# Considering a move to WA



## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

Hi,

I'm looking for some advice or anything that I may need to take into consideration when contemplating a move to WA.

I'm very close to a man living in WA who I'm visiting next month and if things go well then we are hoping to make our relationship a serious one. There isn't the option of him coming to the UK due to a felony conviction even though this would make the most sense so that only leaves us the option and me relocating there with my daughter.

What options are there for me when it comes to Visas? I won't have a job lined up but will be able to take with me approx £50k. Does my partner need to be able to sponsor me? Would I be able to work? and how would I stand on getting a mortgage/house loan?

Also for those who have made the move did you sell your property back home or rent it out? What are the issues with having a rental property and living in another country.

Sorry for all the questions I just haven't got a clue where to start with all this 

Thanks in advance


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## AbdulBaqi (Sep 19, 2013)

horseychick said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm looking for some advice or anything that I may need to take into consideration when contemplating a move to WA.
> 
> ...


I don't think it's anyone's business to judge you or your situation here, but in all honesty would this really work for you? As far as I know, he cannot sponsor you unless you two marry. I would look into the locked or sticky posts on this forum to see some more general information, but I believe you can work if he married and sponsored you. In order for you to get a loan, it would probably be high in interest due to the fact that you have no credit history in America, so you would need to build that first. Also, you just can't bring 50k in pounds here in cold hard cash as far as I know, or at least easily. I understand that it is impossible for him to travel, but maybe you can just visit and get a feel for things first before jumping in and maybe getting in too deep? Depending on the crime he committed I know he can appeal to have it removed so that he can travel, but at the same time if he was originally barred from traveling to begin with that is usually serious enough to not be appealed.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

horseychick said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm looking for some advice or anything that I may need to take into consideration when contemplating a move to WA.
> 
> I'm very close to a man living in WA who I'm visiting next month and if things go well then we are hoping to make our relationship a serious one. There isn't the option of him coming to the UK due to a felony conviction even though this would make the most sense so that only leaves us the option and me relocating there with my daughter


Unless you have sole custody of the child you need a court order to take her to the US on a permanent basis. Can your partner sponsor you?



horseychick said:


> What options are there for me when it comes to Visas? I won't have a job lined up but will be able to take with me approx £50k. Does my partner need to be able to sponsor me? Would I be able to work? and how would I stand on getting a mortgage/house loan?


travel.state.gov will walk you through the visa options - K1 (fiancé) and CR1 (spouse). Your partner has to show proof of income to satisfy Affidavit of Support or provide co-sponsors. You can work after you have your EAD (employment authorization document) or Green Card depending on which visa your partner sponsors. It will be extremely difficult for you to get mortgage until you have some US credit history established.



horseychick said:


> Also for those who have made the move did you sell your property back home or rent it out? What are the issues with having a rental property and living in another country.


You may be lucky and have tenants who care about the property or the opposite.



horseychick said:


> Sorry for all the questions I just haven't got a clue where to start with all this
> 
> Thanks in advance


Go through existing threads here. uscis.gov or travel.state.gov are the official sites.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

AbdulBaqi said:


> Also, you just can't bring 50k in pounds here in cold hard cash as far as I know, or at least easily.


I just want to respond to this one small point: sure you can. You can transfer money from the U.K. to the U.S. electronically, e.g. using CurrencyFair, Xoom, XE Trade, etc. Or you can carry a demand draft (a.k.a. foreign draft) made payable to yourself (typically) that is not endorsed and not bearer negotiable. Or you can carry cash or cash equivalents. If you choose option #3 you must declare it (since it's $10,000 or more), but it's perfectly legal to bring money into the U.S. if you make that declaration. The declaration form is known as FinCEN Form 105, and it's straightforward.


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

Thanks for the replies 

I know it's impossible for people not to judge when they don't know the full circumstances and I won't take any offense at replies posted.

