Another option is the temp visa(?) to work as a driver on the harvest. Your timing is a bit out tho’. Harvest has just started so all the companies doing it are up to (or beyond ) their eyeballs, doing the harvesting. At least one of the TruckNet UK members has left on this gig, Allicat. Do a search on her handle and you will get a fair bit of info on it.
It isn’t the samething as emigrating, I know, but if you give it a try you will get to know the system of working out there. That would put in a position to decide if you really want to go through all the grief of getting the proper visa to go over permanantly.
The outfit that Allikat is away too are called Altendorf Harvesting+Trucking, (www.altendorfharvesting.com) There is still a chance that they are looking for truck drivers as it gets very busy at the end of August beginning of September due to potato harvest on their own farm in N.Dakota and grain harvest still continuing.From this time there would still be work available until Nov/Dec.If your interested drop me a PM or look up my post “Truck driving in USA through the back door” on the Ex-pats forum in the Archives,or maybe somebody knows how to do a link? I’m not that computer literate
Unless we get too many quitters here, Altendorfs are pretty well ok for drivers this season. It’s a bit late to come over here now, you’d probably not get enough work this season to make it worth your while. I probably only just got here in time to do that. Well worth applying for next season though.
Things to expect on harvest work:
1: Sharing a camper van with a stack of wierdos.
2: The main thing they keep up to date on is the harvesters, not the trucks.
3: A LOONG wait for the paperwork once you arrive. The addition of the Dept of Homeland Security to the Social Security number application process turned a 3 day process into one taking 3 or 4 weeks.
4: Similar long waits at the US embassy in London to sort things out before you fly.
5: Lots and lots of time spent in some of the flattest, most dull parts of the world you will ever experience.
6: Hard to find any supplies of decent beer
7: You WILL be drug tested before taking a CDL and randomly after that.
Altendorfs are one of the best companies to join up with, simply for the reason that you will get a full ND CDL valid for 4 years, not something that will expire the moment you sneeze hard near it.
At least the smokes are cheap And it certainly does give you the experience to know whether working here longer term is your thing or not. Driving on the wrong side of the road with a long lightweight truck with a crash box isn’t too hard to learn you know, if I can do it…
Alli,
Are there a gang of you still at Ardoch ND doing your CDL at this time of year? I maybe thought you would be left there on your own as harvest should now be in full swing. Some of those Afrikkans guy’s are strange or what? Puts me off when they talk their Afrikkans language in front of you,some of them have very limited english!! Still when you hit the harvest run properly hopefully you will end up in a crew with some of the N.Irish/Kiwi boys in it then you’ll get on alright!! Are they giving you work at Ardoch servicing etc? and is Craig Nice in charge? If so,wind him up about Cat V’s J.Deere combines and ask him about his vast toy model collection,that will make you his friend for life!!!
We’re still up at Ardoch, and expecting our last group of new recruits any day now. We have bits and pieces to do up here. I’ve been here 2 weeks now, and the Social Security people seem to revise their time estimates upwards every time I call them.
Could take up to 30 days to sort out a social security number, without which you can do NOTHING. So I can’t get paid for what I do do… 8sigh*
Craig’s been by a couple of times, next I see him I’ll ask about his toy collection.
) their eyeballs, doing the harvesting. At least one of the TruckNet UK members has left on this gig, Allicat. Do a search on her handle and you will get a fair bit of info on it.
And it certainly does give you the experience to know whether working here longer term is your thing or not. Driving on the wrong side of the road with a long lightweight truck with a crash box isn’t too hard to learn you know, if I can do it… 
So I can’t get paid for what I do do… 8sigh*