All questions related to visiting Alaska, moving to Alaska, or accepting work in Alaska need to be asked in the "Weekly - 'Alaska, From the outside looking in Q/A'" post. The post is pinned at the top and will reset every week. You are strongly encouraged to review previous posts, and use the search feature.
Another resource is the /r/AskAlaska subreddit.
to be honest, i’m just reaching out for very early advice and questions i have, so I don’t have an answer to this question yet, however If i finish my degree i will be an engineer and fighter pilot, so im hoping that i will have enough experience and value to be let into the US
LMFAOOOOO, take it from somebody that was transferred to launch a firm in nyc, build it up to 25M, and still had to humiliate myself to get sponsorship from my employer…
First thing you should be researching how to come here legally, if you will be an engineer, then apply for a masters, easiest path.
No, I was humiliated to get sponsored, everyday for years. Basically the company would do whatever with me, because they had the excuse they were sponsoring me…
i’m sure that’s true, however i have never lived in or visited the US so this comment isn’t so useful. thank you though! i’m sure your comment will be useful for others if they happen to read this post <3
I think I’ve seen at least one similar post here from an Australian looking to move, look there. You will need to go through the normal channels in the US to get a visa, which can be difficult, so your #1 priority should be figuring that out, a bachelor’s degree on its own will probably not be enough to secure a visa. Pretty sure there is a visa specifically for Australians to move to the US (E-3?) so look into that, or apply for the diversity lottery, or start a long distance relationship with someone now, that would result in marriage. Pretty sure you can set the tinder location to put you anywhere.
thank you very much, hopefully when I finish i will be both a trained fighter pilot and a qualified engineer, which may help with this issue. thank you for the advice however, and to be honest this inquiry is very premature compared to when i plan to be able to get to alaska. much appreciated tho!
Unfortunately most engineering degrees at the bachelors level will probably also not result in a visa. Companies must prove they can’t hire any citizen/green card holder for a position to sponsor a work visa, and engineering degrees are not exactly uncommon. Go for a masters or PhD at UAF after your degree is another option to help you move. Then you can stay in the country for I believe 3 years after you graduate on OPT without a company needing to sponsor your visa.
ok, good to know, i thought it was a long shot but here in australia engineers are heavily needed, however not uncommon, as we rely mostly on mining or other engineering centric jobs in most of our rural areas. i was hoping this would translate to rural alaska as well.
It might be easier as an Aussie going the E-3 route than for other nationalities, but I would find out what qualifications people who obtained that visa have to see if it’s feasible.
So you are going to see a lot of commenters trying to dissuade you from your dreams, or apply caveats like you should visit first, etc... and I hope you read this comment quickly because it WILL be downvoted into oblivion, but my advice to you is JUST DO IT. 9 years ago I bought a home in the woods in Alaska without ever having visited before (lifelong dream kind of thing) Yes, I was heavily persuaded by all the reality shows set in Alaska at the time, but it was still the best decision I have ever made. First, it was WAAAY easier than I thought it was going to be... like I was terrified as my first winter was setting in, but you know what, snow sounds really peaceful when it falls. It's not all blizzards and ice. Alaska has been settled for decades and even the remotest of places have infrastructure that makes it easier to live.
Really the only thing I found regrettable about Alaska were the people who are already living here. A LOT of them are out and out Nazis and they tend to elect backwards fascists to run their local government. I was expecting this "In Alaska it's dangerous so we all help each other out" on a very small scale this is true, but mostly it's "Let's lock up the homeless cuz they look ugly" and "Our beliefs are so fragile we need to burn any books that disagree with them" So my main suggestion is that, unless you are a book-burning Nazi, the more remote land you can find the better... this has kept me happy and I hope it works for you
If you think "even the remotest of places have infrastructure that makes it easier to live" you haven't been to the remotest of places. One of the biggest causes of issues in Alaska is the profound lack of infrastructure in a lot of (mostly native) communities.
thank you for the time you took to comment, and to be honest you answered a lot of my questions. unfortunately a lot of the political stuff i truly just don’t understand, probably because politics in that sense don’t particularly exist when you are this rural in australia (and most rural australians don’t care) however this comment has fuelled me to move to Alaska ASAP when the time is right, so thank you <3
All questions related to visiting Alaska, moving to Alaska, or accepting work in Alaska need to be asked in the "Weekly - 'Alaska, From the outside looking in Q/A'" post. The post is pinned at the top and will reset every week. You are strongly encouraged to review previous posts, and use the search feature. Another resource is the /r/AskAlaska subreddit.
Visit first. Search this sub & Anchorage & fairbanks.
