Should I consider applying for college if only for visa status?
polycounter lvl 6
I currently live in the middle east, far away from any game-industry epicenter, and as I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to a professional level, I've been wondering if I should even bother applying for relocation positions.
As I understand, most studios in Europe and the US won't even consider relocating junior artists, because of visa reasons.
So... Am I basically fucked? Should I just apply for college in Europe, and bear the costs, just so I can get a visa status and apply for jobs once I'm there?
At this point, I feel like I won't get much out of art college, as I pretty much got pretty decent at modeling.
Should I do it anyway, if only for the relocation?
Or perhaps there's a way to relocate to Europe, at my own cost, without a visa?
I'm pretty much bamboozled here, so any help is super appreciated!
As I understand, most studios in Europe and the US won't even consider relocating junior artists, because of visa reasons.
So... Am I basically fucked? Should I just apply for college in Europe, and bear the costs, just so I can get a visa status and apply for jobs once I'm there?
At this point, I feel like I won't get much out of art college, as I pretty much got pretty decent at modeling.
Should I do it anyway, if only for the relocation?
Or perhaps there's a way to relocate to Europe, at my own cost, without a visa?
I'm pretty much bamboozled here, so any help is super appreciated!
Replies
Also it would be really hard to get into the US without a degree, I think Europe is a bit less strict.
The advantage of actual collage however is that you'll get a full year working visa after you graduated. Be warned however, I know quite a number of friends who got abused this way - got a contract position at (big name) studio while their visa lasted but the studio never cared to extend visa for them as there were unlimited supplies of foreign students graduating every year they can keep hiring cheap.
In that regard, you could just get the piece of paper in a local school, as long as it is accredited and teaches you something useful for your career.
okay, you get student visa through language school, how do you work fulltime then? as far as i know, you can't work fulltime when you are a on student visa only parttime.
Thanks for the tip!
That's probably the most solid plan...
DireWolf
Interesting.... Applying for a relatively cheap degree might do it, if all I'm looking for is a visa status.
And might as well go study something different and interesting, as game art school won't do me much good at this point.
That being said, I should probably get some freelance experience first.
no, studios won't consider that, because legally he must fit requirements for working visa to get a job. and to fit those requirements you have to have 4 - 5 year degree and some other stuff that i can't remember.
being on location doesn't mean anything, taking a vacation and being there for 3 months is still "on location", but legally it's a different story.
Wait, so getting a working visa in Europe requires a 4 year degree? That's not what I heard :x
Depends. It's probably different from country to country. But one thing most countries have in common is that they have to prove that no local or EU applicant is available. One route to bring in overseas people is to claim nobody with the right education or experience is available. But if you have no relevant education, this won't quite work for you.
Some countries might have other criteria for ranking people, such as defining professions which are in demand by the industry and this get preferential treatment - e.g. nurses, engineers, IT. But how do you prove you're an IT specialist? Either have a degree or X years work experience, or some other certification.
Some people start a business. don't need a degree. just need to invest and employ locals. E.g. start your own Chinese/Turkish/whatever restaurant?
So yes, some people can get in without a degree. Not sure if you can manage to fall into any of these categories though. The reality is just more complex than "get some random degree -> get EU work permission".
True dat, though this isn't exactly what I meant.
I know that even if a US company wants to pick yo up, you will still need a degree in order to qualify for a visa.
In Europe, however, I heard that getting recruited by a company is enough to qualify for a work visa.
Am I wrong?
perhaps. different EU countries have different requirements and immigration schemes, which depend on political and economic climate. You can't really generalize.
A better way than asking on Polycount would be to pick some target countries and visit their respective embassy's websites to learn what it takes to be eligible to work there. However a good company, which really wants you, will often help you to take one or the other hurdle in the process.
i'm pretty sure it's same, you still need to have a degree to qualify. company wanted to hire me fulltime, i went to an interview, passed the art test, all that jazz, but i didn't have a degree -- long story short, they were unable to hire me. (EU)
More information here -
http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=136823