It is time for a break from my packing chaos to write my first blog post as the big move is approaching fast now. I still have not really understood that I am moving to NYC but it is happening.
So let me tell you a bit about me and how the process of ensuring my visa went. My name is Beatrice, but most people call me Bea. I am a Swedish architect currently based in Stockholm where I have been working for the past 5 years. I also have professional experience from working in Switzerland, where I did part of my masters.
Ever since I was little New York has been a fascinating city for me. Imagine going for the first time at a young age, from Europe, looking up at the grandeur of the sky scrapers of New York. Everything was so big, so different and probably a big inspiration to my interest in architecture. Growing older I kept traveling to New York and I started dreaming about going there for a longer period of time.
Then the pandemic happened and all thought of going abroad faded away until suddenly one could start traveling again and the craving for something different was starting to build up. I started researching the possibility of going to New York again, this time with a little help and recommendations from friends which lead me to Architect-US and their J1 visa sponsorship. I felt like it was meant to be. Imagine getting to live in one of the best cities in the world and developing as an architect by gaining experience in my field of work. It could not be more perfect.
Architect-US and Sonia were the best help I could have asked for in the process. Sonia was very assuring during the times I had doubts about having everything ready on time by always keeping me informed about the progress. She also informed me about options and ways to go if for any reason things would not be ready before my program start. But they were, and with time to spare.
Finding a job was the first step, and I wanted to apply by myself to the offices I was interested in. This part in retrospect felt like the fastest part as I had an offer in my hand within one week of sending out applications. After that Architect-US with Sonia, Pati and Pablo stepped in making sure the visa process could start in an orderly manner. They felt very professional and I am very happy to have them in my corner as they made sure all the paper work was filed both by me and my soon to be office. Filing all the paperwork and receiving the sponsorship documents was the easy part having the support and help of Architect-US.
Organizing the interview at the Embassy was a bit more tricky as appointment times in Sweden are pretty much out of the question. They recommended me to try to go elsewhere. Fortunately for me I have family in Romania so I traveled to Bucharest and managed to get my visa approved and ready while on my visit. Now I was set to go.
Let’s just say that Architect-US were key to this adventure and they made the process as easy as it could have been considering that now, 3 months after first my application I’ll be flying out to New York for my adventure.
As I started to tell you in the beginning what is left is packing everything. Packing up the apartment back here in Stockholm as I am renting it out, and also packing up my life in the 3 suitcases I will bring to NYC. Let me tell you – it is not an easy task, so I’ll get back to it because it has to be done. NYC here I come!
Next time, I will be writing from New York. Stay tuned.
