What are the chances of getting a US citizenship?

I am currently 18 years old and am interested in working and living in the US in the future. I am currently an Australian citizen studying aerospace engineering at university. My intention would be to finish my course in Australia (it is a 4 year course) and then either get my masters here and go and live in America after that or go and work in the US immediately after the 4 years. During my course we also have a 12 week work placement that lets us go anywhere in the world. Apparently the company you work with will often offer you a job after you have finished your degree. I would also like to undertake this in the US.

I do not have any family in America and none of my family are US citizens.

Any advice would be great!!! Thanks :D

Sterling

A lot of aerospace engineering jobs in America are defense related. And you need to be a USA citizen to even be considered for hiring. Even the commercial aerospace engineering jobs have some crossover to defense work. I'd try to find a way to work in America (get a company to sponsor you), get a green card and wait out the time period required for citizenship. It's 7 years. If you marry a US citizen, it's 5 years. If you enlist in the US military, the time period is even shorter.

J is correct. I stand corrected. It use to be 7 and 5 years. * see below

Well, the first thing to worry about is being able to get a work visa. If your course offers placement anywhere in the world and you choose the US, and this US company happens to offer you a position with them, then the company would have to apply for a work visa (such as an H1B) for you, which is subject to approval. After 5 years with the company, if they are still willing to sponsor you, then you can start the process of applying for permanent residence aka green card. After being a permanent resident of 5 years, then you will be eligible to apply for citizenship.

EDIT: just to correct the answer above, the wait time if you are married to a US citizen is only 3 years.

Chuckles

An Australian citizen can work temporarily in the USA on an E-3 visa IF they are a member of a certain profession.

See:

http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular/visas/niv/e3.html

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-3_visa

Generally you need a bachelorâ€™s degree or higher in a specialty occupation and you have to line up a job in the US before you enter the USA under this visa.

If you do not have a degree, your only practical way is to marry a US citizen.

However aerospace engineering jobs require you to already have US citizenship as these jobs require a security clearance.

You are in a bind as you cannot get a job in that field without citizenship and you cannot become a citizen until you have had a green card for years.

You would be OK in any other field.

Neon

There's too many people here. It will be far worse in ten years. It will take that long. And you never mentioned what YOU are going to give back to America, or are you just coming to take?

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