Thread: UK to San Diego

I recently visited San Diego and fell in love with it. I now plan on moving there (after a quick travel around Canada and down the coast to San Diego, eventually settling there).
I am 26 years old, female. I would ideally like to find a job as a secretary/admin at a law firm, as this is where I currently have experience.
I have a few questions that I would appreciate knowing more about:

1. What visa would I need? I currently only plan on this being a temporary move (no longer than 1 year), but if I do love it enough I probably will stay indefinitely.
2. Do I apply for jobs first, or find accommodation first? This area seems to be a bit of a catch 22. Research seems to show that you cannot find employment without a US address. And it's obviously risky to find accommodation without an income (if that is even allowed?) I do have savings to fall back on which will tie me over for a while, but obviously would like to avoid dipping into that too much.
3. Are legal secretarial jobs easy to come by? How much is an average salary? I have 2 years experience in this role, and 5 years experience in admin/secretarial roles outside of law firms.
4. Also advise on the correct visas would help. Assuming originally I can use the tourist visa while travelling from Canada for a couple of weeks, but what visa would I need for temporary work? Is this something i need to apply for first? Or while I am out there? Or will employers sponsor me?

Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi Lauren,

San Diego is a lovely city! The visa must come first before you rent anywhere. You will need to find a company willing to sponsor you for a visa, but I hate to say it, a legal secretary is unlikely to qualify for a work visa. Are you a student at all? If so, look into the J1 visa as that's likely to be your only option.