# Easiest way to be in us for more than 3 months



## Hettij (Jan 21, 2012)

Hi, first ever post so bear with me!!!

Partner and I want to buy a winter vacation house in florida, but we want to be able to go any time of year and for longer than 3 months. What is the best way to go about the visa process? 

We have a property develpment company in Scotland and are more than willing to expand this into the us, but we want to start small. ie, buy one house in need of work, predominantly for ourselves but we would rent it out in the other months then sell it after a few years and buy another or 2, then eventually buy land and build if everything goes well. 

E2 visa seems to be most appropriate but do we need to have the business begun first, do we need to be married, (we have 3 small children aswel), is there the possibility of it not being renewed?

What is the law around going to to the us pregnant and giving birth there, and hence applying for green card through child so to speak? I know it is not terribly ethical but seems like the easiest option, we don't want to immigrate permanently, just to be able to come and go when we like and not have visa renewal concerns.

Any advice greatly appreciated!!

H


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Hettij said:


> Hi, first ever post so bear with me!!!
> 
> Partner and I want to buy a winter vacation house in florida, but we want to be able to go any time of year and for longer than 3 months. What is the best way to go about the visa process?
> 
> ...


Bottom line is that you cannot come and go as you please without renewal of visas.

You either go on the VWP for up to 90 days at a time or you get relevant visas to allow you to stay longer.

The baby born in the US won't help you either. It will have US citizenship, you will not. If you are not married you will probably need to apply for separate qualifying visas.

Suggest you look at the sticky at the top of the forum to see if you qualify for any potential routes.


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## Hettij (Jan 21, 2012)

Crawford said:


> Bottom line is that you cannot come and go as you please without renewal of visas.
> 
> You either go on the VWP for up to 90 days at a time or you get relevant visas to allow you to stay longer.
> 
> ...


Thank you for your post!

VWP does not help as it is not guaranteed either and 90 days is not long enough if we are going to be building/renovating houses.

I was of the understanding that if a child has citizenship then the parents can apply for citizenship? Thus allowing the child to remain in the us and get the best opportunities? 

Forgive my ignorance but what's a 'sticky' at the top of the page?


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Hettij said:


> I was of the understanding that if a child has citizenship then the parents can apply for citizenship? Thus allowing the child to remain in the us and get the best opportunities?


The "baby" will have US citizenship but can't sponsor anyone until he or she comes of age (i.e. 18) and even then he or she has to have sufficient income of his or her own to guarantee that Mom and Dad won't need welfare.

At best it's a long-term strategy.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

Hettij said:


> Thank you for your post!
> 
> VWP does not help as it is not guaranteed either and 90 days is not long enough if we are going to be building/renovating houses.
> 
> ...



At the top of each country's forum - before you click on an individual posting - there are 'stickies' which have been written by forum 'experts' to give some guidance as to immigration etc

The one at the top of the US forum is "Looking to live in the US - this will help"

A child born in the US has citizenship. However for the parents to remain in the US they have to have legal residency (ie visas in most cases) on their own merit.
The child's citizenship has nothing to do with the legal residency of the parents. 
Plenty of people have had children in the US but because they (the parents) are here illegally they do not have an automatic route to either legal residency or citizenship.

Put it like this ..... if you have a child in the US and are on a VWP or other visa, once these visas expire you have to leave the country US born child or not.

Your child, at the age of 21, can sponsor his/her parents to emmigrate to the US, if at that time, the family is living outside of the US.

You apply for citizenship only after living legally as a *permanent resident *in the US for several years.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Hettij said:


> Thank you for your post!
> 
> VWP does not help as it is not guaranteed either and 90 days is not long enough if we are going to be building/renovating houses.
> 
> ...


a 'sticky' is a discussion thread which we 'stick' to the top, above all the other discussion threads, usually because they have important info. in them

if you look above this thread you'll see one marked FAQs - that has lots of info on the different kinds of visas


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## Hettij (Jan 21, 2012)

Ahh I see, now I understand. I did wonder if it was so easy why everyone didn't do it!! 

I will look at the sticky's.


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