Emigrate to Live in America?
- Thread starter RSR
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I'll be moving out there sometime within the next 6 months. Might keep a blog or something when I do, you know, if I have time to amidst the whole changing of my entire lifestyle... If I do then I'll post back here in case anyone is interested in seeing how it goes.
Please do, id like to see how the whole process goes.
Im currently waiting for my police cert to come back then i can send the last of my paperwork off. Apparently some of the visa places are busy doing the lottery green cards at the mo. Portsmouth visa center is ok though apparently( wife used to work there ) .
Hoping to finally get to the usa at easter.
Life in the usa isnt as easy as people make out, but its what you make of it,
Gonna be living in new hampshire
Hoping to finally get to the usa at easter.
Life in the usa isnt as easy as people make out, but its what you make of it,
Gonna be living in new hampshire
The two best ways to gget a US visa as a British citizen are to marry a Yank or get a job with a company that has US operations and then apply for an internal transfer. It is notoriously difficult to get there any other way, also a lot of people don't realise that the cost of living over there isn't as cheap as it appears when your on Holiday as you will be paid in Dollars not Pounds so the massive exchange rate advantage disapears. US workers also generally get a much smaller holiday allowance than we do in the UK and you will need to cough up for private medical as obviously there is no NHS!
If you want to get out of the UK more easily Canada and Australia are generally much more welcoming of migrants from the UK.
If you want to get out of the UK more easily Canada and Australia are generally much more welcoming of migrants from the UK.
my sister has live in the states for near on 9 years, she is in the process of getting a green card but apparently they are still reviewing applications from 2002... !!!!!!
She's been working on he H1B visa, but you have to be sponsored by a company and it's not cheap.
She's been working on he H1B visa, but you have to be sponsored by a company and it's not cheap.
Im currently waiting for my police cert to come back then i can send the last of my paperwork off. Apparently some of the visa places are busy doing the lottery green cards at the mo. Portsmouth visa center is ok though apparently( wife used to work there ) .
Hoping to finally get to the usa at easter.
Life in the usa isnt as easy as people make out, but its what you make of it,
Gonna be living in new hampshire
I am well aware life isn't always what people make it out to be, much the same can be side about emigrating to other countries.
Do you have sponsorship for employment in the US then? Id be looking at San Jose, California if i did eventally choose to move over there.
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Really there's only a handful of visa routes to go through if you're looking to move to the US on a permanent basis. Hopefully this will make it easy to rule a few out quickly and then you'll know which ones to look into more closely.
1. The Green Card lottery - designed to make the US culture more diverse by bringing in more citizens from countries that don't have much of an immigrant population in the US already. If you're a British citizen by birth you cannot be entered into the lottery. If you are a citizen from one of the countries on the lottery list then you can, but it's still pure chance whether you'll be selected and it's not an instant move if you are - you are still subject to the process of getting your documents through your local embassy, which can takes 1-6 years.
2. Business investors - If you intend to start a commercial enterprise by investing $1000000 and/or creating jobs for at least 10 United States Citizens (USCs) then you can come in as an investor. Not sure what the rules are about you staying if your enterprise fails though.
3. Somebody with exceptional skills - top class surgeons, ground breaking scientists, etc, can get entry riding on their CV. But you really do have to be the best in your field with some sort of national or international acclaim.
4. Sponsored by a Senator - usually only used by government or business officials when they've accidentally let their current work authorisation run out and are suddenly subject to deportation. You'll need to know people in high places.
(PROBABLY NONE OF THESE SO FAR, RIGHT?)
Here are the more commonly used routes...
5. H1 visa (skilled workers) - You will need a bachelors degree or higher, and sponsorship from an American employer. Getting sponsorship can be a bit of a catch 22 as a lot of American companies that say they are are willing to hire foreigners want them to already have work authorisation. But if you can get an internal transfer in a company with UK & US offices it's not so difficult. There are a limited number of H1 visas made available in April each year, first come first served, so you may find that come June there are none left and you'll have to wait until the next year.
6. H1 visa (unskilled workers) - You can still apply for a work visa without a degree, there are only certain careers that they have a shortage for though and the demand is very high.
H1 visas are processed to start working in October of the current year, they last three years initially and can be extended for an extra year up to three times. If you intend to live in the US permanently you need to apply for permanent residency shortly after arrival as the process can take up to 6 years, if it isn't complete before your visa expires you'll have to leave the USA and finish your application from abroad. The unskilled route has a waiting list that takes 5-15 years to get to the front of (before you even start the application process) it's easier just to get a degree. If you are going to foot the bill for an H1 visa, consider putting away $4000.
