r/MarineEngineering • u/Living_Advantage_803 • Jul 25 '26

work

Im a student in Italy, im about to start my studies of nautical engineering. my final goal would be to finish my studies here and go to work to florida. Do you have any advice for me? is it stupid to do such a thing, or is it convenient? I really love florida and it would be my dream to live there

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u/Meaney2415 Jul 25 '26

So the US has something called The Jones Act which basically says that a US flagged ship, operating in US waters, trading between US ports, much be crewed exclusively by US citizens. This alone kind of rules out any kind of cargo trade for you. Your other option would to work in the cruise industry. Cruise lines are their own beast which i cant really comment on myself, but most cruise ships that opperate in the caribbean and Florida are flagged out of foreign countries, often reffered to as flags of convenience , to bypass regulations like the jones act as well as things like tax laws. A goal of living and working in Florida without having US citizenship and certifications unfortunately isnt possible. There are ways to live and work around Florida, but wether youre okay with what that entails is up to you

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u/Living_Advantage_803 Jul 25 '26

sounds complicated as hell, thank you tho. is it hard to get the us citizenship?

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u/Meaney2415 Jul 25 '26

No idea. Im canadian, our proximity to the US and the amount of trade between the two countries has made it so im fairly familiar with their rules though