Tier 2 Sponsorship Work Visa; Shortage Occupation List; Architect; SOS

All, I just finished my masters of architecture in Charlotte, NC and I'm planning to move to London by the summer! I'm having an EXTREMELY hard time with the visa.. now that I'm not a student, it seems the only way I'll be granted one is if I have a sponsorship from a UK company (apparently architects are on the shortage occupation list and I am able to get a Tier 2 work visa this way) or get married to a UK citizen How feasible is it for me to actually be granted this from a UK firm? Is there any other way for me to obtain a visa and pass a "right to rent" check?

If anyone is an architect or works at a design firm that sponsors or is hiring, I'd love to chat!! I'm trying to network as much as I can because so often jobs depend solely on who you know, and I'm at a disadvantage.

Any help would be appreciated!

Nope. You've found the only two ways that lead to settlement in the UK. You'll need to find a sponsor. You can't just move here. A visitor visa will allw you to stay for up to 6 months, if you can prove to the entry clearance officer that you aren't trying to live in the UK and are a geniune visitor.

Looks like you need to find a company willing to jump through the hoops (they will if they really like you).

Why are you limiting your search to London?

Architects will be tough without a good portfolio of work.  I was a shortage occupation and it took 8 years of post-university experience and an MBA to get an international opportunity.... and that was 10 years ago.  And I was disappointed to “get” the UK.   

Remember that it can’t just be *any* architecture firm.  It will need to be one with a sponsor license which is a significant time and financial outlay for the firm.

Not architecture, but just my experience.

I actually worked for an architecture firm in London, and the firm had sponsored my tier 2 general visa. Although, I'm not an architect- I am on the sales/ business development side.  It's a long story how I got there, but I would suggest finding a global architecture firm in America, working for them for a year than transferring to their London office.   It would be very, very tricky to get a local UK architecture firm to hire you.. reaching out to global firms will be your best bet.  Good luck!

Another thought- a lot of architecture firms use recruitment agencies in the UK.  Might be worth reaching out to some recruiters.  They may be able to help.

and you may already know this- but from my experience entry-level architects make a lot less in the UK than in America.. so just something to be aware of when you're looking at salaries.