7. K visas - If you marry a USC you have two options: marry somewhere other than the United States and apply for permanent residency from abroad (you will have to stay in your home country until the application is approved, but once you arrive in the US everything is pretty much sorted) ... or apply for a fiance/e visa - which allowed you to enter the US and get married there (after which you will have to apply for permanent residency). The application process takes about 8-12 months to get there, with further paperwork to maintain lawful resident status at 2 and 10 years after marriage. You'll need about $2000 to file the paperwork for a K visa, but you can split this cost with your fiance.
And lastly:
8. something else - there are some other ways of going about immigration to the USA, but the border officials don't really like them as it usually involves entering on a visa that was designed without immigration intent, which suggests you lied in your original reasons for entering the US.
1. The Green Card lottery - designed to make the US culture more diverse by bringing in more citizens from countries that don't have much of an immigrant population in the US already. If you're a British citizen by birth you cannot be entered into the lottery. If you are a citizen from one of the countries on the lottery list then you can, but it's still pure chance whether you'll be selected and it's not an instant move if you are - you are still subject to the process of getting your documents through your local embassy, which can takes 1-6 years.
2. Business investors - If you intend to start a commercial enterprise by investing $1000000 and/or creating jobs for at least 10 United States Citizens (USCs) then you can come in as an investor. Not sure what the rules are about you staying if your enterprise fails though.
3. Somebody with exceptional skills - top class surgeons, ground breaking scientists, etc, can get entry riding on their CV. But you really do have to be the best in your field with some sort of national or international acclaim.
4. Sponsored by a Senator - usually only used by government or business officials when they've accidentally let their current work authorisation run out and are suddenly subject to deportation. You'll need to know people in high places.
(PROBABLY NONE OF THESE SO FAR, RIGHT?)
Here are the more commonly used routes...
5. H1 visa (skilled workers) - You will need a bachelors degree or higher, and sponsorship from an American employer. Getting sponsorship can be a bit of a catch 22 as a lot of American companies that say they are are willing to hire foreigners want them to already have work authorisation. But if you can get an internal transfer in a company with UK & US offices it's not so difficult. There are a limited number of H1 visas made available in April each year, first come first served, so you may find that come June there are none left and you'll have to wait until the next year.
6. H1 visa (unskilled workers) - You can still apply for a work visa without a degree, there are only certain careers that they have a shortage for though and the demand is very high.
H1 visas are processed to start working in October of the current year, they last three years initially and can be extended for an extra year up to three times. If you intend to live in the US permanently you need to apply for permanent residency shortly after arrival as the process can take up to 6 years, if it isn't complete before your visa expires you'll have to leave the USA and finish your application from abroad. The unskilled route has a waiting list that takes 5-15 years to get to the front of (before you even start the application process) it's easier just to get a degree. If you are going to foot the bill for an H1 visa, consider putting away $4000.
7. K visas - If you marry a USC you have two options: marry somewhere other than the United States and apply for permanent residency from abroad (you will have to stay in your home country until the application is approved, but once you arrive in the US everything is pretty much sorted) ... or apply for a fiance/e visa - which allowed you to enter the US and get married there (after which you will have to apply for permanent residency). The application process takes about 8-12 months to get there, with further paperwork to maintain lawful resident status at 2 and 10 years after marriage. You'll need about $2000 to file the paperwork for a K visa, but you can split this cost with your fiance.
And lastly:
8. something else - there are some other ways of going about immigration to the USA, but the border officials don't really like them as it usually involves entering on a visa that was designed without immigration intent, which suggests you lied in your original reasons for entering the US.
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Thanks for the very informative post.
It is not looking good really, as I do not have a degree, I only have professional qualifications within the field of IT namely MS and Cisco.
I take it that would mean id be classed as an unskilled worker then?
EDIT: Ive found another forum about applying for a H1B without a degree in the IT sector. Wooohooo
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Thanks for the very informative post.
It is not looking good really, as I do not have a degree, I only have professional qualifications within the field of IT namely MS and Cisco.
I take it that would mean id be classed as an unskilled worker then?
Oh, I forgot, I think you can substitute four years of experience for each year of a degree program (so 12 years or more industry experience) for the "skilled" route... not positive though, may want to ask someone else about that.
I'm certainly aware that a large chunk of H1 visas go to IT professionals as it's mostly the IT industry that have international offices and problems with head-hunting.
That britishexpats site seemed to have a lot of IT folk on it, they may be able to help.
Im doing the spouse visa. The wife and i married in the UK, she lived over here for 2 years, but we decided to move to the US. My daughter was born here last year, and we got her US citizenship sorted in october.
