H1-B visas are very hard to secure. Not only does it involve funds from the sponsoring company and all the paperwork they need to fill out, timing is also a concern. Usually the allocation of H1-B visas start on October of every year, and when it opens, solicitors and lawyers flood the Immigration office with applications, as only a certain amount are released every year. Considering now is end of September, you have to find an employer who will want to hire you based on your qualifications. Said employer will then contact an immigration lawyer for assistance in filing for the H1-B visa on your behalf (as you cannot file it yourself, it has to be the sponsoring company), have that lawyer draft all paperwork concerned, and be able to submit that when the doors open October 1. Literally, that leaves you with about a week.

NOw on the other hand, since you finished your PhD, you will be in a narrower, more specialized market. What I would suggest is for you to start applying for a position looking for your credentials. You can try the World Bank or the IMF for starters, as working for these do not require an H1-B visa. You are given sort of a "diplomatic visa" upon confirmation of employment with these 2 organizations.

Another option is for you to go to the US on a B-1/B-2 (business/tourist) visa, and once there, you can start applying for jobs as well. The US Embassy will usually give you 6 months entry, but being a French National, I'm not familiar with reciprocity agreements between the US and France, so it's possible you can go to the US say for about 90 days, without a visa. Do check on this one though

As for you mother, should you be able to secure an H1-B visa, there is a visa for her to get (as your dependent). I'm nto sure if the employer can apply for this as well simultaneously with your visa.

 

The lottery is a huge gamble. Don't put all your hopes in it. My wife is from Poland and has been registering for the lottery for awhile, but has never been called. although she actually knows a Polish acquiantance who was in the US on a tourist visa and later on got a phone call, that she won the Green Card lottery.

Today, we read on the news that Poland has been EXCLUDED from the Green Card lottery until further notice. This infuriated the Polish president nonetheless, who wholeheartedly supports Bush and the USA by actually sending Polsih troops to Iraq to assist US troops. And now this!

Some people are just lucky. Others were meant to work their arses off!

 

Yup, correct. The Bush administration, and the US for that matter, will always "stick to their guns". They're pretty good at soliciting help, but repatriation for that assistance will be futile.

Case in point, in the 2nd world war, the Philippines was tapped to assist US soldiers in the war. Many Filipino soldiers perished, and so did US soldiers. Those who survived were promised citizenship, financial assistance to them and their families, among other things, but to this day, there is an ongoing protest by the Philippine Government against the US Government regarding this matter, as those promises are still being waited on by the war vets, some of which have already died of old age, without even enjoying what was supposed to be "the few remaining years" of their lives.