# Wanting to move to the states next summer



## steveuk2usa (Sep 23, 2008)

Goodday to you all!

I am a Uk citizen wanting to move to the USA, probably Virginia but possibly Florida.

My girlfriend will have finished her degree by then & we want to join her family who are already living there. Her mum & dad are in Michigan but by that time they should be in Virginia her dad has just got his citizenship. Her brother lives in Virginia & is married to an american girl with 2 children.

My girlfriend has a US driving licience & a student visa, although she is finishing her last to years of her degree in the uk, this september being the start of the last year.

i am a qualified Carpenter but i dont work as one as such, after i served my time i spent 10 years in sales of building products then i started my own building company.

What i am asking is whee do i start? does my relationship help in anyway or is she best to get her visa on her own & i do my own.

plus in my teens i was a little tearaway & have a caution (i was 15) for fighting, but i am sure no record.

Please help a nice guy (please dont judge my last sentance  ) who wants to settle down in a warmer climate with his girlfriend & her family


Steve


----------



## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

How old is the gf?
Where was the gf born?
Has the gf ever been married?


----------



## steveuk2usa (Sep 23, 2008)

Fatbrit said:


> How old is the gf?
> Where was the gf born?
> Has the gf ever been married?



25 next march

Born in England

No she has not been married.

Steve


----------



## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

steveuk2usa said:


> 25 next march
> 
> Born in England
> 
> ...


Okay -- so various people can sponsor her for a family visa. However, the ones she qualifies for are limited and only so many are issued every year. Here are the dates that they are currently processing them for those already in the line. The line does not move in a linear fashion -- but it gives you some idea of the wait.

1/ Sponsorship by USC brother: OCT 1997
2/ Sponsorship by USC father if she remains unmarried: APR 2002
3/ Sponsorship by USC father if she's married: JUN 2000

As you can see, she's in for a long wait. Only option 3/ puts you directly on the ticket. If she comes here on an immigrant visa and marries you after arriving (options 1/ and 2/), there is a wait for you to get your visa -- currently processing JAN 2004. She cannot put the petition in until she's a permanent resident.

You may have multiple petitions running at the same time.

She may qualify for some type of work-based visa. You have not given sufficient info. You will not in practice qualify for one of these.

Your caution should be disclosed. I do not see it being a great issue.


----------



## steveuk2usa (Sep 23, 2008)

ok thats not hreat news but is good news, i guess my next step is getting a list?


----------



## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

steveuk2usa said:


> ok thats not hreat news but is good news, i guess my next step is getting a list?


A list of what?


----------



## JimAtJaxtr (Sep 5, 2008)

On a different note, I thought this link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics might give you some job ideas around construction. Construction


----------



## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

JimAtJaxtr said:


> On a different note, I thought this link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics might give you some job ideas around construction. Construction


The problem is not getting the job but securing the visa. The "long-term" ones are:

H1b non-immigrant visa -- position is one that require a minimum of a bachelor's degree. Visa is severely limited and there's a lottery every April.

L1 intra-company transfer, non-immigrant visa -- position requires that you work for the overseas branch of a US company for at least one of the last three years, and they transfer you over.

E2 manager, non-immigrant visa -- requires that you are am manager in a US business with substantial trade with a trader treaty country (in this case the UK).

EB3 immigrant visa -- doesn't require a degree but the sponsoring company needs to get it through PERM (difficult) and then there is a wait for the visa. Currently processing applications for UK-born folks received JAN 2005!

There are a couple of more (TN and O spring to mind) but they are even further away from our poster than these common ones.

So finding him a job is not the answer, I'm afraid! Sometimes being helpful is not helpful.


----------



## steveuk2usa (Sep 23, 2008)

would it be easier to start with a 12 month visitor visa? work for a bit then apply for a full one?



is this heard of?


----------



## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

steveuk2usa said:


> would it be easier to start with a 12 month visitor visa? work for a bit then apply for a full one?
> 
> 
> 
> is this heard of?


There's no such thing as a "12 month visitor visa".


----------



## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

And you can't work on a visitors visa. If you do, and are caught, you will be sent back to the UK and not allowed to return for a long time.

While construction is one area where illegals can find jobs, part of the reason they get work is they work for less and can't complain about anything because they are illegal. Working on a visitors visa makes you an illegal.

Besides the construction business is in a tailspin.


----------