My experience of the visa process has been quite easy so far, the wife did all the paperwork, but a few things have changed since she worked for the state department. Apparently she, as my sponsor, has to attend the interview with me.
We currently pay $80 every 2 weeks for health insurance, motor insurance is $50 a month. Some things are cheaper, but it looks like the mobile phone plans are pricey as hell compaired to the UK ones.
My experience of the visa process has been quite easy so far, the wife did all the paperwork, but a few things have changed since she worked for the state department. Apparently she, as my sponsor, has to attend the interview with me.
We currently pay $80 every 2 weeks for health insurance, motor insurance is $50 a month. Some things are cheaper, but it looks like the mobile phone plans are pricey as hell compaired to the UK ones.
If anyone is sort of retired and can fund themselves without working for a long period of time, this is a pretty easy route which I did not know about. My dad just recently done this - was a breeze. He can now stay over here for 6 months at a time, then just has to fly out of the country for a week or so and then come back for another 6 months. He can't work though, but does not need to.
You can have a look at a J-1 visa I think it is. Try contacting a British pub for instance and they will do all the work to get you a year visa to work for them or something. I know quite a few people that have gone that route over here.
You can have a look at a J-1 visa I think it is. Try contacting a British pub for instance and they will do all the work to get you a year visa to work for them or something. I know quite a few people that have gone that route over here.
Mine is $205/month for 2 cars (1 comp, 1 liability) and yearly vehicle registration is $400
.I have a grandfathered in $49/month tmobile family plan with 1000 mins, which I think is a good deal. If you get their prepaid plan and don't talk much you can get away with only $100 a year.
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i know this american engineer through irc for a few years now we talk about politics etc.
he moved to usa from austria years ago, he said that you can go there with a holiday ticket and then there is a special way to apply for drivers license, SS etc and you can get a american citizens cert very easy and not have to pay for a visa. of course you run the risk of getting kicked out etc...
would be a lot easier and there are so many mexicans there illegally what is an educated english guy going to worry them.
i have been wanting to move to usa for a while now just need to get the money sorted, i was thinking of doing a runner, with all my debt
he moved to usa from austria years ago, he said that you can go there with a holiday ticket and then there is a special way to apply for drivers license, SS etc and you can get a american citizens cert very easy and not have to pay for a visa. of course you run the risk of getting kicked out etc...
would be a lot easier and there are so many mexicans there illegally what is an educated english guy going to worry them.
i have been wanting to move to usa for a while now just need to get the money sorted, i was thinking of doing a runner, with all my debt
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id rather get ripped off and get something, than be paying for other peoples care and struggle to get any.
The tourist visa waiver lasts 90 days.
To the OP - As others have said it's extremely difficult. I was lucky enough to intern in Atlanta for five months this autumn, and even getting the J-1 visa (sponsored through Emory) was a complete nightmare. I think I had to fill in somewhere in the region of 13 documents. Don't even get me started on getting a social security number when I was out there (and trying to get my tax back now...)!
The H1-B route is the main way in unless you've got a US spouse. For what I want to do (international politics/NGO sector) Washington DC is decidedly the place to be, and it's going to be quite a hurdle to get in the door and get a visa/green card as I basically have to show I'm better than any given US candidate for a job - because their hiring practice says they have to hire any US citizen who has the same skills as me.
One way around it I'm planning to try is to do my MA in the USA, then hopefully intern somewhere during the duration and impress them enough to get a job offer where they'll sponsor me for a visa. In the meanwhile, I plan to apply for the Green Card Lottery every year. For the first time in my life, being born in Northern Ireland has been a help there... I'm also seeing if my mum can still get US citizenship (so I can get a green card) because my Gran was American but my mum never took citizenship.
It's an absolute joke that the 'special relationship' lets Americans work here extremely easily, while we can barely get in the door over there. I guess it doesn't pay to be the little brother in that special relationship.
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I'm looking into this at the minute and as others have said it's one step back from impossible. My only viable options are the green card lottery and a fiancee/marraige visa given that my profession requires naturalised citizenship to even apply.
Living in the US is a bit of a marmite thing, you'll either love it or hate it. For those that love it, the work involved in trying to become resident there can be worth it - especially if the amount of red tape and hoop jumping puts off a lot of people. It means less appllications to conted with!
Living in the US is a bit of a marmite thing, you'll either love it or hate it. For those that love it, the work involved in trying to become resident there can be worth it - especially if the amount of red tape and hoop jumping puts off a lot of people. It means less appllications to conted with!