Gaming Jobs in the US
polycounter lvl 11
Hey gang, burning question to ask you guys.
As a Canadian, I've applied for jobs in the US but nobody has gotten back to me except for one company, who replied with a rather extensive art test. Upon completion and submission of the art test, they replied to me 3 hours later with the decision to not move forward with an interview. No reason was given as to why.
Everyone's likely thinking "Been there, done that, what makes you so special?"
While my art skills are probably a factor in the rejection, I'm also wondering if being Canadian might have had something to do with it. I've heard that in order for a studio (or any American company based in the US) to hire foreigners, said studio would have to jump through a lot of hoops for the government but nobody I've spoken to is sure of the details.
So my question is, how difficult is it for American studios to hire a Canadian, or any foreigner for that matter?
As a Canadian, I've applied for jobs in the US but nobody has gotten back to me except for one company, who replied with a rather extensive art test. Upon completion and submission of the art test, they replied to me 3 hours later with the decision to not move forward with an interview. No reason was given as to why.
Everyone's likely thinking "Been there, done that, what makes you so special?"
While my art skills are probably a factor in the rejection, I'm also wondering if being Canadian might have had something to do with it. I've heard that in order for a studio (or any American company based in the US) to hire foreigners, said studio would have to jump through a lot of hoops for the government but nobody I've spoken to is sure of the details.
So my question is, how difficult is it for American studios to hire a Canadian, or any foreigner for that matter?
Replies
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72320
In my experience, it's really not that hard...and not as hard as people make it out to be IF you meet the requirements. The thing is, as I've heard, you need to be better than local talent. They need to prove that they need to import someone for the job, also, they'll most likely be paying for relocation..so...you need to be worth it.
I don't know all the details of it, but I've heard stories from artists who have been in this situation. It's not a pleasant thing for them because they have a lot of restrictions on what they can legally do (difficult to freelance and make money on the side), and are at the mercy of the employer (they have to tough it out there for years until the process goes through or risk having to start the process all over again if they switch jobs). Some places might make you sign a contract "encouraging" you to continue working for them for a duration after the process is over so you don't immediately leave them.
Sounds pretty tough, but hopefully in the end it's beneficial for both sides.
Because I am self taught I have to get a bit more experience under my belt before I could go down to the states, or I could just take some night school or something.
so once you meet the visa requirements, you have to outshine all the local talent like haikai said. thats why for super stars like Gav it aint' no thang!
This is why they tend to bring over senior roles, the amount of experience those guys have usually also means they have a rock solid portfolio. their salary will also probably be pretty high so a couple extra thousand to relocate their investment isnt a big deal to most studios. to bring over a jr. artist is much more of a gamble if they will cut it, they could spend thousands and then have to cut them loose 6 months down the road.
Read gav's thread is awesome.
Gav: You *are* a superstar and it would surprise me greatly if you didn't manage to get yourself a position in the States. Last I checked, you were with Blue Castle, no? Guess it was time to move on?
Haikai: Thanks for the insight. It definitely seems like a lot of trouble for an American studio to hire a foreigner. And for them to go through that trouble, I would definitely have to be worth their trouble and outshine all their local applicants as Gav pointed out.
PixelMasher: There's a considerable issue with me, I think. I have 2 years work experience in QA (as a presentation specialist) but none actually producing art. 1.5 years of schooling. The inexperience likely showed up in my art test as well.
CanadianInk: That is correct, sir. And junior artist is the job I am going for. The studio was looking for full fledged environment artists, but I thought I'd apply anyway and try my luck. I'm actually glad that they even looked at me, to be honest.
Neox: I'm assuming what we've discussed so far is applicable only to residents of Canada, the US and Mexico. I'm not sure what the details are for Asians and Europeans to be brought over to the US to work.
but yeah need degree (bachelor) or experience, or a mix of both, freelancing doesn't count since you can't prove you were employed, unless you created a structure proving it, etc.
~ Holy crap!? Nine years and they still give you trouble? :poly122:
maybe i'm just an ass, no one likes me and i never recognized and thats the reason - but for now i don't see me leaving my good old from year to year smaller german industry ^^
anyways don't want to take over this thread - its about the mounties!
...Do I need a bachelor as well?
At least that's how its gone for all the americans I know in the euro industry
...btw saw the thread about your new job, congrats man!!
I've been told that the company that wants to hire you, really need to push for your work visa. It's a lot of work and a lot of money for them, and apparently they need to somehow prove that the kind of work you'll be doing can not be done by someone within US borders, wtf!
I'd imagine that booking a flight and securing accommodation would be comparable in terms of difficulty as applying for (and getting) a work permit, in the UK at least.
You're worried because you're Peruvian? Shit, man, c'mon on over, we'll let anyone in! However, in the interests of not derailing this into a politically-charged thread, rest assured that it is indeed much easier to get a work permit for the majority of European countries, especially in comparison to the United States.
Terms and conditions apply. Please consult actual countries for legal information.
This "degree is worthless" jazz was quite popular at cgtalk time ago. Unfortunately officials don't care how clean your AO bakes are. Looks like you have to move every couple of years in this industry, so dropping out of university and complicating paperwork stuff sounds like no-no to me.
Wish I'd done this earlier. Getting verification on jobs i did 4 years ago is tricky when the company in question has gone out of business
Gorazz: Yeah, what Neox said - really. The immigration officials don't care about your ability. If you don't meet the requirements, you don't get in. In fact, my lawyer advised me to only show the requirements and not the extra information I had to prove I was past the required minimum of experience. Basically, limiting any information that will make them go 'Wait, wut?' is a good idea. But yeah, the only people who care about skill are your employers - the border guys care about documentation. It's different for us, Canadians, as we get the TN work visa which is easier to get than the h1b - but - it's limited to certain careers and you need to have the requirements within that specific career.
They probably let me do it in 3 or 2 years instead of 4, and not even on my own pace.
Guess id rather get a few years work exp then waste my time and finaly have a paper.
Heh, by the time i can finaly leave this pleace im either dead or an old man who then cannot get the job instead of the visa.
Man i love these sets of rules.. i need a drink.
Without any hassle really, I'm from Portugal and came to Germany and I don't even have a passport yet, only id.
But what Rens meant was the states, i think!
Moving within Europe is indeed quite easy, though it is not what im after right now.
If it may help, I will be offering the company i apply for to pay the expenses made for the visa request and relocating. Maybe then a company is atleast willing to give it a try.
I refuse to give up on it/let it bring me down just because the situation makes it seem impossible.
Let us atleast try people!
then start drinking..
That's the spirit man.
There are a few years in the 6 years that were strictly freelance - I had to proove by providing legal written confirmation from my clientele that I produced work from date x to date y. And I had to do this with several old clients some dating as far back as 2005.
Pain in the ass, but definitely worth it IMO.
I'm so glad this is behind me... for at least the next 2 years. We'll see how it works for the renewal.
interesting .... hmmm, so relevant exp = double exp magical pendant equiped
I would be very grateful in advance if somebody could answer on these questions
I mean for the guys in embassy(the one who makes final decision, to open visa or not ?) but not the employer.
thanks for reply
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=13ad2f8b69583210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=13ad2f8b69583210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD
And for Canada, http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/index.asp
You can do the little eligible test,
it is just an indication, but you get the idea of how many points you might score. You need 67 and even i seemd to be getting those, so who knows even with a study that is not a bacholar, you still score bits and pieces