I hear a lot of young European (or International) fans of certain US companies (with my example pointing to video game developers) sounding really enthusiastic that they want to work in the US with these types of companies. But, all those prospecting to it outside of the USA might want a cold hard slap of reality when you consider this:
You need at least a US Work Visa or a Advanced Degree from a accredited US educational institution.
Sound easy? You're dead wrong. To even apply for a Work Visa, you need a Advanced Degree from university. (That means, if you're an avid 15 year old programmer, You won't even be in the US until you're at least 23.) Not only that, there is a limited amount of space and it's highly competitive, the best GPA or Educations get advantage over all others. So forget it if you want to apply for a H-1B right out of High School or use a diploma to do so.
That's not all, to stay in the US, you must apply for a Greencard. The H1-B is not permanent and will expire in 3 years with only one chance to renew. So if you stayed 6 years, you have to leave the US and wait a minimum of one year to re-apply. And that would only be if you got the H1-B visa.
And perhaps you saw the humorous take on it in the first episode of Season 2 of Flight of the Conchords. This is no fun and games, Illegal immigration will get you sent to jail.
Finally, to even get to a US University or College, you must pull yourself together and force your education to it's almighty best then move to the US as an immigrant. Again, this is NOT easy.
Read this post several times and review whether or not you REALLY want to work in the US. I already got my cold slap, so I hope this gives many other prospecting young foreign game makers to think twice. Because if they already have people that are just as good or better than you, why would they want you?
