The United States of America is considered to be a land of great opportunity. The level of economic development and prosperity in the state attracts people from other countries, including the current post-Soviet space. Working in the United States is perceived as an opportunity to significantly improve their financial situation.
The state of the American labor market
According to the US Department of Labor, about 2.6 million jobs were created in the state in 2021. On average, approximately 217 thousand jobs were created within one month.
The current unemployment rate in the United States is 3.8-4%. According to experts, in order to prevent its growth, it is necessary that the number of jobs in 2021 increase every month by at least 100 thousand.
In the United States, highly skilled professionals are required in large numbers. The country's leadership is pursuing a policy aimed at reducing the inflow of low-skilled workers from abroad.
Back in 2021, President Donald Trump announced the introduction of a program called RAISE (translated into Russian - "Rise"). According to it, the selection of applicants who want to obtain a residence permit in the United States has become tougher.
Only those who speak English and have the skills required for employment will be able to become Green Card holders. The main goal of the RAISE program is to minimize the influx of low-skilled immigrants who plan to live in the state on social benefits.
What professions are in demand in the United States
Jobs in the USA always exist for qualified professionals such as:
- programmers;
- engineers of the highest category;
- doctors.
There is no point in applying for these positions without knowledge of English. And doctors will also have to get a confirmation certificate, which is issued in each state by a special commission.
To become the owner of this document, you need to pass the theoretical and practical exams. You will also have to undergo an internship in a hospital for at least 3 years (residency) to obtain a license to practice medicine.
Answering the question of who can work in America without education, one should indicate the following professions in demand:
- builders;
- drivers (including truckers);
- auto mechanics;
- gardeners;
- sellers;
- nannies and nurses;
- maids;
- couriers;
- dishwashers;
- cleaners;
- farm assistants;
- handymen at construction sites, factories.
Lodging and meals are provided for nannies, nurses, housekeepers, and farmer's assistants. Drivers with a Russian license will have to take exams in the United States to obtain a new license (a driver's license issued in Russia can be used for no more than 3 months).
Working conditions and requirements for candidates
The requirements for applicants differ depending on the positions for which they are applying. The main principle of job search is to proceed from your skills and abilities. Some employers encourage candidates to know local traditions and even the country's laws.
The working conditions for immigrants correspond to the national ones when it comes to legal work. Those who decide to move to work in the United States should take into account that the work schedule in the country may be full or incomplete.
The first one implies 40 working hours per week (5 days for 8 hours), and the second one - about 30 hours. The working day often lasts from 09.00 to 18.00. There is a 1 hour lunch break and a couple of 15 minute breaks during the working day.
The employer has no right to force an employee to work in excess of the norm. However, the employee himself may wish to work overtime. Then his working day can go up to 12 hours a day.
Overtime is paid 1.5 times higher, and work on holidays and weekends is 2 times higher.
The situation with vacations is as follows. If the employee is new, they are entitled to 1-2 weeks of paid rest for 12 months. The duration of the vacation is increased by 1-2 days annually. Its maximum duration cannot exceed 4 weeks.
Many companies provide their staff with a social package. It includes health insurance, retirement plan, life insurance, various bonuses.
English proficiency as a prerequisite for employment
For representatives of qualified professions applying for high-paying positions, knowledge of English is a prerequisite. All documents must be submitted in English and interviewed in English. For those who do not speak English, there is only one option - to get a job in a Russian-speaking company.
Work for Russians without knowledge of the language is employment in low-skilled positions. Not speaking English, you can get a job as a nanny, housekeeper, car washer, loader, promoter, dishwasher, gardener or janitor.
Most immigrants who have worked in America for some time quickly master spoken English, which is enough to work as an animator, seller.
Work without experience in the United States and without knowledge of the language for Russian citizens is also available in the so-called Russian districts and quarters of American cities. For example, the owners of restaurants, cafes, hotels, shops and other establishments located in Brighton Beach (south of Brooklyn in New York) hire Russian-speaking employees.
How to look for a job in America
When looking for a job, you should seek help from relatives, friends, acquaintances living in the United States. They themselves once faced moving and looking for vacancies, so they have valuable practical experience. In addition, these people are closest to the source of information about the state of the labor market in a particular state or city. Their feedback on local employers will be the most objective.
If there are no acquaintances who have lived in America for a long time, you can find a job in the United States by looking at advertisements in the local press. Newspapers such as USA Today, Washington Post, New York Times, and others have Internet versions, so you don't have to be in the United States to read them.
