going to the US for a Job Interview.. what to say at immigration?

[Cyclogenesis]

I'm about to organise a trip to the US for a job interview (yay!) One thought I have, as you are always given the third degree there on arrival in LAX is what do you say is the purpose of your visit? and is it risky to take a printed CV and other material?

 

[samh004]

and is it risky to take a printed CV and other material?

I'm not sure about what to say, but I once saw a border patrol show where a Canadian woman was denied entry simply because she happened to have her CV with her.

I'd store it online and print it when you're there.

 

[Dave Noble]

If you are going for a job interview , make sure that the VWT/VWB visa will be appropriate for the visit, otherwise apply for the appropriate visa and then be honest at immigration

I wouldn't be lying to the immigration officers since , get found out, and that will be the end of the recreuitment process for the job there and then

Dave

 

[Cyclogenesis]

This looks promising:
E-3 Visa

Can I travel to the U.S. on the Visa Waiver Program to find a job or attend interviews and then apply for the E-3 visa once I return to Australia?

Yes, you can travel on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) if you meet the requirements (please see our page on the Visa Waiver Program). If you do not meet the VWP requirements, you may be eligible to travel on the B-1/B-2 Combined Visa for Business or Pleasure.
You must leave the U.S. before applying for your E-3 visa.

 

[Dave Noble]

This looks promising:
E-3 Visa

Reading the posted description, it would seem that you can use the VWT/VWB to enter the USA for a job interview

Should you get offered the job , then the company will then ( I assumer ) submit a petition to the USCIS for an appropriate visa. I would expect something like an H since that can be used to get permanent residency later. If this is a permanent position, than the E may not be the best to apply for since it has a 2 year limit

Dave

 

[Cyclogenesis]

Thanks Dave... it is a DOE lab (Argonne National lab near Chicago) so hopefully they know what they are doing.. Now to find out what class of travel they offer for the flights

 

[significance]

I'm about to organise a trip to the US for a job interview (yay!) One thought I have, as you are always given the third degree there on arrival in LAX is what do you say is the purpose of your visit? and is it risky to take a printed CV and other material?

Just make sure you call the immigration officer "sir" or "mam". Seriously.

 

[coco50]

If you are going for a job interview , make sure that the VWT/VWB visa will be appropriate for the visit, otherwise apply for the appropriate visa and then be honest at immigration

I wouldn't be lying to the immigration officers since , get found out, and that will be the end of the recreuitment process for the job there and then

Dave

I agree with Dave. My son applied for a 6 months' tourist visa to the US 5 years ago. His intention was to seek work and obtain sponsorship from a supporting business. He had several interviews with the US Consulate in Martin Place and was totally upfront to the authorities about his intentions. He was granted the visa and subsequently found a potential employer and sponsorship. He has been working in LA for four years and has received three promotions and is about to buy real estate.

 

[medhead]

I'm not sure about what to say, but I once saw a border patrol show where a Canadian woman was denied entry simply because she happened to have her CV with her.

I'd store it online and print it when you're there.

Or was she denied because she was on a tourist visa, return flight was 12 months out and tried to claim she wasn't going to look for work despite having a CV?

As others have said if your honest and the visa or VWP allows you to do job interviews then you'll be right. Also ,I assume you'll only be there for a week or so if it is just for an interview. Hence I wouldn't see a problem with carrying a CV and related documents.

 

[Cyclogenesis]

I have discovered the hard way that the above is not true...
On applying for my pre authorisation I ticked Yes to am I seeking a job and I was not pre-approved

Now I need to work out which visa is appropriate...

Ahh how annoying!

 

[Dave Noble]

Now I need to work out which visa is appropriate...

B1/B2 should be appropriate but a call to Consulate might be worth it

Dave

 

[Cyclogenesis]

Yep... that's the plan..

Any idea on processing time and cost?

 

[Dave Noble]

Yep... that's the plan..

Any idea on processing time and cost?

$145 for the interview which is paid at the post office before you go to interview

Processing time for the visa with no issues can be a cpl of days from the interview. The time to get an interview was 2 days when I applied for an L2

Just follow the steps at Applying for a Non-Immigrant Visa

Dave

 

[Cyclogenesis]

Further searching is even more confusing... it Seems that by "seeking work" actually means "planning to work on this visa" when filling out the Authorisation to travel form...

I'll confirm this with the consulate tomorrow and apparently you can re-do the ESTA in 24 hours...

Doing some web searching this is a bit of an issue... the working of "seeking work" is confusing...

 

[Dave Noble]

I would have thought that that going for a pre-arranged interview would not be classed as "seeking work" since you are not going there to seek for work, but I would verify with the consulate. Make sure that you follow correct procedure and not try to short cut this especially given the likelihood of wanting to apply for a change of category in the near future

Dave

 

[medhead]

Further searching is even more confusing... it Seems that by "seeking work" actually means "planning to work on this visa" when filling out the Authorisation to travel form...

Well, that is exactly how I would have interpretated that question. You are not planning to travel to the USA on the visa to seek work. You've already sought work and have found a potential job. You not going to work while your there, that will come later and will require a different visit. So you're going for a job interview, you've done the job seeking already, you're not going to cold call on other employers (I assume) and you not going to actually work (seek and gain employment) while there on this visit.

A lot of semantics, but in your situation I would have said no I'm not seeking work.

 

[penegal]

It is my understanding that you can attend a pre-arranged interview on VWP using ESTA. You aren’t ‘seeking’ work as such.

However in these situations the best thing to do is to call the consulate and explain your situation. They should give you a definitive answer.

Worst case scenario: You might need to get a B1/B2 for the interview, but then you would need to apply for the relevant short/long-term work visa with accompanying documentation if you do get the job. (i.e. 2 visas)

 

[Cyclogenesis]

Please note: This is not immigration advice, you should seek your own advice etc... This information was derived from a phone call on 14/10/2009 and its relevance may change with time:

Just off the phone (after paying $12) with the US consulate (you have to call this hotline... and they charge) and yes.. what I said above was confirmed.

Seeking work in the US means you are planning to receive monies while in the US on this visit. If you are eligible for the VWP you are able to use it to enter the USA for the purposes of a job interview.

Be prepared to take documentation (bank statements etc) to show that you are able to support yourself while in the US and that you have strong links to your country of residence...

All I can hope now is this gets lodged into Google so some one else who has been pulling their hair out trying to find information on this subject can find this (but once again please note this is just recounting a conversation I had on the hotline, you should seek your own independent advice and not rely on this)