# Immigration to USA (best route?)



## mhenkes92 (May 14, 2015)

Hey, 
I finally decided to register in an immigration forum , so here I am! My name is Manuel, I'm 23 and I'm a German citizen looking to immigrate into the USA.

Here is some background information:
Since I was a kid I wanted to move to the USA! I am 23 years old today. When I was 15, my dreams became more and more realistic and I have researched immigration laws and possibilities since. Originally, my goal was to join the military in the USA and it's still my American Dream but I know I would need a GreenCard so I had to convince myself I need to be more flexible when it comes to immigration. After graduating from Abitur (13 years of German high school), I did my first Road Trip through the USA West to East and all my imaginations got confirmed and topped and I'm totally in love with this country and I can't imagine being anywhere else but HOME in the USA! I did a three month internship there, too. I have many friends there and I know a family there that I consider my own family and they think of me as their son. I'm currently enlisted in the German Army Airborne (end of service Aug, 2017) and I'm enrolled in a 4 year (100% online) distance education program to get a B.S. in Computer Engineering Technology (graduation date: Jan, 2017) at Grantham University in Lenexa, KS (which is accredited by DEAC).

My current goal is finding a job in the USA so I can get a worker visa. This is the "most secure" way for me to realize my plans. I research H1B sponsors and openings for entry level jobs and internships on a weekly basis and I believe I have a good basic understanding of the immigration law today (since I've researched this topic for years).

1) My intention of this post is to ask like minded people if they have any ideas that I might have not already thought about that could benefit me in my way to immigration into the USA?
2) I'm also wondering if anybody knows how long it takes for ESTA to be approved after a visa denial? Would it be bad to apply for ESTA after I'm done with the military if I won't have a job offer by then? Moreover, do you think I could have any issues in my immigration process due to my following problems: . 
- I accidentally overstayed one day under VWP due to misinterpretation of the stamp's date (Idk why but my ESTA was still good after that and nobody said anything) 
- I applied for a B1/2 visa afterwards (because I wanted to stay longer than 90 days) but didn't show ties to Germany 214(b)
- Being ignorant about the fact that ESTA gets invalid after a visa denial, I decided to go to the USA through ESTA so now I have following code written in the last page of my passport: 212(a)(7)(A)(i)(7) (meaning I was actually never admitted to come to the USA since VWP wasn't possible anymore). I read that I might need a waiver (Hranka Waiver) but how would I know that for sure? After I had to go back to Germany, I decided to go for another visa application and the officer at the embassy denied my application (haven't even started talking) and told me to wait a few years until grass has covered it up. But what exactly did she mean by that?

Thank you for your help!


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## EVHB (Feb 11, 2008)

You can't travel under ESTA anymore because of overstay + denial of visa. You can apply for ESTA, but will get a 'not allowed'.

H1b is not an immigration visa. You will have to leave the country after max. 6 years (or sooner if the job comes to an end). No certainty that you can qualify for a green card.

You ask for the most secure way to immigrate to the USA? That is marriage.


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## mhenkes92 (May 14, 2015)

EVHB said:


> You can't travel under ESTA anymore because of overstay + denial of visa. You can apply for ESTA, but will get a 'not allowed'.
> 
> H1b is not an immigration visa. You will have to leave the country after max. 6 years (or sooner if the job comes to an end). No certainty that you can qualify for a green card.
> 
> You ask for the most secure way to immigrate to the USA? That is marriage.


Thanks for your response.
In this forum and many other forums, I read some people had the same issue but somehow got approved in an ESTA application so I was wondering if it has to do with a certain time frame that ESTA won't get approved. 

I know marriage is the easiest thing but I don't want to marry somebody to get a GC. 

If I decided to go for a masters degree after my B.S. and then do OPT, do you think I would have issues obtaining the F1 visa due to my past experiences with the USA? 
What if I got a job offer, would it be difficult for me to get a visa? I know H1B is not a guarantee for a GC but it's still one of the best options.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Let's leave the emotional "my home" out.

You have:
A) overstay
B) denied B2
C) refused entry on ESTA after denied B2
D) denied B2 
To top it off all three in a rather short time period. Under what premis do you expect a waiver? You have bluntly disregarded the rules several times. I have heard of B2 approvals with considerable binding ties being approved after a 3 year break. But after four strikes there is no guessing.
A degree from an on-line school does not guarantee job and visa. 
You may have a chance of a NATO transfer depending on your position but will have to declare your issues.
For OTP you will need the funds for a Masters and the visa. Which is at this point not only dicey.


