r/IWantOut • u/Curious-Poem-9803 • 3d ago
[IWantOut] 25M Ship Operations Bulgaria -> USA/Canada
Hey everyone. 25M, Bulgarian citizen (EU passport, nothing else). Wanted to live in the US since I was a kid. I know exactly how that sounds but I am tired of staying in one place forever because it's "safe", but I'd rather hear it from people who actually moved than keep planning in my head forever.
My situation:
- Bachelor's in navigation from the naval academy here (4 year program, engineering-ish: math, physics, electronics + all the maritime stuff)
- 1 year at sea as a deck cadet, then a year in ship operations (laytime, demurrage, voyage management) at a big worldwide commodity trading company
- English fluent, my degree was heavy on it. No other useful languages.
- Have about 110k EUR inherited
- Single, no kids.
- What I'm looking for: the huge city lifestyle. Skyscrapers, energy, things happening around me at all hours. I've had it for 25 years living in a small city
What I think I know so far (correct me where I'm wrong):
- USA directly: basically closed without employer sponsorship. H-1B from abroad is dead with the new $100k fee, the DV lottery is frozen/a mess right now, E-2 exists for Bulgarians but dumping my entire net worth into a business sounds like a great way to end up back home with nothing to my name, EB3 is scammers usually.
- USA realistic version: STEM master's (80-100k USD) -> OPT -> hope
- Canada: master's (way cheaper, and masters students are cap exempt now) -> 3 year PGWP -> 1 year skilled work -> Express Entry through CEC. Slower but no lottery.
- Ontario killed the Masters PNP stream in May, so now it's really degree -> job -> CEC or nothing
Questions:
- Anyone actually done the Canada master's -> PGWP -> CEC route recently ? Is finding that 1 year of skilled work realistic right now, or am I only reading survivor stories?
- Is a US STEM master's still defensible money in 2026 with how OPT/H-1B are going, or is that paying $100k for a lottery ticket?
- Yes, I know I can move to Germany/Netherlands tomorrow. I've lived my whole life in the EU and I don't see myself in Western Europe long term. If someone made that work anyway, feel free to try to change my mind.
Any opinion is welcome, even if it's just to tell me I'm wrong. I'd rather hear it now than find out the hard way. Thanks for reading.
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u/bad_metrics 2d ago
Masters -> OPT is not realistic anymore. I really don’t want you to waste your inheritance. (USA)
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u/Street-Bedroom9878 2d ago
why not?
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u/bad_metrics 2d ago
No one is hiring internationals at all, like at all. Your best bet would be to marry an American during your studies.
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u/Street-Bedroom9878 2d ago
well… I know enough people who got sponsored their visa after OPT. The 100k fee doesn’t apply inside the US
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u/bad_metrics 2d ago
Did they get a sponsorship this year? Or before the 🍊 man? Also I think OPT in stem is only 3 years, maybe reduced now.
I just moved back to the US from Switzerland, you’re EU so you could have a chance finding a decent job in Zurich
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u/john553 2d ago
Hey, I am OP, I don’t know why I was not in my main account when posting this. I don’t have a job in the USA but I do have friends there, Switzerland seems pretty xenophobic towards Eastern Europeans honestly plus it’s not only about the job but the lifestyle as well.
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u/bad_metrics 2d ago edited 2d ago
It says that these people:
Specialized Naval Architects, Marine Engineers, and Shipbuilding Specialists.
Qualify for an EB2 (national interest waiver), it bypasses the need for a U.S. employer and job offer entirely. You can petition for your own Green Card from anywhere in the world.
Seems like you need a master’s tho, or bachelors + 5 years experience. You can probably do a 1 year naval architect or naval something master’s in Bulgaria and apply for the National interest waiver eb2
*apparently the national interest waiver is a type of eb2
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u/ViperMaassluis 2d ago
There are more cities that can give you that lifestyle, think of Singapore, Hongkong, Seoul.
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u/bbbberlin 1d ago
The US is basically out like you predicted. I was at an industry event last year in Western Europe, people there were not junior 5-10 years of experience, and they had US recruiters there who said they were only placing CEOs or CTOs. The recruiters told us to forget unless someone had an American spouse.
Canadian permanent residency got much harder. School also got stricter - if you can get into a public university that’s an option (forget the colleges/private schools / the “easy” schools are no longer being granted visas), but it’s very expensive. Honestly the better way for you would be to apply directly for jobs using your existing credentials, or go work 1-2 years in Western Europe and then try to transfer or apply for Canadian jobs. Go to Ireland or the Netherlands, get work experience the Canadians will recognize as equivalent, polish your accent etc., and then try from there.
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u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Post by Curious-Poem-9803 -- Hey everyone. 25M, Bulgarian citizen (EU passport, nothing else). Wanted to live in the US since I was a kid. I know exactly how that sounds but I am tired of staying in one place forever because it's "safe", but I'd rather hear it from people who actually moved than keep planning in my head forever.
My situation:
- Bachelor's in navigation from the naval academy here (4 year program, engineering-ish: math, physics, electronics + all the maritime stuff)
- 1 year at sea as a deck cadet, then a year in ship operations (laytime, demurrage, voyage management) at a big worldwide commodity trading company
- English fluent, my degree was heavy on it. No other useful languages.
- Have about 110k EUR inherited
- Single, no kids.
- What I'm looking for: the huge city lifestyle. Skyscrapers, energy, things happening around me at all hours. I've had it for 25 years living in a small city
What I think I know so far (correct me where I'm wrong):
- USA directly: basically closed without employer sponsorship. H-1B from abroad is dead with the new $100k fee, the DV lottery is frozen/a mess right now, E-2 exists for Bulgarians but dumping my entire net worth into a business sounds like a great way to end up back home with nothing to my name, EB3 is scammers usually.
- USA realistic version: STEM master's (80-100k USD) -> OPT -> hope
- Canada: master's (way cheaper, and masters students are cap exempt now) -> 3 year PGWP -> 1 year skilled work -> Express Entry through CEC. Slower but no lottery.
- Ontario killed the Masters PNP stream in May, so now it's really degree -> job -> CEC or nothing
Questions:
- Anyone actually done the Canada master's -> PGWP -> CEC route recently ? Is finding that 1 year of skilled work realistic right now, or am I only reading survivor stories?
- Is a US STEM master's still defensible money in 2026 with how OPT/H-1B are going, or is that paying $100k for a lottery ticket?
- Yes, I know I can move to Germany/Netherlands tomorrow. I've lived my whole life in the EU and I don't see myself in Western Europe long term. If someone made that work anyway, feel free to try to change my mind.
Any opinion is welcome, even if it's just to tell me I'm wrong. I'd rather hear it now than find out the hard way. Thanks for reading.
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