{"id":41707,"date":"2025-12-31T15:00:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/?p=41707"},"modified":"2025-12-31T14:04:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T13:04:26","slug":"my-international-career-journey-and-the-associated-visa-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/my-international-career-journey-and-the-associated-visa-process\/","title":{"rendered":"My International Career Journey and the Associated Visa Process"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello everyone! My name is Mar\u00eda Cisneros, and I\u2019m excited to share my story as I get ready to start an exciting new chapter in Riverdale, Maryland, near Washington, D.C.<\/strong>, where I\u2019ll be working as a systems engineer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A Little About Me<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m originally from Le\u00f3n, a small city in the north of Spain<\/strong>. I pursued a bachelor\u2019s degree in Industrial Organization Engineering, and later, I was fortunate to earn a full scholarship with the Track and Field team at the University of New Mexico<\/strong> in Albuquerque<\/strong>, where I completed my master\u2019s in Project Management<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

After studying there for a year, I received an extension through my student visa (F1-OPT), which allowed me to work on different projects in the Los Angeles<\/strong> area for another year. That chapter of my life deserves its own blog post!<\/p>\n

How I Got the Offer<\/strong><\/p>\n

The opportunity to join the company came after months of research and networking. It\u2019s a Spanish company, which it is an advantage. Not only we share a cultural connection, but it\u2019s also one of the top engineering companies from my country. This role is a great chance for me to immerse myself in how things are done abroad.<\/p>\n

How I Heard About the Program<\/strong><\/p>\n

I first learned about ArchitectUS through the company hiring me. They had worked with them before. I feel very relieved, because going through visa processes, is something that truly overwhelms everyone. It\u2019s a huge time investment, and the constant uncertainty about whether you\u2019re doing everything correctly… a \u00a8headache\u201d…<\/p>\n

The Embassy Appointment<\/strong><\/p>\n

About the process of filling out the application, and figuring out how to make the payment… was a journey too. The embassy<\/strong> could put it a little easier.<\/p>\n

Gathering all the required documents – I almost forgtet to submit one! and, the visa photo requirement… It has to be less than six months old, so I had to get new ones taken. Now I have three extra copies of myself not smiling… that rule is…!<\/p>\n

Luckily, I was told I didn\u2019t need to go in person for the interview this time. I just had to mail my documents, and no, I didn\u00b4t have to book a train to Madrid<\/strong> at the last minute.<\/p>\n

Everything went smoothly, and the process took around one week to get the visa approved and sent back. And here I am, at the airport, saying goodbye to the beautiful Barcelona to say hello to the hopefully also beautiful Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

I will keep you posted.<\/p>\n

Best,<\/p>\n

Maria Cisneros<\/strong><\/p>\n

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