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## mhenkes92 (May 14, 2015)

Thank you for your response.

I will NOT leave the "my home" out. It's more home to me than anything else. (Never heard the saying home is where your heart belongs??  )

So I thought about NATO a few months ago but dropped the thought because I thought it wouldn't be possible. 
I don't really know where to start when it comes to NATO. I don't know enough about the NATO hiring procedures. 
Can you recommend any good sources or do you know of anybody taking this route in order to immigrate into another country?


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

There is no Nato hiring process. Some German troups are stationed in the USA under NATO agreements. If you qualify and if your civilian visa issues have an impact is something you have to find out.


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## mhenkes92 (May 14, 2015)

twostep said:


> There is no Nato hiring process. Some German troups are stationed in the USA under NATO agreements. If you qualify and if your civilian visa issues have an impact is something you have to find out.


Okay I think I know what you are talking about. The German military calls it "integrierte Verwendung" which stands for military jobs abroad in NATO countries and I checked that with my boss and recruiters before and it's really unlikely to realize this route. There are hardly any slots open and you would need to apply for those specific jobs through the German military at least 3 years ahead. If you become an officer it would be more likely but I don't want to live or serve that long in Germany I want to do that in the U.S.
I see there are some civilian jobs in NATO that I can apply for in different countries so this adds to my list of job application companies.
Thank you.

Any other suggestions?


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Canada? It's almost the United States.


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## mhenkes92 (May 14, 2015)

I thought about that, too. It'd be a good temporary solution. But I feel like immigration to Canada seems just as difficult considering a longer stay. I know they offer several programs for my country and young people to work and live there from summer work to 2-3 years but I would still need a job offer. Are Canadian employers more likely to hire foreigners than U.S. employer? 
I'm seriously considering "working holiday" in Canada because I do not need a job offer prior to entering Canada and I could look for a job once I'm there which seems a little "easier" to me. I just want to get out of this country as soon as I can









Thank you for your comment. Do you think my visa issues with the usa can have any influence on getting visas (such as the working holiday) in Canada?


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## Expat LD (May 18, 2015)

Marriage or EB5 investment may be the two best and quickest routes. Ask a Chinese resident in America - they know all about immigration channels and the pros and cons of each.


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## mhenkes92 (May 14, 2015)

I'm aware that marriage is probably the easiest way. I don't have the money for EB5...
I've been thinking about several ways to enter and stay the USA. 

1) I could go for a masters once I complete my Bachelor. The only problem I see is that I would need to take out a loan... And I don't know if there would be any issues at the embassy due to my visa background.
2) If I get a job offer then it's probably the best thing that could happen and probably no problem at the embassy
3) Internship offer: Do you think there is going to be any issue in getting an internship visa at the U.S. consulate if I get an internship offer from a company there? Do you need to show strong ties to your country when you apply for an internship visa? I know when you apply for a worker visa you do not need to show any "proof" that you would come back.


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## blackhatsmackdat (May 22, 2015)

While this is not a fair comparison.

1.) Have a skill no one else can do or can do well within the United States. That is in high demand.
2.) Be in contact with your embassy and contact the united states representative within your country.
3.) Females have a higher rate of acceptance within the United States, based on lottery segmentation


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

blackhatsmackdat said:


> While this is not a fair comparison.
> 
> 1.) Have a skill no one else can do or can do well within the United States. That is in high demand.
> 2.) Be in contact with your embassy and contact the united states representative within your country.
> 3.) Females have a higher rate of acceptance within the United States, based on lottery segmentation


Can you please explain what you mean with option2?


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## mhenkes92 (May 14, 2015)

blackhatsmackdat said:


> While this is not a fair comparison.
> 
> 1.) Have a skill no one else can do or can do well within the United States. That is in high demand.
> 2.) Be in contact with your embassy and contact the united states representative within your country.
> 3.) Females have a higher rate of acceptance within the United States, based on lottery segmentation


1) I believe you are referring to immigration through H1B sponsorship? That's why I'm currently enrolled in a B.S. Computer Engineering Technology program. According to many webpages such as myvisajobs.com the top companies sponsoring H1B or Green Cards have to do with computer or engineering and I 've loved these areas since I was a kid.
2) I do not understand what you mean by that. Please explain?
3) I didn't know the lottery makes differences in gender? I just knew there are about 55 thousand GreenCards available every year that are split among eligible countries on a percentage basis. Why is that important?


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