Obviously I know that if I get onto the CRP, I have to return home at the end of my J-1 Visa contract. Although I would like to work at Disney for longer than the year, I know it's very unlikely for an international to acquire a Visa for that (unless there is a huge stroke of luck). I would however like to look into moving out to Florida permanently not too long after returning to the UK after my J-1 runs out (assuming I get onto the CRP!) Have any CRP alumnis thought about this/attempted it/succeeded? If so, how? I know that they like immigrants to have a degree, and I have a History degree which might work in my favour. If I found a job which my degree would be useful in, would I be likely to get an H1b Employment Visa if the prosepective employer funded it? Could I even start looking for some longer-term jobs in the Central Florida region as I come towards the end of my Disney contract? I just want to get out there permanently really.
There is a couple threads on here with info on immigrating to the US. You are not alone in wanting to move to the US. Many people here would love to move to Florida and work for Disney forever, myself included. Basically there are a few ways, all which are very difficult. 1st- enter the green card lottery (which is limited to countries that have less then 50,000 immigrants/year to US I believe). So there are a few countries that cannot enter into the lottery (Canada & the UK for sure). This is a lottery system, and they amount of green cards are limited. I know an Aussie who was lucky and got it. I believe you have to move to the US within 3 years of getting it. 2nd - Get sponsorship from an employer. This is extremely difficult with Disney. The only people I have ever heard of this are senior officers off Disney Cruise Line being sponsored for shore side jobs. You could try and find a job, but the employer would have to prove that they cannot find a suitable American employee. This would be difficult to do without networking (so if you were in FL you could try networking with other companies). 3rd - Marry an American (for love, not the visa!). There is also a Fiancé visa (I believe you have to get married within 2 years?). This is costly and I would recommend getting an immigration lawyer as the paperwork can be daunting.
Thanks for the info! I knew it would be difficult. The first one can be crossed out straight away as I'm from the UK! It's a shame to know that the J-1 Visa that I'd be on if I get onto the CRP won't really work in my favour in terms of a long-term future in the US or help me to open up other routes and possibilities. Finding a permanent job whilst I'm out there seems the way to go, but as you say, the not being able to find a suitable American employee would make it difficult. I'll just apply for shed loads of jobs, surely one appication will bear fruit If only Disney would offer me a management position in the UK Pavillion! What is networking by the way? How does that work? The marrying/Visa thing - well, I suppose it's entirely possible that I'll meet someone out there but as you say, for love and not the Visa, so I won't be forcing the issue. I'm going forward full intending to do it all by myself, but if I get a little bit of good luck then great.
networking must be an american/canadian term. It's basically connecting with people who could help you find a job. For example if you were to volunteer for an organization that you want to work for in the future, you would be meeting employees and hopefully managers who could help you get a job. The tricky part with the visa thing is that they still have to prove that there is not a qualified American to accept the job. You can apply for jobs, but most will not even look at your application if you need to be sponsored for a visa. Unless you are a trained doctor or nurse - they need lots of those and actively recruit in Canada at least. For the CRP program you will be on a Q1 visa (as it is a cultural visa). A little different then a J1 (which I believe is only for 4 months). They are under the same category of visa though. I would love for Disney to offer me a management job after the program but even if I do an amazing job, there are hundreds if not thousands of other Cast members that are American waiting for a management jobs at Disney. Oh well. Good luck to you! I hope you find a way
j1 is a 12 month student visa normally q1 is cultural rep Apparantly if you work for a company in the uk that has offices stateside you can be sponsered by them to go work out there and eventualy get a greencard. My cousin did this he married a brit girl whos family is mega loaded with offices in the usa and they live in seattle and work out there with the networking thing or volunteering for another organisation you cant do that on the q1 visa - you can only volunteer for charitable stuff - volunteering for another company wouldnt really come under that and interning at another company is like a breach of your visa as well apparantly.
Christ alive they really do make it as difficult as they possibly can don't they? Volunteering or a few days unpaid trial work whilst I'm out there would have been something i'd have looked into as well. Grrrr! I guess I'll just have to build up contacts by bugging companies with emails and phone calls and hope that a company will be happy to take me on after the end of my q1 period.
I'll be the pessimist here, but, before you start making any arrangements, you should consider a couple of things. First of all, the US isn't the "land of opportunity" it once was. Finding work is hard, which means there'll be more applicants per position, which in turn means you'll have a tougher time finding a sponsor for your visa. And remember, workers in the US mostly have fewer rights than workers in Western Europe. And they earn less. I don't know if you have an education, but, due to the current economic state the world is in, I would concentrate on that for the time being. Remember, it always gets worse before it gets better. The other point you should consider is the American culture. So similar, yet so different from European cultures. And it's not just that. It all depends on where you live. I've lived in the US for a few years and I've lived in so-called "liberal" places as well as... well... places like Orlando, Florida. If you truly want to move to the US you should try taking some years, living in different parts of the country to see where you'd rather end up.
I met and married an American while doing my year on the CRP. The paperwork is long, confusing and expensive but obviously for love it's something that can be tackled. So there is hope Companies who sponsor non US residents have to go through a similar process, which is why many of them don't do it. It's cheaper and less paperwork to find someone already in the country. Having certain degrees give you an advantage (medical is the biggest one) though. It's not impossible... just very difficult. MyLittlePony brought up some unfortunate but true points. The US is definitely not what it once was and sad to say it, but Florida is actually one of the worst States to live in, in terms of job opportunities. Still... I miss the hectic fiasco that is Orlando terribly... so once my husband is over Texas, I'll be knocking on Casting's door
