Can a Non US citizen apply to jobs in the US?

For the foreseeable future, there will be an added challenge for overseas applicants getting work Visas following COVID-19.

There are extreme limitations for non-residents applying to jobs in the US as 99.99% of employers will not consider any application that does not already have the legal right to work in the U.S.. While technically you can apply to whatever job you want, we want to make sure people know the reality of the situation. For most U.S. jobs on our site, there is such an oversupply of labor for this industry that really only a handful of jobs that we deal with each year will even consider foreign applicants. We don't want to burst people's bubbles, but we also don't want to do people a disservice by letting them think that applying to a job is a good use of time.

Unfortunately, most work Visas go to highly technical workers. The cost, time, and low likelihood of success of getting a Visa really prohibit this as an option for most employers. In this industry, there is simply an oversupply of domestic labor already, so it is unnecessary for employers to reach outside of their geographic area, let alone the country.

Again, we don't want to burst bubbles, but we want to educate people on the challenges.

We always recommend targeting U.S. companies with operations in your country, as it would make a future transfer and visa more possible. There are also other ways via immigration attorneys etc. but that is expensive. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

For a more detailed overview of what's required to pursue a job in the US as an international applicant, check out our Q&A with Elke Osadnik, Director of Stateside Careers.