How to come to America
By KK on Jan 17, 2008 in immigration, Thinker
People from different developing countries continue to dream of coming here in America. Why? Because no matter how many issues looming above the heads of Americans, it still is the land of freedom and opportunity. I find that many American born people don’t appreciate nor realize how lucky they are just being dropped by the stork in this country.
Growing up in Little America in the Philippines(Baguio City) I consider myself to have lived a blessed childhood even if my family isn’t rich, I do however notice and appreciate little things which most people who grew up here would just think of it as a standard or expected. You don’t know how much it puts a smile on my face to walk into a government office around here and be served with courtesy without giving any tip bribe!
So how can a regular person(not endowed with extra-ordinary talent) come to America to live and work, legally of course? I won’t tackle tourist visa because that is for people who want to visit only. If you are reading this then you might not have the option for business visa either. Visit the non-immigrant visa section for more information. Of course there is the student visa but they have become more strict after 9/11 that even students with legitimate reasons are having a difficult time getting visas.
I came here on H1B- a non-immigrant working visa, it’s good for 3 years and can only be renewed by an employer for another 3 years. It’s like winning the lottery really because they only give out 65,000 H1B visa annually. At the end of six years, the employer can petition for an immigrant status and get the famous green card.
For nurses, it’s easy for them to come here due to a shortage of qualified registered nurses as long as they pass the CGNFS exams. There is a shortage of qualified teachers and they are being recruited to come here as well. Find out more information about jobs that can get you a visa.
For you young ladies who are under the age of 27, I believe in marrying for the right reasons and if you don’t qualify as a temporary worker and not gifted with extra-ordinary talent and abilities, you can consider the option of being an Au Pair.
“The Au Pair Program is an educational and cultural exchange program with a child care component. Au pairs come to the United States for one year to provide up to 45 hours of child care per week for their host family while pursuing educational credits. The EduCare participant provides up to 30 hours of child care a week. Sponsoring organizations in the U.S. have the responsibility for administering the program, within the regulations set by the Department of State (DOS).
Although DOS authorizes these sponsoring organizations to conduct au pair programs, the responsibility for choosing the right organization rests solely with the host family and the au pair.” - exchanges.state.gov
I have a cousin who can give a testimonial in the success of the Au Pair program. Without her Au Pair, she can’t pursue her career and build her company.
Of course there is the US visa lottery, you can always cross your fingers and toes to be lucky enough to get one. Just watch out for the frudulent sites.
Tip: Do be careful regarding people promising you to get you in if you subscribe to their services. The best source for information regarding immigration is the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and any sites with (dot)GOV as in .gov URLs. I met an American lady who is married to a Vietnamese gentleman who has been here for 10 years and they paid some dotCom site thinking that they are the USCIS when they were going to process his papers only to find out that it was a scam.
So come to America with your dignity intact!
Note: If your immigration case is complicated(beyond dealing with regular forms), please contact an immigration lawyer or immigration attorney.
photo credit: 
coring de los reyes | Jan 18, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for this good information about dignity of some of our filipina women. Even here in europe they are also marrying those who are so old just to be here and work. This is a very good information. I hope this will help a lot to our co Filipino. More power…
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Hi Coring,
You are welcome. Yes, I do hope that people will realize that there are different ways to come here.
dodong flores | Jan 19, 2008 | Reply
Hi, Tina!
This is one great read I find here in this site! Very very much informative. I can’t say much further but I would just like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing this great information (and those links surely helps a lot)…
Seriously, I’m also considering to be working abroad but I’m still trying to balance everything. When I needed those other info, I’ll just get back into this post.
Again, thank you very much…
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You are very welcome Dodong, I’m glad to be of help. Best wishes to your future plans.
julie | Jan 20, 2008 | Reply
Well written Tina. Thanks for sharing these info.
I must say, if I push through with my plans to get an H1B it would cost me, not just an arm and a leg but probably my body with its nooks,crannies and flabs. Why? It sounds something like PhP800-900k. Gulp!
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Hi Teacher Julie,
I have said it before and I will say it again, in my experience and this is with two companies when I was deciding whom to choose neither of them asked me for money. You as the prospective employee should not be paying that much money. They only money I spent was my fare going to the US embassy, OWA, POEA and Makati to meet with the secretary for the papers and tickets. I suggest that you do more research and contact the schools in which you are going to be teaching. Check with the requirements of OWA, the employer has to provide the tickets to and from(if you have to be sent home), attorney’s fees and all other costs of bringing you here.
$23,000 is not peanuts!
geri | Jan 24, 2008 | Reply
Julie, great article.
I also liked your reply to Julie. Yes, she should do a lot of research about agencies. Now that I am here I am SHOCKED at how many nurses I’ve met who had really, really bad experiences with their agencies. And to think they are in demand. Maybe one day I could blog about it but I have to get permission from my sources.
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Thanks Geri,
You don’t need to publish their real names, you can blog about their experiences so that other people can learn.
MarysMom | Jan 30, 2008 | Reply
I’m Pinay who migrated to Canada in ‘97, met an American in Vancouver, BC, married him and now a permanent resident here in Colorado. Prior to Canada, I worked in New York for about 6 years. That first time in NY, I did enter the US with a tourist visa, found a job (when I was not looking for it) who sponsored me for an H1B visa, left this job after 3 years, found another job and secured another H1B visa. I have a degree in Industrial Eng’g so it was easy for me to secure the H1B visa. I did use a lawyer but I only spend about $300 per H1B visa. We were starting on the process for a green card with the first employer but I left that job before it was approved.