For those looking for a suitable job after immigration, there is another good option - submit your own ad in the local newspaper. You can also view ads in city shopping and entertainment centers, hotels, cafes, salons and other institutions. In the absence of a bulletin board in the institution, you can contact the administrators and ask about vacancies from them.
While in the United States, you can visit the Russian community of a particular city. Its representatives will tell you where Russians work in America, give you a list of current vacancies, and help you collect the required documents. They often always have fresh data.
Another option is to contact the company of interest directly. To do this, you need to write a resume and send it to a potential employer. It is better to try to get a job in large firms, as they are constantly in need of labor.
The optimal solution for confident Internet users is to monitor American job search sites. A wide base of vacancies is presented on such electronic labor exchanges:
- CareerBuilder;
- CraigList;
- Monster;
- SummerJobs;
- Adeccousa and others.
If you do not want to independently search for work, you can trust intermediaries - specialized recruiting companies. Many of them take money for their services at the very beginning of the cooperation.
In order not to fall into the trap of scammers, it is better to trust an agency that works without prepayment and asks to transfer the required amount to its account only after a vacancy is found.
Before concluding an agreement with a recruiting company, you need to make sure that it has a license to provide services in the field of job search.
The following employment agencies in the United States have proven to be the most reliable:
- Russian America INC;
- Fish Alaska;
- Employment agency NY;
- Mariage LTD and others.
Those foreigners who have encountered fraud have the right to file a complaint against a specific recruiting company with the State Consumer Protection Office.
Features of employment in the United States of America
To legally get a job in the United States, you must meet a number of conditions. Let's take a closer look at what it takes to work in America.
Required documents
The list of official papers that will be required for legal employment include:
- work visa to the USA;
- work permit in the United States;
- identity documents of the applicant (foreign and domestic passports);
- summary;
- educational document confirming the specialty and qualifications;
- Photo;
- a certificate with a social security number (SSN);
- an invitation to work in the United States from an employer.
If there are documents on additional education (for example, certificates of any courses), they should also be attached.
Resume rules
The resume is drawn up in English. Do not write too long. The more information is provided, the more difficult it will be for an employer to extract the most significant data from it.
To outline all the most important, two pages are enough. It should be indicated:
- Personal data: last name and first name, date of birth, address, phone number, email. You can add links to your own social media profiles if they help unleash their owner's potential as a specialist in a particular area.
- Education. It is necessary to list all educational institutions in which the applicant studied, in reverse chronological order. In addition, indicate the courses, seminars and other educational programs that were listened to and as a result of which the corresponding certificates and diplomas were issued.
- Work experience. As in the case of education, the listing of companies in which a candidate worked for a vacant position is carried out in reverse chronological order. Positions and periods of time during which the candidate occupied them are indicated. This also includes volunteer experience, if any.
- Skills. In this section, you should list personal qualities and skills that will help you cope with work at the highest level. It is on skills rather than education that it is recommended to focus. For Americans, what the applicant can do is more important than where he studied.
Regarding the photo: many Western experts advise not to insert it into the resume, unless the candidate is applying for the position of a model, Hollywood actor, singer or similar. From their point of view, the appearance of the applicant has nothing to do with the level of professionalism.
An example of a resume is presented to your attention below.
How to get a work permit in America
A work permit in the United States is a document on the basis of which American companies obtain the right to hire a foreigner without coordinating this issue with the authorities. Permission must be obtained:
- family members of refugees;
- family members of an immigrant who works in the United States on the basis of a work visa;
- F-1 visa students;
- graduates wishing to undergo an internship in America after graduation;
- immigrants who have applied for a Green Card;
- foreigners who arrived in the United States at the request of the American authorities;
- employees of foreign employers who have worked in the United States for at least a year.
To obtain permission to work in the United States, you must contact the American Citizenship and Immigration Service, providing the following package of documents (all papers must be translated into English and notarized):
- completed form No. І-765;
- international passport;
- a paper confirming the fact of filing an application for a change in immigration status;
- a receipt for payment of the state fee ($ 380).
The exact list of documents depends on the status of the immigrant. After submitting the application at the specified time, the candidate will need to come to the Citizenship and Immigration Service to collect biometric data.
Those who decide to go to America to work with refugee status do not need to obtain a permit. They are issued with the I-94 form, which will need to be presented to the employer.
