Mod on the move!

[MrLinus]

Congrats on the somewhat exciting news msm. is this a work related move or other type of pick up and flee the country move.

Well.. it's really for two reasons but the visa is for one.

I got a work visa. I took a job within VMware that is based out of NYC. I've gone back to teaching except this time it's VMware's product. I'm also doing some course devel (in security with them) so it's keeping me rather occupied.

The other reason for the move is that my g/f lives here and we wanted to move in together.

Hi MsM,

I thought you Canadiennes moved down to Florida for the winter, or is this just a stopover?

LOL.. Close enough. A few weeks ago I was here for a short visit and the temps were in the 13-16C range. Then I went back to Toronto which was 3-5C range. And then went out to Edmonton, AB to teach. It was in the -15 to -22C range (windchill was -20 to -35C). So.. it feels like being in Florida given the extremes I've just come out of.

Well done. It is quite hard for Canadians to obtain work permits in the USA. I'm in South Africa so I'm just interested how it all works.

Quite hard? Actually, it can be quite easy. If I had a Bachelor's of Comp Sci, then I would have had an instantaneous TN-1 visa. But I have a Bach of Poli Sci. I ended up with an LB-1 visa (good for 3 years with a 2 year renewal period) and this has a path to a greencard. So, the opportunity is there. A few bits of advice:

1. Don't give up your living space in South Africa until you have your visa or until the lawyer tells you that you'll get it

2. Lawyers are expensive but worth it (for the most part). Keep on them to work your case

3. If you don't get it the first time, try, try again. I actually had a total of 3 potential visa options: TN-1, LB-1 and the HB-1 (the HB-1 is released every April/May and has a limited run. 2007 was only 88,000 -- all of which were taken the day of release. Usually there is a 2nd run for this visa but it never happened. This made it the lowest release number for the HB-1 ever; usually it's around 150,000 to 200,000.

CONGRATS MM!!!!!!! I'm ready! I'm on long island as I type this, but I'll be home thursday.

Awesome. Friday, Weekends and Monday will be my best options for the next couple of weeks as I'm teaching online. Then I'm off to HQ and L.A. for the remainder of Dec.