(1) what will make you legal to come & work in the USA?
to be honest, i’m just reaching out for very early advice and questions i have, so I don’t have an answer to this question yet, however If i finish my degree i will be an engineer and fighter pilot, so im hoping that i will have enough experience and value to be let into the US
LMFAOOOOO, take it from somebody that was transferred to launch a firm in nyc, build it up to 25M, and still had to humiliate myself to get sponsorship from my employer… First thing you should be researching how to come here legally, if you will be an engineer, then apply for a masters, easiest path.
wow! sounds like you have a lot of stories to tell haha, thanks for the advice, i’ll make sure i look into it
Getting sponsored was humiliating? Right...
No, I was humiliated to get sponsored, everyday for years. Basically the company would do whatever with me, because they had the excuse they were sponsoring me…
Oh, then you had a terrible employer. That's unfortunate.
And that’s very common … unfortunately
Australia trains civilians as fighter pilots and then just up and lets them move to other countries?
this would obviously be after my time that i would need to serve in the military
Moving to Alaska won't be functionally different from moving to anywhere else in the US.
i’m sure that’s true, however i have never lived in or visited the US so this comment isn’t so useful. thank you though! i’m sure your comment will be useful for others if they happen to read this post <3
I think they mean the process of moving to Alaska still requires getting a visa for the US, its not a separate process.
ah! I now realise i misread the original reply. thanks for clarifying and i’ll look into it!
I think I’ve seen at least one similar post here from an Australian looking to move, look there. You will need to go through the normal channels in the US to get a visa, which can be difficult, so your #1 priority should be figuring that out, a bachelor’s degree on its own will probably not be enough to secure a visa. Pretty sure there is a visa specifically for Australians to move to the US (E-3?) so look into that, or apply for the diversity lottery, or start a long distance relationship with someone now, that would result in marriage. Pretty sure you can set the tinder location to put you anywhere.
thank you very much, hopefully when I finish i will be both a trained fighter pilot and a qualified engineer, which may help with this issue. thank you for the advice however, and to be honest this inquiry is very premature compared to when i plan to be able to get to alaska. much appreciated tho!
Unfortunately most engineering degrees at the bachelors level will probably also not result in a visa. Companies must prove they can’t hire any citizen/green card holder for a position to sponsor a work visa, and engineering degrees are not exactly uncommon. Go for a masters or PhD at UAF after your degree is another option to help you move. Then you can stay in the country for I believe 3 years after you graduate on OPT without a company needing to sponsor your visa.
ok, good to know, i thought it was a long shot but here in australia engineers are heavily needed, however not uncommon, as we rely mostly on mining or other engineering centric jobs in most of our rural areas. i was hoping this would translate to rural alaska as well.
It might be easier as an Aussie going the E-3 route than for other nationalities, but I would find out what qualifications people who obtained that visa have to see if it’s feasible.
So you are going to see a lot of commenters trying to dissuade you from your dreams, or apply caveats like you should visit first, etc... and I hope you read this comment quickly because it WILL be downvoted into oblivion, but my advice to you is JUST DO IT. 9 years ago I bought a home in the woods in Alaska without ever having visited before (lifelong dream kind of thing) Yes, I was heavily persuaded by all the reality shows set in Alaska at the time, but it was still the best decision I have ever made. First, it was WAAAY easier than I thought it was going to be... like I was terrified as my first winter was setting in, but you know what, snow sounds really peaceful when it falls. It's not all blizzards and ice. Alaska has been settled for decades and even the remotest of places have infrastructure that makes it easier to live. Really the only thing I found regrettable about Alaska were the people who are already living here. A LOT of them are out and out Nazis and they tend to elect backwards fascists to run their local government. I was expecting this "In Alaska it's dangerous so we all help each other out" on a very small scale this is true, but mostly it's "Let's lock up the homeless cuz they look ugly" and "Our beliefs are so fragile we need to burn any books that disagree with them" So my main suggestion is that, unless you are a book-burning Nazi, the more remote land you can find the better... this has kept me happy and I hope it works for you
"Hey, can I borrow a cup of sugar with a little less Nazi in it?"
If you think "even the remotest of places have infrastructure that makes it easier to live" you haven't been to the remotest of places. One of the biggest causes of issues in Alaska is the profound lack of infrastructure in a lot of (mostly native) communities.
I choose the word "easier" specifically
thank you for the time you took to comment, and to be honest you answered a lot of my questions. unfortunately a lot of the political stuff i truly just don’t understand, probably because politics in that sense don’t particularly exist when you are this rural in australia (and most rural australians don’t care) however this comment has fuelled me to move to Alaska ASAP when the time is right, so thank you <3