouble for an entry level position? |
| mae | Posted – 4/18/2007 2:07:43 PM | show profile Think small I probably wouldn't target Conde Nast, Time, Hearst, or any other large media companies. They have thousands of eligible candidates to choose from; they won't spend the extra dough on an entry-level position. Your chances are much higher at smaller magazines, esp. trades. Apply for a job using your one-year practical training work visa, use that year to make yourself indispensable, then convince your employer to sponsor you. After many initial rejections because of my visa status, I went to a career counselor and asked if I had to disclose that information. She said it's not necessary (kind of like, should you inform the interviewer that you're pregnant) . It's really up to you and what you're comfortable with. |
| missGodiva | Posted – 4/18/2007 6:26:59 PM | show profile Dear fixxion, I've been in your shoes three years ago and I've interviewed for tons of big companies, tried to use my connections and still to no avail. The people told me their companies don't really want to bother with the visa when I disclosed that I'd need to be sponsored. I've wasted my entire OPT year on attempting to get the visa and ended up going home after a horrible job and two great internships. I hope you get lucky, but entry-level media is so competitive that the chances are very slim. Considering that this year 150 000 applications were submitted on the first day allowed by the INS and they will have a lottery, the risk is even higher of not getting a job after your OPT year. Just try to find any job that will teach you something. Also, if you are really keen on the visa, and you are willing to sacrifice a few years without working in media, you can try for a non-profit or an educational institution. The H1 for these positions is exempt from the cap, which I didn't know at the time. I'd have done things differently maybe. If you really want to stay here, you can also apply for a Master's during your OPT year. Good luck with everything! |
| writesonwater | Posted – 4/19/2007 12:55:10 AM | show profile If you want the internship and can get it and afford it -- things being expensive here -- do it. You can always take your experience home with you if you must. A year in America, why not? You never know -- you may get swept off your feet by a handsome American and get married. Then it would be a whole different ballgame. Just know that immigration laws are what they are, and don't be surprised at how tight the job market is, even for Americans. |
| ocicat | Posted – 4/19/2007 3:55:19 PM | show profile There's another possibility... Have you considered 0-1? That's what I have and I have been able to interview for posts at the bigger publishing companies and have been freelancing in the meanwhile. (I was told that as I already have the visa, they'd just switch it over to their company). If you have work samples and any press clips of yourself (contributor's page, a magazine in your home town did a story about you etc.) as well as a slew of recommendation letters from people in as high positions as possible, it's worth trying, especially with a good lawyer. Getting the paperwork together takes a while, and it costs at least the same if not more than getting an H1B but if your lawyer knows exactly what they are doing, they will only "take you on" if they are pretty sure you'll get accepted. After you get 0-1 once, you're also eligible to apply for the green card and chances are you'll be accepted. |
| nellie bly | Posted – 4/19/2007 4:06:05 PM | show profile I know someone who got an O-1. does the O stand for outstanding? this person was extraordinary. A Japanese national, educated at top schools in Japan, the US and the UK. Degrees in journalism and economics. She got a job offer from a business magazine in the US. Had to hire her own lawyer though....Isn't this the type of situation where the publication puts an ad in the Saturday papers advertising for someone who is bilingual or trilingual, with multiple degrees etc. in other words someone who has the qualifications of the outstanding applicant?? |
| df | Posted – 4/20/2007 10:59:46 AM | show profile o is for outstanding, and unless you are gods gift to mankind it is very unlikely someone seeking an entry level position is going to get it. You REALLY have to proof you are outstanding in your fielod in your home country. So unless you come from a third world or very small country, thats no piece of cake either. Normally if you are that outstanding, you'll get a job anyway, you just have to get papers, as in the example given earlier. Take your year of OPT, enjoy it, hope you'll find someone sponsoring you after that (i did it for 2 of my employees). |
| biba | Posted – 4/21/2007 1:11:35 AM | show profile | email poster Just to clarify to one of the posts above: for the H1B, you don't need to prove that there are no qualified Americans for the job--that's for the green card. For the H1, you need to demonstrate that the job is a "professional" one which requires at least a BA (which may be a challenge with some entry-level media jobs). Also, I believe there are an additional 25,000 H1B visas available outside of the quota for graduates of U.S. colleges--though that just might be if you have a graduate degree? You can check that on the Internet easily enough. I too had an F1 visa, and then spent most of my OPT year looking for a job (this was unfortunately right after 9/11). I finally found an employer in the non-profit field who would sponsor an H1 visa. But if you're thinking ahead to applying for permanent residency, be aware that just because an employer sponsors you for the H1 doesn't mean they will for the green card, as I found out. I pretty much gave up on finding a media job, and to be honest even non-profit employers are still very wary of the immigration process, whether it be for the H1 or green card. It seems my friends in the finance or law sector have been better off. Good luck! |
| df | Posted – 4/22/2007 7:49:35 PM | show profile sorry, I apply for H1-B visas for my employees, and I do have to proof that there are no - or a shortage of - qualified Americans to do the job. It is a foreign specialty worker visa meaning it is hard for an American employer to find an American to fill that specific job. That's the reason why language skills normally are not enough to proof you need a foreigner to do the job, because a qualified American can learn a language. |
| seanmatreedy | Posted – 8/20/2007 5:33:02 PM | show profile Will sponsor visa I have my own business. I am willing to sponsor one or two visas for qualified Japanese bilingual nationals. I live in Florida, about one hour from Orlando in a beautiful area on the Gulf. It is very safe. I will train and explain and find affordable housing. Contact me for more information |
| seanmatreedy | Posted – 8/20/2007 5:33:36 PM | show profile Will sponsor visa I have my own business. I am willing to sponsor one or two visas for qualified Japanese bilingual nationals. I live in Florida, about one hour from Orlando in a beautiful area on the Gulf. It is very safe. I will train and explain and find affordable housing. Contact me for more information |
