My name is Teresa, I’m a Spanish Architect and I will be moving to New York in just two days!
As I prepare to embark on my journey from Madrid to the bustling streets of New York City, I can’t help but feel a surge of excitement and anticipation. My path as an architect, with a focus on retail architecture, has been shaped by my experiences in Madrid, the University of Wroclaw in Poland and Rotterdam, where I did my second internship. But I’m eager to explore new horizons and immerse myself in the vibrant energy of NYC.
Here, I will share with you some insights on the process of obtaining a J1 Visa with the Architect-US program:
Everything started about a year ago when I was finishing my Final Project of the Degree in Madrid, that I was introduced to Architect-US by some previous participants and the career coordinator from my university. I contacted them and they helped me first with some tips and guidelines to improve my portfolio, asking me as well for additional documentation such as construction and technical drawings, to send it to the US companies.
The job interview with the US company
Just before going on Christmas holidays, I had the interview with my US company, O’Neil Langan Architects, and I got super good vibes from my interviewer! We reviewed my portfolio and technical drawings and discussed my availability to start working with them.
Once I finished the interview, I sent the thank you email and waited for their response, and in just one week and a half after finishing the interview I had the good news that I had been accepted in their company.
The Visa process and the Us Embassy interview
Sonia, from Architect-US has been taking care of everything on this process, being in contact with my US company to fill all the necessary documentation, and after all that I was ready for my US Embassy interview in Madrid.
Architect-US sent me some emails with guidelines for the interview, with all the necessary documents that I would need to bring and once I arrived at the Embassy, in just one hour, I just had my visa approved!
So now I’m here in Madrid, with my visa on hand and just packing everything for my flight to New York City!!
