# Please can anyone help me.



## tema (Aug 11, 2010)

Hello to everyone, 

I am a US citizen and I have been dating someone from Greece for sometime now and I have been to Greece once before. The time have come for him to visit me in the states so I was just wandering how do we go bye to making this happen what do I have to send him a invitation and how long will it's take for him to get him a visa. Also what do we have to have when we go to the immigration and at the airport. I forgot to mention that he are a Green Card holder of Greece been there for over 10 years, working and have been traveling all through out Europe but never to the States. This will be his first visit here so anything that you will have to share with me will be nice thanks so much and I hope to hear from you soon. :ranger::ranger:


----------



## mariek (Aug 17, 2009)

He is coming to the US as a tourist for a maximum stay of 90 days?
If so then he will need travel authorization under the ESTA. Greece was included in the Visa Waiver program this year so he will not need to apply for a visa the way Greeks have had to in the past. 

Go to the US Department of State website and look up the Visa Waiver Program. You will find the information you need there. My husband went through the old visa application process so I am not sure how long this new process takes. 

At the airport in NY, my husband entered the US for the first time last year and had no trouble whatsoever. He showed the appropriate papers and was stamped through.


----------



## tema (Aug 11, 2010)

mariek said:


> He is coming to the US as a tourist for a maximum stay of 90 days?
> If so then he will need travel authorization under the ESTA. Greece was included in the Visa Waiver program this year so he will not need to apply for a visa the way Greeks have had to in the past.
> 
> Go to the US Department of State website and look up the Visa Waiver Program. You will find the information you need there. My husband went through the old visa application process so I am not sure how long this new process takes.
> ...



Thanks, so much that will still work for him even if he a GREEN Card holder. 
So, do I need to do anything. I will go to the site. As well you been a great help and i thank you so much for it. Tell me somethin else if you would how is the life over there for Americans I mean can a AMERICANS get jobs there and live normal of there, are the peoples Welcoming to foreigners there. Thanks again and I will go and check out the site that you mention. I hope to here from you soon.


----------



## hecate (Jul 12, 2010)

tema said:


> Thanks, so much that will still work for him even if he a GREEN Card holder.
> So, do I need to do anything. I will go to the site. As well you been a great help and i thank you so much for it. Tell me somethin else if you would how is the life over there for Americans I mean can a AMERICANS get jobs there and live normal of there, are the peoples Welcoming to foreigners there. Thanks again and I will go and check out the site that you mention. I hope to here from you soon.


Wha ???????????

First post you're "here" in the USA.
Second post, you're asking about "over there in America"

1. your first question depends on his passport, not his "green card"...
2. why ask us? we're here [Greece]

If you are American you might want to brush up your language skills and have a chat with the helpful folks at the US embassy in Athens - they're pretty up-to-date on immigration law.


----------



## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

tema said:


> Thanks, so much that will still work for him even if he a GREEN Card holder.


When you say he is a green card holder in Greece, what do you mean? Does he hold a US green card? (Hard to believe where you say he has never been to the US.) Or do you mean he is a permanent resident of Greece, but citizen of some other country?

As far as the ESTA is concerned, it's his country of nationality that is important, not so much where he is resident. As long as his country of origin is included under the VWP/ESTA then he can go that route to enter the US. (And he should enroll in ESTA right away - they are going to start to charge a fee for registration very soon.)
Cheers,
Bev


----------



## mariek (Aug 17, 2009)

Bevdeforges said:


> When you say he is a green card holder in Greece, what do you mean? Does he hold a US green card? (Hard to believe where you say he has never been to the US.) Or do you mean he is a permanent resident of Greece, but citizen of some other country?
> 
> As far as the ESTA is concerned, it's his country of nationality that is important, not so much where he is resident. As long as his country of origin is included under the VWP/ESTA then he can go that route to enter the US. (And he should enroll in ESTA right away - they are going to start to charge a fee for registration very soon.)
> Cheers,
> Bev


tema,
I think I misunderstood the citizenship of this boyfriend in the beginning by assuming he was Greek. If he isn't a citizen of Greece, or any other country covered by the VWP, then disregard my previous post.


----------



## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

> Tell me somethin else if you would how is the life over there for Americans I mean can a AMERICANS get jobs there and live normal of there, are the peoples Welcoming to foreigners there.


Can Americans get jobs in Greece? The short answer is NO. It's completely illegal, unless you work for the US Embassy or a US entity of some sort with all the paperwork and pay going through the US. However, if you marry your boyfriend (assuming he is a citizen of Greece or another EU country), then you can apply for a residence permit with permission to work. I am doing this right now (I'm American and I married my Greek husband in April) so I am very familiar with the process. It can take a long time. You should plan on being able to support yourself without working for at least a year. If your boyfriend is NOT a citizen of the EU, then marrying him will make no difference: you will NOT be able to work in Greece.

