Hi im also in similar situation. I live in the uk and also looking to work in America so i can be closer to my 5 year old daughter who lives in Indiana with her mum
Been in the motor industry for last 22 years, currently working for LInde forklifts, over the years worked in germany, georgia, kuwait, afgan on military vechicles, hgv, lgv and forklifts, so im no stranger to working away
Willing to work on either off the above, just wondering if anyone has heard off any in companies in the united states sponsoring people like myself. This seems to be the biggest hurdle i face, any advice on this subject would be much appreciated

I used to work for Finning Uk some years ago, in 2005 i went over on holiday to Canada (a road trip from Calgary to Vancouver to be precise) when i got to Vancouver i called in to Finning Canada HQ, within 10 minutes i had a coffee in my hand and was talking to the HR bloke about all their opportunities.
As i walked out the front door, there was a Yale dealer exact opposite with a sandwich board on the side of the road asking for for Journeymen (engineers in their speak).
To me it seems if you were good with your hands, you could pretty much walk into a depth of vacancies available.
Key thing is, although you want the security of having someone else pick up the costs of emigration, overseas employers will not take you seriously unless you get your *** over there with the correct papers and clearance, in other words do your research and then pick your location, you may need to make a couple of reccy visits to make your mind up, i think it would be foolhardy just to tip up and expect it all to click, all the same **** you put up here in the UK will still be the same **** as in any other country.
In other words money is important, but it's not the be all and end all of life, and i'd expect it would take a good two years to stop being homesick.
In the end, when i looked at Canada, there was a 4 year waiting list for permanent residency, plus my wifes parents were in their 70's and in failing health.
The way of life is not what you think either, my aunt lives in Virginia, and when i was over there in 1989 after my apprenticeship finished, she offered to sponsor me to stay in the US, my cousins husband owned his own company and offered me a position, but i could not gel with the American way of life, it was all a bit too full on for me, as i'm quite a reserved character, if you are a real extrovert, it could well work for you.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do, the best thing about engineering, is that it gives you that passport to go anywhere in the world.

Hi Chris,

Your right in your statement Alain did get it wrong, back in the sixties it was a great time to be working in England there were jobs galore to be had in the motor trade you could ask for arise and if you did not get one.
Walk across the road a get a start at another garage no bother wages weren't high but the cost of living was low. Big companies had strong unions then looking after it members interest. I got into forklift maintenance in 1973 when inflation was going crazy in the country. I was on forty pounds a week then but could not make ends meet as we might say but when I got that forklift job it paid more than twice that salary and I could not have wished for a better employer, and I'm going to name that employer it was Yale best employer I ever had.

OK , here goes. If you know what your doing, can get along with customers, the word will get out in the small world of fork lift techs. Going on my 34th year in the industry and never been without a job in the industry. I turn down several job offers every year because I work for a good company. Just get used to driving on the correct side of the road.

Every bit of what alain said is wrong.....completely wrong.

I wouldn't entertain the states tbh. They don't get the holiday entitlement or sick pay or bank holidays we get.

If you went into the motor trade there they don't get paid a basic salary, they only get paid for each car they fix. A bit like our bonus system but without the basic salary.

They seem light years behind with their employment law and terms & conditions/workers rights. A bit like the UK was in the 60's and 70's!

I can't see why it would be any more difficult for an American over any other nationality, there just aren't many of you here! :) Don't let that put you off though, I work for a company that actively seeks out overseas workers because there just aren't enough techs here to fill the available positions.... every company is constantly looking. Some companies, like the one I work for, are on the NZ Immigration Accredited Employer scheme which makes it easier to get a visa or residency.

In reply to stillengineer: I can't imagine that the US has any huge advantages over the UK for blue collar workers. We probably have better weather in certain parts of the country, and possibly more choice of companies to work for. I don't know where you are in your career, but I doubt that you would be ahead monitarily, the regions that pay the best also have very high cost of living.

Oh, by the way, in case you haven't heard, the current powers that be in the Capitol are planning to cut back on work visas, Chinese Real Estate Investors excluded.

Hey techno_nz and hsvpaul2, is it difficult for American techs to emigrate to NZ?

Um, I've got a friend that would like to know. Wink-Wink.

Keep us posted how you get on, sounds like a great oppertunity

Yes Techno is completely right, we need good techs here in NZ and getting work visas is not that difficult here.

Don't forget new Zealand, moved here from the UK nine years ago with the family, best thing we ever did! Good luck!

The big trick will be getting a work visa (most likely an H-1B). Getting an H-1B is not easy; only a limited number are issued in a given year and are snapped up in the 1st few days of availability. Have all your documents and certifications at the ready for your sponsoring employer (need one of those as in advance of getting a visa). I have sponsored several H-1B's and trust me they are not easy get, they are expensive requiring an attorney to do all the filing work...

Based on the USA barriers, Canada may be a viable option.

All the best,

Finding people that can get in a service van and go fix forklifts (properly) is something that is hard to find in the USA. An experienced tech has no problem getting a job. I know one company that offers a $1000 bonus if you can prove you are capable of doing that. If you can answer "yes" to "can you go fix things and hand in the work orders without having problems", you will find a job easily.

I've looked at Canada before, I wouldn't rule it out, just want a fresh start for me and my family