

Ask HN:How to move? - duiker101

Hi HN, i'm a freelance developer living in italy in a small town, where i live i have no opportunity t work like a developer or anything, it's even hard to find someone to talk about developing. 
So i want to move, i thought about San Francisco, i think it's the best one for a developer, i do not have in mind to start working immidiatly, i know interviews are hard, but i want to try, maybe starting to work in a pub or whatever. 
What i'm asking you is what i have to do to come there? what are the time limits and the things i need? i heard that immigration is strictly controlled so i'd like to have more  info, where should i go? what do i need? Anything you can suggest is really appriciated!<p>Thanks HN
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iqster
Don't discard Mountain View or Palo Alto (two nearby cities) in favor of San
Francisco. But high-level, yes, the SF Bay area is a fantastic place for
techies. Some caveats: you will likely see a lowering a standard of living
initially. For instance, vacation time in the US is a lot less than in other
places. Your expenses may also increase drastically.

Have you considered checking out the Bay area for a vacation? A conference
might be an excellent opportunity. I think the next PyCon is happening in San
Jose (also nearby). Just replace PyCon with whatever technology stack you may
be in love with. This lets you kill three birds with one stone.

1) You get the see the Bay area first hand ... the good and the bad.

2) You'll get to meet people in love with the same tech stuff as you from
other parts of the country/world. This is a really nice feeling + networking
opportunity.

3) It is probably much easier to get a visitor visa for a conference. (Do note
- I'm not saying you should use a visitor visa to get into the country and do
something inappropriate, like get a job. In my opinion, that's a risky
proposition and plain wrong.)

Once you have a network in place, you can probably find a job in a company and
get visa sponsorship. I don't know how hard this is for people from the EU.
Silicon Valley is built on the back of immigrants ... don't think this is
impossible.

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sixtofour
<http://www.state.gov/travel/>

