immigrating to the USA

Caporegime
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Hey, been considering moving to the US. Hopefully somewhere in the florida area. Just wondering if any one here has done this themeselves?
 
Chances are you wont get approved for a visa unless you have something to offer the US, like a skill few others can do or you have a lot of money for which they can tax you.

Talk to the US embassy in London
 
Lost-Prophet said:
12:46 :rolleyes: . I loved a holiday to Florida but I don't know if I could live their. Just make sure it's what you wont. Once you move it's hard to move back :)


Very well said, did you have to think :p

Nothing more too add, bit tired myself :o
Btw, what did you mean 12:46, it was 12:47 when you posted :p
 
sjohal2006 said:
Very well said, did you have to think :p

Nothing more too add, bit tired myself :o
Btw, what did you mean 12:46, it was 12:47 when you posted :p

well when I was typing it the time was 12:46 but when I clicked "submit reply" it was 12:47
 
Look into the green card lottery.

They randomly pick people "out of the hat", to go through the process.

They only allow 5,000 people from a single country to pass through within 5 years I think it is. If the countries quota becomes full they are blocked for the following year(s) from entering the lottery.

Why on earth you would want to live in Florida though beats me.
 
dirtydog said:
You'd be emigrating, not immigrating... shouldn't someone at university know the difference? ;)


Not unless he is studying for something related to emigrating and immigrating. I highly doubt that a degree is basket weaving will teach one such differences
 
Longbow said:
Look into the green card lottery.

They randomly pick people "out of the hat", to go through the process.

They only allow 5,000 people from a single country to pass through within 5 years I think it is. If the countries quota becomes full they are blocked for the following year(s) from entering the lottery.

The green card lottery is not open to British residents unfortunately. It is open to Irish residents.

I have emigrated twice now :eek:

First time I became a self employed consultant offering services to a very specific industry of which there are not a whole lot of experts in the US. This allowed me to get a 10 year B1 Visa. I would return to the UK every 6 - 12 months for a week or so to visit family. During this time (in the US) I met my wife, we got married and I got a green card which allowed me to stay indefinately (as long as I remained married for the first 2 years).

After 1 year of marriage I was then offered a good job back in the UK so we moved back. We spent 7 years in the UK before deciding to move back to the US. I have been back in the US for 1 year now.

Unfortunatley to move to the US you need to either a) marry an American, b) get a company in the US to sponsor you c) become a consultant and obtain a visa and have to return to the UK frequently.

Either way it is not that easy :(

On a side note the whole consultant thing worked out great. I was paid into a UK bank account, and paid UK taxes on my income. However, it was possible to write off all my expenses (living, car utilities etc..). Needless to say I did not pay very much tax for about 4 years ;)

Dunc
 
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Stiff_Cookie said:
Not unless he is studying for something related to emigrating and immigrating. I highly doubt that a degree is basket weaving will teach one such differences

The difference between immigration and emigration is something that anyone with a basic level of general knowledge should know - it is hardly some specialised or complicated subject :)
 
dirtydog said:
The difference between immigration and emigration is something that anyone with a basic level of general knowledge should know - it is hardly some specialised or complicated subject :)

but as humans we are not perfect;):)

and not if you have never been taught the difference
 
Getting a work visa in the US is very difficult, and most US companies won't even consider a foreign applicant due to the extra bureaucracy involved (they have to prove that they made every effort to find a qualified American, etc) as well as the extra costs (I believe it costs the hiring company something on the order of $3500 to hire a foreigner). Add in that people tend to reject the idea of having somebody fly in for an interview from overseas, and that you miss out on the possibility of a personal recommendation, etc.

There are certain jobs where foreign applicants are commonly accepted, even sought out. Unfortunately you've sort of missed the boat on IT jobs unless you're very highly specialised or skilled, and in any case the Indians pretty much have this job market wrapped up. I vaguely recall that there's a US govt website that shows the current key jobs, with nursing being one of them, and these jobs are fast-tracked through the system and are probably the easiest for a Brit to get.

As an alternative, if you have the money, why not go study in the US? Either study for a second degree or for a Masters in whatever you're studying for now. Technically you're not allowed to look work while studying, however they have a 1-year post-graduation work experience scheme that's meant to be for you to bed in the education you've received, but apparently many graduates manage to turn these supposedly temporary jobs into a work visa. Oh, if you go down the student visa route, do not say that you intend to look for work, even if you're planning to try for this post-grad scheme, since you'll find your visa application rejected.

The other possibility from studying over there is that you can possibly get face time with a potential employer, or somebody who knows one and can put a word in for you. True you can't send out applications without risking your student visa, but that's not to say you can't unofficially ask and have them officially approach you. And of course there's always the off-chance that you might fall in love with an American, etc, etc, etc.

Oh, and if you ever go for a visa interview, make sure you take a book or at least a newspaper - the waiting between interviews gets very, very boring!
 
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