Foreigners working skydiving in the US

[lippy 918]

I'm wondering what is the SOP for foreign people working jumping in the US. I'm thinking of taking a rotational job where I'd have 6 months off a year (5 weeks in/5 out) and I'm thinking that if I do this I'd like to spend my off time in the US on a DZ, get a tandem rating and get the skills to make myself a marketable instructor after I get tired of the rotational job.

Is it easy or expensive to get a visa to work as a skydive instructor in the US? Are many of the people who are currently doing this working under the table (obviously not asking for specific examples here).

I got nuthin

[Remster 30]

I think most foreign skydivers who work in the US work under the table. Getting a visa is pretty much impossible unless you can show you have unique skills (this is what the top teams do when getting a non US citizen to join their team) but simply saying I have ratings wont cut it.

Remster

[lost_n_confuzd 0]

lippy, while I don't have much experience in the skydiving industry, I do have a bit of experience with immigratons and the visa process. Although not the U.S., my wife is a Visa Officer for New Zealand and alot of the requirements are similar.

If you want to work under the table, you simply need a multiple entry VISA, often valid for 6-12 month stays. The best way to get one is to prove that you are financially stable and have VERY strong ties to your country (i.e. family, bank accounts, job, investmants, etc...). It's harder for some nationalities, but being from Mexico you should be OK.

Chinese, Nigerians and other nationalities that have a bad rep of not using that return ticket can pretty much hang it up.

Foreign travel is a huge plus. It helps to show that you have traveled to other "western" countries without violating your stay. No photochop either; I remember a picture of a man who photoshoped a picture of his face over a monk standing beside the Dhali Lama and tried to pull the "traveling on official business" card.

This will take awhile, but If I were you, I would get an endorsement from a reputable DZ and try to get a work VISA. Just in case something happens you will not be barred from the U.S. indefinately.

[lippy 918]

Thanks for the advice, but I don't have problems getting into the US. I live in Mexico but I'm a Canadian citizen.

I got nuthin

[SivaGanesha 2]

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Thanks for the advice, but I don't have problems getting into the US. I live in Mexico but I'm a Canadian citizen.

lost_n_confuzd offered you good advice that definitely DOES apply even for Canadians. As you know, Canadians now require (as of June 1) passports to enter the USA. In effect, the Canadian citizenship serves as a multiple entry visa, but in the USA, Canadians are subject to the same laws as any other foreigners. 99 times out of 100 a Canadian will simply be waved through at the border, and as a result Canadians are sometimes surprised when, on the 100th time, the officer enforces the law and the Canadian ends up in a very difficult situation.

With the requirement for a passport (very easily scanned by border officials) it is now very easy for CBP to track the comings and goings of Canadian citizens. Someone entering for five weeks at a time on a frequent basis WILL eventually attract more intense questioning. This is especially true given that a Canadian coming and going frequently across the southern border is another unusual situation that may raise questions. At that point, having the kind of documentation that lost_n_confuzd advised you to get could very well mean the difference between getting through after 10 minutes of questioning versus being barred for five years to life.

If you are barred it means not only are barred from returning to a US drop zone, but you will also have to find a way of travelling between Mexico and Canada that doesn't involve even a brief transit of the USA even as a tourist.

lost_n_confuzd offered you very good advice and my only advice is to listen to it.

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[GLIDEANGLE 1]

These look like good places to begin your hunt for a work visa for the USA.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1271.html#1

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=a7cc6138f898d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=48819c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

The choices we make have consequences, for us & for others!

[lippy 918]

I was replying to lost_n_confuzd's suggestion that I need a multiple-entry visa. As you stated in your response, that doesn't apply to me because my Canadian passport serves that purpose.

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99 times out of 100 a Canadian will simply be waved through at the border, and as a result Canadians are sometimes surprised when, on the 100th time, the officer enforces the law and the Canadian ends up in a very difficult situation.