Had enough of the States so I went back to the Philippines. At that time, Canada had opened its doors to immigration and I jumped at the chance and secure my immigration papers within 3 months (now, I think it takes about 2-3 years for the very same process that I went through in ‘98). Did not use any agency or lawyer. Then, when I was getting married to my American, I had to secure a Fiancee visa to the US from Canada (had become a Canadian citizen by then). Still did not use any agency or lawyer to help, just filled out all the forms, got the requirements ready, went on the interviews and all I had to spend was the processing fee to the US gov.
Sometimes, it is tough to wade through all the paperwork and you may need some advice/help but I don’t think you have to spend a fortune to get this help.
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Hi Mary’s Mom,
What an adventure you had! Thanks for sharing you own experience and I hope other people learn from it. It sure does help having a degree. Filling out the papers and having to follow instructions verbatim is very important to make the process faster. I even punch holes so that they don’t have to do alot of work and it works without fail
athandj | Feb 13, 2008 | Reply
Question? my mom wants to come here in u.s next month(march)using her tourist visa, but i petition her last july so she can stay here for good but if she comes here i dont want her to go back in the philippines..can i change her status here in U.S?
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Hi Athandj,
Thanks for your question. I do things by the book because I really want to avoid hefty lawyer’s fees. As tight as they are right now, you don’t want to complicate things to delay the process or risk her chances of getting an immigration visa. But then that is just my opinion, you can always call the USCIS to find out. You mentioned you petitioned her last July but at what stage are you in? The important thing to remember is making sure that she doesn’t overstay with her tourist visa. There really is no telling how long the process will take.
Cami Frimann-Dahl | Feb 16, 2008 | Reply
Hi,
This was really informative. I have a question. I had a Filippino housekeeper in London that we adored. We have moved to the US now, and together, decided that it was best she stay in the UK as she had a great life and support system there. But, her niece would like to come to the US to work for us as an Au Pair. Do you know of a US approved Au Pair agency that she can sign up to? I saw one on the US immigration website when we were looking into this and I can’t seem to find it now. Any help that you can give would be great. Thanks again for your article–we love and have so much respect for the Filippinos that we have met–they are so hard working and such great examples for our children.
Take care, Cami
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Hi Cami,
Accdg to my Auntie M, my cousin subscribes through agency: Goaupair.com and
AuPair Philippines Exchange Services Corporation(APEXS)487 San Fernando St., San Nicolas, Manila Philippines.Telephone Mobile: 63-917-533-9710 or
63–922-833-9710.I think they also have another office in Binondo. Good luck on helping your housekeeper’s niece.
starr | Feb 20, 2008 | Reply
Hi, I will be going to SF, Calif this March as a tourist. I am a public relations executive and may not be eligible for h1b visa. Can i get an employment authorization document instead? And would you advise me to look for a job even without that document and ask the company to sponsor me? Thanks
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Hi Starr,
Congratulations for getting a tourist visa. The US Embassy in Manila is very strict and very few get tourist visas these days. Since you are coming here as a tourist, you are not allowed to work legally. I am sorry but I can’t help you with regards to getting an employment authorization document nor a company who will sponsor you.
Sally | Mar 24, 2008 | Reply
Hello there, Im sally from the philippines. I was applying to be an aupair and add some host family in my hotlist. One family is interested in my application and he is willing to paid to be a member in an aupair so that he can have my email and contact number. This is my first time and Im really confused how to know if they are really legal families that looking for an a aupair. Pls help regrding this matter. Thank you very much..
kendie | Jun 15, 2008 | Reply
hi, ma’am..i am from baguio city and i am planning to go to the US, hopefully, this year..i hope i could have the same luck as you did…God bless you..and Good luck.
KK | Jun 17, 2008 | Reply
Hi Sally,
You know if they are a legal family if they are going through an agency from here and they would tell you the information about what agency they are using. Good luck on your search.
Hi Kendie,
First of I feel old being called ma’am, just call me Ate.
I wish you all the best in coming here.
Nancy Garcia | Sep 5, 2008 | Reply
Hi! I am a Filipina who went to the US year 2002 as a tourist. After 6 months of staying,I personally file for my extension 1week before my 6months stay expired. But after 3 months of waiting for the approval of my extension,I changed my mind and decided to go home without having my visa approval done. After 6 months of getting back here in the Philippines my aunt in the US phone me.She told me that she received a letter for me from the INS telling me that I am already out of status.Because INS taught that I am still in the US.What i did is,I immediately send them a letter.Telling them that I am already in the Philippines and I can send them a copy of my plane ticket that Im holding when i get back in the philippines.Now, after 6 years I wanted to get back to US to visit my aunts and friends.Is it possible for me to get back to US since my tourist visa is not yet expired? Please help me. A lot of thanks. More power!
KK | Sep 6, 2008 | Reply
Hi Nancy,
From what I understand you filed for an extension a week before the expiration of your visa and then stayed for 3 months after your visa has expired? As strict as they are now, it will be a good idea to inquire about the status of your tourist visa before booking a ticket. As long as it hasn’t been revoked due to your overstaying, you can still visit your aunts.
wendy | Oct 11, 2008 | Reply
Hello, I have no Idea where to start to get my boyfriend from Syria to America!! HELP!!! How do I start? Where do I start?
KK | Oct 12, 2008 | Reply
Hi Wendy,
Start by going to the USCIS website and read. I really don’t know if Syria would easily allow their citizens to travel out to America.
Lady_Di | Oct 25, 2008 | Reply
Hello… I
m a teacher here in the Philippines and i want to try my luck in the U.S. as a teacher. And for this i was looking out for recruitment agencies however, i was so dismayed to find out that it will cost me a big amount of money for these agencies to land for a teaching job… DO you have an idea what schools in US that directly hires for teachers or any advices from you on what should i’m going to do. thankx