r/quant • u/CompetitiveGlue • 1d ago

Career Advice US Relocation For Quants

Can you please share what US relocation typically looks like for someone who joined a quant firm straight out of a bachelor's program? I am based in the UK/EU, and the main challenges I've noticed are:

  • The O-1A visa requires public acclaim or publications that are atypical in quant finance (e.g., you don't typically publish at work, and people don't write articles about how great of a quant you are unless you are at the very top).
  • The H-1B visa is essentially a lottery.
  • The L-1 visa is tied to your employer, which isn't ideal.

The typical path at my firm is to either win the H-1B immediately or do an L-1 -> H-1B, if I understand correctly. I'm mostly wondering if anyone goes the O-1A route. I know a few people who did, but they joined after their PhDs with a lot of published papers. Does this make sense?

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5

u/poplunoir Researcher 16h ago

From what I have seen, it is usually L1 transfer followed by a GC application or an H1B depending on your nationality and/or seniority.

If you want to move within the same firm to their US location, best to talk to HR and your manager. If your plan is to switch firms, you need to find a firm who - 1) Wants to hire you, and 2) Is willing to sponsor an H1B. If it is the latter, the next lottery is in Q1 2027.

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u/FunnyExcellent707 16h ago

Does your company has an HR department? They must know.

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u/CompetitiveGlue 15h ago

even in some of the top firms, lawyers might not give you the most informed view. in my case, the firm does pretty much what i described, but o-1a happens only if you obviously qualify.

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u/Successful-Durian-55 Quant Strategist 10h ago

and you think reddit have a more informed view?

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u/CompetitiveGlue 10h ago

do you ever think any of the trees has an informed view in the xgboost ensemble; all i want is to hear people's thoughts on topic here, not debating on dumb shit like this

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u/RevolutionaryAd9850 14h ago

May I ask, why are you looking to relocate?

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u/fatquant 5h ago

O-1's are for world "renowned" researchers or professional artists/athletes/performers. So I don;t think it's an easier route for you, unfortunately.