ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

12 years, 2 months ago - Dan Selakovich

ACE is not the Union. It is an organization for editors. You can belong to the Union (Local 700), without belonging to American Cinema Editors. To get a visa, you have to have work first. You can't come, get work, then get a visa. I personally don't think it would be worth it unless you've worked on some huge stuff in the U.K. Like every other position in film, pay has been drastically reduced over the years, and it's very difficult to make a living. Also, keep in mind that we don't have a national health care system here. Health insurance alone on the private market is expensive--often more than rent. But if you want to come, you'll need to do one of two things: get a job before you come, then apply for a visa. Or two, come, get a job, go back to the UK and apply for a visa. Once you do that, and want to join I.A., you'll need a certain number of days on non-union work to apply for union membership. I don't know the requirements now. It used to be 600 days, then pay $3000 to join the union. I'm sure that it's more now. Working legally here on film or tv is really difficult, because there are more editors than work, and getting a work visa is near impossible. Good luck!

12 years, 2 months ago - Andrea Cuadrado

Yikes Dan! thanks very much but feel slightly frightened now!!..lol....and Lee to, thanks so much for the info and time you put into writing all that. I am applying for in house positions in post houses as i knew that working freelance legally would be next to impossible, its hard enough here! It could take a while but its something I want to do so...... Lee can i Priivate message you for details on your trailer editor friend??

thanks guys!

much love! x

12 years, 2 months ago - Lee Rowlett

Hi Andrea,

I have experience of having US work visas declined and accepted over the past 3 years, and I have to warn you, it's tough.

My advice is to go one of 3 ways:

1 - If you have a UK company that's been in operation for the past 2 years, you can open a US office of your company and apply for the L1 visa. This would require you to gain office space in the US and prove you can fund a small team over there while maintaining your business in the UK. I tried it and had the initial application accepted, only to have it taken away at the US embassy in London because they felt I didn't have the funds (they could have worked that out earlier if that's what they thought!) But my company is very, very small.

2 - If you have proof that you have some status in the UK in your field, then you can try the O1 visa, for people of 'Extraordinary Ability'. This is much easier to get that the L1, but will still require press cuttings, web pages, details of awards and profile, and sponsorship from an agent or company in the US.

3. Finally, you can try and get employment, and get them to sponsor you for the H1B visa, I believe it's called.

You're allowed to go over to the US for up to 3 months, so that could give you time to get a job and get sponsored. You would just need to actually pick up your visa in a different country, but that could be Canada, it doesn't have to be Britain.

If you have a sibling or parent over there, life would be much easier as they could sponsor you relatively easily.

USCIS.GOV is a good site for info.

Also, I know a guy who worked as an editor over in LA, and he worked for Ignition LA. They do movie trailers for the big studios, and are often keen to employ new editors from all over, so they might be worth getting in touch with.

Hope that helps, beat of luck.

Lee

12 years, 2 months ago - Amy Mathieson

Hi Andrea.
I can recomend the name of an excellent lawyer who helped me get an 01 visa and Green Card. Please email me jetsetfilms@gmail.com. It is a hard process but not impossible and I have friends currently in LA working in all parts of the film an TV industry. Please can you also send me your cv/link to reel etc.. It's an exciting place to be and the pay and working opportunities can be a lot better than London though still very competitive. Best amy

12 years, 2 months ago - SP User

You CAN NOT work in the US without a work visa. That simple.

12 years, 2 months ago - Colin Surrell

Have you seen this site - http://britsin.la/ -
FB - https://www.facebook.com/groups/Britslovela/?fref=ts

Lots of my English friends in LA have contact with this - you may be able to find someone for advice - I would just go over for a short 2-week stay and suss it all out.

P.S. People do some work without a visa then get established - Loads do it. Erm look at all the mexicans, 2,830,000 illegal immigrants resided in California in 2011