As far as how easy it is to find a job - it depends on many factors, obviously, like what you do and how good at it you are. Unemployment is rampant in Greece - statistics were just published that in the Ionian islands unemployment is 52%. In other parts of Greece it is in the teens, twenties, or thirties. If you are willing to work for very low wages, speak Greek, and are good at what you do and easy to work with, you might find something. The key to finding work, however, is whom you know: if your boyfriend's family owns a business, for example.

Are people welcoming to foreigners here - it depends on where the foreigner is from and what class he belongs to, in my experience. As a "western looking" person who is fluent in Greek and doesn't ask the government for handouts, I get treated very very well. It helps that it's extremely obvious that I live in Greece purely by choice, not by economic necessity (i.e., I didn't come here to try to escape a developing country). If you stand out as "non-Western," do not speak Greek, and/or do not seem to 'have it together' financially and otherwise, you're likely to face discrimination in various ways, some of which may even seem institutional (although technically they aren't supposed to be). If you "look non-Western" there is a fair amount of discrimination no matter what your other circumstances, although this is BY NO MEANS a blanket statement and I personally don't hang out with a single person here in Greece whom I would call a "racist." Nonetheless, my friends who are not Westerners tell me that it happens a lot and I believe them.


----------



## tema (Aug 11, 2010)

*Thanks.......*



wka said:


> Can Americans get jobs in Greece? The short answer is NO. It's completely illegal, unless you work for the US Embassy or a US entity of some sort with all the paperwork and pay going through the US. However, if you marry your boyfriend (assuming he is a citizen of Greece or another EU country), then you can apply for a residence permit with permission to work. I am doing this right now (I'm American and I married my Greek husband in April) so I am very familiar with the process. It can take a long time. You should plan on being able to support yourself without working for at least a year. If your boyfriend is NOT a citizen of the EU, then marrying him will make no difference: you will NOT be able to work in Greece.
> 
> As far as how easy it is to find a job - it depends on many factors, obviously, like what you do and how good at it you are. Unemployment is rampant in Greece - statistics were just published that in the Ionian islands unemployment is 52%. In other parts of Greece it is in the teens, twenties, or thirties. If you are willing to work for very low wages, speak Greek, and are good at what you do and easy to work with, you might find something. The key to finding work, however, is whom you know: if your boyfriend's family owns a business, for example.
> 
> Are people welcoming to foreigners here - it depends on where the foreigner is from and what class he belongs to, in my experience. As a "western looking" person who is fluent in Greek and doesn't ask the government for handouts, I get treated very very well. It helps that it's extremely obvious that I live in Greece purely by choice, not by economic necessity (i.e., I didn't come here to try to escape a developing country). If you stand out as "non-Western," do not speak Greek, and/or do not seem to 'have it together' financially and otherwise, you're likely to face discrimination in various ways, some of which may even seem institutional (although technically they aren't supposed to be). If you "look non-Western" there is a fair amount of discrimination no matter what your other circumstances, although this is BY NO MEANS a blanket statement and I personally don't hang out with a single person here in Greece whom I would call a "racist." Nonetheless, my friends who are not Westerners tell me that it happens a lot and I believe them.


Thanks, so much for all of your answers. Yes, he is a GC holder. Also he still holding a Passport from another Country as well he will not become a citizen until 2013. Every where he been traveling to so far he been using his passport from his native country. So, I was thinking at first about a invitation for him. Maybe that will work. I know about the regulation for immigration here here in the states. But, I am not sure about the way things are handle over there in Greece so, that is why I am here trying to understand the way things are handle there so I can go by it in the right matter. So, can you please tell me what should I do in this case. Thanks, again and have a good day...


----------



## wka (Sep 18, 2009)

> Thanks, so much for all of your answers. Yes, he is a GC holder. Also he still holding a Passport from another Country as well he will not become a citizen until 2013. Every where he been traveling to so far he been using his passport from his native country. So, I was thinking at first about a invitation for him. Maybe that will work. I know about the regulation for immigration here here in the states. But, I am not sure about the way things are handle over there in Greece so, that is why I am here trying to understand the way things are handle there so I can go by it in the right matter. So, can you please tell me what should I do in this case. Thanks, again and have a good day...


Sure, I will try to help. You just have to ask a question for me to answer it. I have answered all your direct questions. If you ask any more questions, you will need to indicate where your boyfriend is a citizen (what passport does he hold?). That will be important. Also, if he wants to be a citizen of Greece, obviously he cannot leave the country for very long. So you must be talking about a SHORT visit to the US, I assume.


----------



## hecate (Jul 12, 2010)

wka said:


> Sure, I will try to help. You just have to ask a question for me to answer it. I have answered all your direct questions. If you ask any more questions, you will need to indicate where your boyfriend is a citizen (what passport does he hold?). That will be important. Also, if he wants to be a citizen of Greece, obviously he cannot leave the country for very long. So you must be talking about a SHORT visit to the US, I assume.


Totally confused who is where, on what passports, wanting to go where... so as an aside to WKA, check out http://www.ekathimerini.com/4 dcgi/_w_articles_politics_1_12/08/2010_119006...especially the last bit.


----------