A work permit in America is in the form of a plastic card with the name and surname of the owner and the validity of the document. As a rule, it is issued for a year. With a permit in hand, a foreigner can obtain a social security number - SSN.
How to apply for a work visa
There are several options for work visas in the United States. The most popular are:
- Н-1В - for highly qualified specialists;
- Н-2В - for seasonal workers;
- Н-3 - for specialists improving their qualifications;
- L-1 - for executives and valuable professionals of companies registered in the United States;
- Н-1С - for nurses.
To obtain a visa at the American Embassy / Consulate, the following must be submitted:
- an invitation letter from an employer from the United States;
- completed application form DS-160;
- consular fee receipts ($ 190);
- Employer's completed Form ETA-9035 for the United States Department of Labor;
- certificates from the employer indicating the title of the position and the size of the salary;
- copies of the work book;
- copies of the education certificate;
- documents confirming the ownership of the property;
- copies of foreign and domestic passports;
- Photo;
- copies of marriage certificate.
Visa documents are submitted 3 months before the date of official employment in the United States. At the appointed time, you will need to appear for an interview at the embassy.
Nostrification of a document on education
Before getting a job in the United States, a Russian citizen needs to go through a procedure such as diploma nostrification. Its essence lies in the recognition in America of a document on education received on the territory of the Russian Federation.
After nostrification, a foreign citizen in the United States is issued a certificate with a unique number plate.
Documents required for nostrification:
- completed application form;
- copy of your foreign passport;
- a copy of the bachelor's / master's diploma and annex to it;
- a copy of the diploma of the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) and the first two pages of the dissertation abstract - for holders of the degrees of candidate and doctor of science.
Where to submit documents for nostrification should be clarified with the future employer or directly at the university, if after the evaluation of the diploma it is still necessary to complete your studies.
The diploma recognition procedure lasts a month. Its cost is about $ 450.
Internship programs in America
Foreigners are eligible for internships only in those American organizations that are officially registered. Internships are available for:
- students of foreign universities between the ages of 18 and 25 who have completed at least two courses of study;
- graduates of foreign universities between the ages of 20 and 32.
To choose an internship program, you can go to the website of the US Department of State and find a sponsoring organization there, which will select a suitable offer for a certain fee.
The candidate must fill out a questionnaire, which will be considered within 30 days. When the program is selected, an invitation will be sent to the applicant for signature.
Next comes the conclusion of the contract. You need to contact the American embassy with him.
Some of the most popular internship programs include:
- Work and Travel - for students of 2-4 courses for the summer;
- Career Training - for university graduates working in their specialty for more than 12 months;
- Internship - for students of 2-5 courses and graduates who graduated from universities no more than 12 months ago;
- Alien Physician Program - for medical students.
The duration of the internship is 3-18 months. You can only complete it once.
To be able to intern in the United States, you need to obtain a work visa for 3-12 months. The average cost of the programs ranges from $ 2,000 to $ 4,000.
Foreigners are provided with housing, wages are paid in the amount of 1 to 1.5 thousand dollars.
Wages in America
The average salary in the United States ranges from $ 8-12 an hour. But there are states in which this amount is lower: from 5 to 7 dollars.
If we do not take into account tax deductions, then the average earnings in the state for a week is 865 dollars, for a month - 3.8 thousand dollars, for a year - 45.6 thousand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, men's earnings are 19.5% higher than women's.
The lowest salaries are for waiters and fast food workers (about $ 20 thousand per year), salespeople, couriers and janitors (about $ 25 thousand per year), secretaries and lower-level managers (about $ 30-34 thousand per year).
Most of all are received by nurses, accountants, police officers (up to 70 thousand dollars a year), programmers, engineers, lawyers, financiers (from 80 to 140 thousand dollars a year), doctors (about 235 thousand dollars a year). By the way, IT specialists are often offered remote work at home via the Internet.
American tax system
There are three categories of taxes in the United States: federal, state taxes, and local (city taxes). Income tax is deducted on a progressive scale (the more income, the higher the tax rate) and varies between 10-37%.
In some states, such as Florida, there is no income tax. But you have to pay federal income tax.
Income tax is levied on legal entities. In this case, only the net profit of companies is taken into account (total income for the year "minus" expenses). There is a tax-free minimum that differs from state to state.
