Questions about Employment

I am looking in to attending University of Warwick in Coventry beginning in September 2015. Although my husband and I have over a year to save money, I am wondering what the likelihood of an American citizen finding work in the Coventry area (or areas within 80 km). He is a welder by trade, but also has experience in landscaping as well as working on motorcycles/dirt bikes/ATV's. Are the English hesitant to hire Americans? Do Americans have to "prove" that they can do the job better than an English citizen? What is the economy like? What industries are popular?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Sydra

It depends what visa he is on.

If he is able to get a Tier 4 Student Dependant visa (which depends on you studying for a masters level degree or higher), then he can legally work in any job in the UK and should be treated the same as any UK citizen applying for a job.

However, if he cannot get a Tier 4 dependant visa, he will have to secure a Tier 2 Sponsored Work Visa before he can move to the UK, and unless he is very highly skilled in a specialised profession, or a shortage profession in the UK (i.e. doctors, scientists, academics researchers, nurses, math/physics teachers, chefs, dancers etc.), the company will have to prove that there is no one in the entire EU capable of doing the job before they can hire him and get him a visa. As jobs like welding, landscaping, working on motorcycles etc. are not in shortage in the UK and there are plenty of qualified UK and EU citizens to do the jobs, I would say it would be pretty much impossible for him to qualify for a sponsored work visa.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but is a non-EU citizen allowed to stay in England for a maximum of 6 months without needing a visa? If so, if my husband were to come over when I move and finds a job within those 6 months, could he then apply for a sponsored visa?

Thank you for all the information. Although it is a little discouraging, it is very helpful!

Please correct me if I am wrong, but is a non-EU citizen allowed to stay in England for a maximum of 6 months without needing a visa? If so, if my husband were to come over when I move and finds a job within those 6 months, could he then apply for a sponsored visa?

In theory, yes, however, there's no such thing as 'not having a visa' - everyone who enters the UK must have a valid visa... it just depends if he applies for it in advance or if it is granted at the border when he arrives at the UK airport.

But, you have to be careful with long visits, especially if he will be trying to find a job during that time, because while a visitor from the US can potentially come to the UK for up to 6 months on a visitor visa, they aren't guaranteed to be allowed in for that amount of time if UK immigration don't believe he is a genuine visitor.

In order to be let into the UK as a visitor, he will need to prove that:

- he has a return ticket back to the US and will leave within 6 months
- he has enough money in his bank account to support himself for the entire trip without earning any income
- he has a job to return to in the US and permission from his employer to take leave for his trip (and will return to work on a certain date)
- he has a home to return to in the US that he is maintaining while in the UK
- he has no intention of trying to live or work in the UK

If he turns up at the border with his wife, who is moving to the UK for 3 years, and he has things like his resume/CV on him, and he wants to stay for 6 months, it may look to UK immigration like he might be an overstay risk and that he might be trying to use the visitor visa to live and work in the UK illegally so he can be with you. In theory he can look for work and interview as a visitor, but he must return to the US to apply for a work visa before he can actually start working.

If they don't believe he is a genuine visitor, they can refuse him entry and put him right back on the next plane home to the US.

If he does plan to visit for a few months, it might be wise to apply for a visitor visa in advance, so he can explain the situation and provide plenty of evidence that he will definitely return to the US and is a genuine visitor.