I'm curious about this...I understand that when I'm in the US I'm a foreigner, and CBP has every right to deny me entry, but what're the circumstances that'll lead to it being 'the hundredth time when the officer enforces the law'? If I come into the country as a respectable person (they don't know I'm a skydiver) with money to spend, who's got criminal background and isn't causing any problems, why would they deny me entry, and what is the difficult situation that you're referring to? I'm talking about entering the country in general, not about working here.

I live in northern Mexico on the border with Texas, and I enter the US generally 2-3 times a week with no problems.

I got nuthin

[SivaGanesha 2]

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I was replying to lost_n_confuzd's suggestion that I need a multiple-entry visa. As you stated in your response, that doesn't apply to me because my Canadian passport serves that purpose.
I'm curious about this...I understand that when I'm in the US I'm a foreigner, and CBP has every right to deny me entry, but what're the circumstances that'll lead to it being 'the hundredth time when the officer enforces the law'? If I come into the country as a respectable person (they don't know I'm a skydiver) with money to spend, who's got criminal background and isn't causing any problems, why would they deny me entry, and what is the difficult situation that you're referring to? I'm talking about entering the country in general, not about working here.

I live in northern Mexico on the border with Texas, and I enter the US generally 2-3 times a week with no problems.

Maybe the 100th guy knows the difference between a tandem rig and an ordinary rig, knows that tandem masters usually get paid for their work, and is suspicious when they glance in your car and see your tandem rig?

"It's hard to have fun at 4-way unless your whole team gets down to the ground safely to do it again!"--Northern California Skydiving League re USPA Safety Day, March 8, 2014

[adamx 0]

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I was replying to lost_n_confuzd's suggestion that I need a multiple-entry visa. As you stated in your response, that doesn't apply to me because my Canadian passport serves that purpose.
I'm curious about this...I understand that when I'm in the US I'm a foreigner, and CBP has every right to deny me entry, but what're the circumstances that'll lead to it being 'the hundredth time when the officer enforces the law'? If I come into the country as a respectable person (they don't know I'm a skydiver) with money to spend, who's got criminal background and isn't causing any problems, why would they deny me entry, and what is the difficult situation that you're referring to? I'm talking about entering the country in general, not about working here.

I live in northern Mexico on the border with Texas, and I enter the US generally 2-3 times a week with no problems.

Maybe the 100th guy knows the difference between a tandem rig and an ordinary rig, knows that tandem masters usually get paid for their work, and is suspicious when they glance in your car and see your tandem rig?

Do tandem masters usually own their tandem rig, and if they do, do they transport it back and forth to the DZ? I've never heard of such a thing.

[Andy9o8 2]

Entering the country under false pretenses, engaging in employment in violation of one's entry status, and working "under the table" are three separate unlawful acts. I imagine if you were asking advice on how to get away with doing that so that you could work as a landscaper instead of as a skydiver - oh, and if your name was Gomez - some people on these boards would be a bit less tolerant.

Just a random observation.

[Andy9o8 2]

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Do tandem masters usually own their tandem rig, and if they do, do they transport it back and forth to the DZ? I've never heard of such a thing.

Now you have. It's not uncommon at all.

[tkhayes 348]

if you are Canadian, then NAFTA allows you to work in some professions int eh USA. skydiving is not one of them - but you can work as a 'management consultant' - you just have to make that job description fit the job that you will be doing. And you have to have previous experience in that job in Canada,

Or you can work as a 'Computer Systems Analyst' again if you have experience in that field.

All other professions (I think) require a degree to prove your ability to work in the professional field, doctor, nurse, engineer, physical therapy, etc

Consult an immigration lawyer
1. they will tell if and what you can do and probably not bullshit you
2. they will tell you how much it will cost and how long it will take

Lawyer in Buffalo called Grasmick, specializes in Canada US work, his website is very informative.

I do not advise the under-the-table plan, especially if you are Canadian. If you get busted, you may never get into the USA again in your life. That is generally serious consequences when you live in Canada and limits a lot of future possibilities for you.