Both individuals and legal entities pay property tax. Its rate ranges from 0.5-5%.
Every US citizen must file a tax return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) annually between January 1 and April 15. Possible options for submitting a document are written or electronic.
How to start a business in America
To open your own business, you can use one of the following methods:
- open a branch of your own enterprise operating in your home country in the United States;
- purchase a ready-made business or franchise in America;
- found a new company.
To start your own business, you will have to go through a series of successive stages:
- Apply for an EB-5 business visa to the United States.
- Buy or rent premises for a company.
- Insure the company against force majeure and unforeseen risk.
- Hire staff.
- Complete the business registration procedure by paying a state fee.
Legalization of the constituent documents of a company is possible in the United States only after it is provided with a working space and employees.
What is Green Card
Green Card (translated into Russian "Green Card") is an identity card (identification card), which confirms the residence permit of a foreigner in the United States and provides him with the opportunity to work in the country.
The Green Card holder has the right to:
- living in any of the states;
- legal work;
- ownership of real estate;
- obtaining an American driver's license;
- joining some types of the US military;
- receiving social benefits.
The responsibilities of the green card owner include:
- payment of income tax;
- registration in the conscription service (for men 18-26 years old);
- maintaining your immigration status (you cannot leave the United States for more than 180 days during the year);
- notification of your move to the employees of the migration service.
There are several ways to get a card:
- marriage with a US citizen;
- family reunification;
- employment at the request of an American employer;
- obtaining political asylum;
- winning the diversification lottery.
Which American cities are the best to live and work in
U.S. News employees conducted a study, based on the results of which they compiled the top 100 American cities best for living and working. The following criteria were used for the assessment:
- the state of the labor market (unemployment and wages);
- cost of living (prices of goods and services);
- quality of life (crime rate, development of education, healthcare, and so on);
- prestige (degree of popularity among representatives of other regions);
- migration (the number of foreigners arriving annually).
The top ten includes:
- Austin, Texas.
- Denver, Colorado.
- San Jose, California.
- Washington, DC.
- Fayetteville, Arkansas.
- Seattle, Washington.
- Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.
- Boston, Massachusetts.
- Des Moines, Iowa.
- Salt Lake City, Utah.
In the middle of the list are large American cities: Detroit (Michigan), Sacramento (California), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Houston (Texas).
"Cool" cities - New York (New York State), Los Angeles (California), Chicago (Illinois) and Miami (Florida) take extreme positions in the ranking. The reason for this, according to residents' reviews, is the high cost of goods and services. In addition, due to the large influx of migrants, there is an acute shortage of jobs.
In terms of climatic conditions, the least comfortable cities for living are the cities of the states of Alaska, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota. The most favorable climates are Georgia, Texas, Florida.
Illegal work in the United States
Due to the length and complexity of paperwork for official employment, the choice of many Ukrainians, Kazakhs, Russians, Belarusians and emigrants from other countries is illegal work in America. But there are severe penalties for it both for the workers themselves and for their employers.
If a foreigner is found to be working illegally, he is facing deportation. If a visa is overdue for 180 days or more, a person is temporarily (for 3 years) prohibited from entering the United States. If the visa is overdue for 12 months or more, the duration of the ban on entry into the country is 10 years.
In some cases, amnesties for illegal aliens are possible. But they are held extremely rarely. The last one took place in 2021.
Employers who hire illegal employees must pay a fine. In especially difficult cases, it is possible to bring them to criminal responsibility.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Working in America
The employment opportunities for foreigners in the United States are really wide. There is work in the United States for a married couple (for example, a husband is a gardener and a wife is a nurse) and for single migrants. Before you go to America in order to find a job, you should consider all the disadvantages and advantages of this idea.
The disadvantages of employment in the United States include:
- long process of paperwork (obtaining a visa and work permit, nostrification of a diploma);
- low salaries for representatives of professions related to manual labor;
- high income tax rates;
- the need to speak English for high-paying vacant positions.
Among the advantages of working in America stand out:
- the level of wages, which is much higher than the indicators of many countries of the world;
- strict observance by employers of the working regime prescribed in the legislation;
- decent wages for highly qualified specialists;
- the presence of a large number of vacancies;
- the possibility of obtaining a residence permit, and then - and citizenship.
Local authorities provide assistance to law-abiding immigrants wishing to find employment officially. Illegals face severe punishment, including expulsion from the country and a ban on entry in the future.
