How the process of emmigration works at the game industry

ricardof360

I'm an illustrator from brazil,and i would like to work as a consept artist in other countries.
I made my education from online workshops,  tutorials and i always studied traditional art,color,composition,design etc.
The fact that i dont have a bachelor degree will prevent me from getting a work visa?

Brian "Panda" Choi

A bachelor degree will greatly increase the likelihood of obtaining most, if not all, US Visas.  

In general, if you can get a company to sponsor your VISA application, you're good.

Lucas Annunziata

Echoing what Brian said, a Bachelor's degree definitely is a high contributing factor not only to getting a US Visa, but also worldwide. Some countries have work experience equivalencies i.e 3 years of experience in your field equals the same as a degree.

Brian "Panda" Choi

@Lucas Annunziata , you a sexy man, mang.

ricardof360

even if the companys wants hire me,i wont get an h1b?

pior

It's not the company hiring you that decides if you get the H1B - they merely sponsor your application. The US immigration services are the ones deciding to grant you entry or not. Read about it on the relevant official US government websites.

Also, and this might sound like a bit of an obvious thing to say : based on your posts above you might also want to brush up on your english skills, since you want to appear as professional as possible during the Visa interview.

Sunray

Do you have more chance of getting a visa depending on your country you were born in or currently living?

pior

@Sunray : this 100% depends on the policy of the US regarding said country. They decide who gets in or not,  the choice is theirs to make according to their own sovereignty.

BrianShray

Brian "Panda" Choi said:

A bachelor degree will greatly decrease the likelihood of obtaining most, if not all, US Visas.  

In general, if you can get a company to sponsor your VISA application, you're good.

Do you mean greatly increase ?

Brian "Panda" Choi

@brianshray
Yes.  Gonna fix that right now.

BrianShray

I'm kinda in the same boat.
Im from a SEA country (Malaysia) with only a local Diploma.
My life goal has always been to eventually move overseas.

If it is any help, I've scoured the internet for information regarding this aswell. 
Portfolio strength aside, in terms of Visa Application/Approval, things will go smoother with a Degree than without.
Some countries like the US have different types of Visa depending on your education level. (Eg. H1B Visa vs O1 Visa)

Heck, I have personally had friends who received job offers overseas but were unable to secure a Visa due to lack of a Degree. 

Also, I'd recommend watching this

pior

For a H1B, if I remember correctly formal years of education "count" 3x as much as years of work experience. No idea if this is still the case though.

Overall that's the irony of it all : one definitely doesn't need a degree to be an excellent game artist and be on the radar of US studios looking for talent ... but, having a degree in a somewhat related field definitely helps when it comes to applying for a Visa.