Would a law firm sponsor a work visa?

MYOS1634
Wed, 14 May 2014 21:52:28 +0000

There are more lawyers than the US can handle. Canada needs bilingual lawyers versed in Common Law and Civil Law, but in the US there are so many unemployed law school graduates that only one third actually work as lawyers. So, yes, why would anyone hire a lawyer on H1B unless they bring their special expertise to the table?
You could potentially do your undergrad in the US - for the college experience, because you want to study, say, neuroscience and American studies and couldn’t do that in the UK…- then return to the UK and get your Law Degree from a top UK program with a specialty in corporate, then transfer to a top American Law program, then look for a company impressed with your pedigree. It’s risky and potentially costly.
Getting citizenship is pretty difficult in the US because you need to work, and for that you need to get a H1B, and H1Bs are currently hogged by subcontracting companies that have totally undermined the original purpose of the H1B (which was to stabilize highly educated international workers in the US so that our economy could benefit from their expensive education and skills), with the paradoxal effect that it’s easier if you’re not qualified and just want to be a farmhand, than if you have a master’s degree. :s (I’m not kidding and I don’t think I’m exagerating). Which means your odds of getting a H1B are pretty low. And then you have to work and keep that H1B for 5 years - if at any point you lose your job, you must go home. Only then can you apply to become a citizen.