I have spoken to a solicitor with regards to my daughter and moving her out the country and thats a step that is fairly straight forward as her father has no contact with her and hasn't had now for over 6 years.

Thank you for the links regarding visas I will certainly go and have a look at those. Although in the long term I would like to marry it is certainly not something that I wanted to rush into just to stay in the US.

I was unsure about the money and if it was possible to take into the country with me or whether it would be more viable to keep it in a Uk bank account for the short term.

But will go have a look through some other posts

x


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

horseychick said:


> I have spoken to a solicitor with regards to my daughter and moving her out the country and thats a step that is fairly straight forward as her father has no contact with her and hasn't had now for over 6 years.


You will need the court order for her visa application.





horseychick said:


> Thank you for the links regarding visas I will certainly go and have a look at those. Although in the long term I would like to marry it is certainly not something that I wanted to rush into just to stay in the US.


Your options are somewhat limited - US employer, internal transfer, investment, marriage.






horseychick said:


> I was unsure about the money and if it was possible to take into the country with me or whether it would be more viable to keep it in a Uk bank account for the short term.


You can take as much as you want with you. Anything over 10k has to be declared. Read up on WA law. At what point will what you bring into a marriage be considered joint property?


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

twostep said:


> You will need the court order for her visa application.
> 
> 
> My solicitor sees no issue with regards to me being granted sole custody giving the background of the father following our seperation and his lack of contact.
> ...


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

have you actually met this person ... have you you had his record checked
especially for crimes under the Adam Walsh Act


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2013)

horseychick said:


> My solicitor sees no issue with regards to me being granted sole custody giving the background of the father following our seperation and his lack of contact.
> 
> It is looking likely that the marriage option is the most likely and that is something I will need to think about.
> 
> There is so much to consider its confusing and thank you for the tip regarding the WA laws on possessions once married.


 Does her father have parental responsibility? What year was she born and where you married to him?


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

I've been in a 'relationship' for want of a better word for 2 years now and am visiting him next month to see how things go. I've got full details of his felonies and although he now has a passport and can travel there are countries including the UK that would appear will not allow him to enter so getting him a move over here permanently seems out of the question.

He has 2 felonies for robbery one with a gun enhancement which happened a long time ago. He has served his time and has been off probation now since Jan 2012. I'm in regular contact also with his family members so know there are no hidden skeletons that I am not aware off.

If he could have come here that would have been the easier and better option but as far as I am aware that just isn't a possibility.


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

_shel said:


> Does her father have parental responsibility? What year was she born and where you married to him?


Yes currently her father does have parental responsibility as she is only 8 and although we weren't married he is named on her birth certificate. 

My solicitor is confident however that because he has never had contact in over 6 years with her and since we split up he has spent time in jail for sex with a minor that a judge would rule in my favour for sole custody.


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2013)

horseychick said:


> Yes currently her father does have parental responsibility as she is only 8 and although we weren't married he is named on her birth certificate.
> 
> My solicitor is confident however that because he has never had contact in over 6 years with her and since we split up he has spent time in jail for sex with a minor that a judge would rule in my favour for sole custody.


 Sorry to tell you but a custody Order does not remove his Parental Responsibility and nor does it give you the right to remove your child from the country without consulting him. Custody is relating to where the child lives and who makes most of the day to day decisions about their upbringing. 

It does not allow you to make drastic changes and decisions with consulting and getting agreement with any other that also has PR. 

If you are unable to get his written permission you will still need a Section 8 Court Order giving you permission to remove her from the country to fulfil the USAs obligations under the Hauge Convention. Such Orders are not quite as easy to obtain as a custody Order.


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

Sorry maybe I mis-interpretated what I was told Shel. I was under the impression I needed sole custody in order to get a court order for her to leave? But once the sole custody was granted the court order would then be relatively straight forward.

Thanks I will look into this again


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2013)

Do so and don't just walk into any solicitor. Check on the law society website for a child & family solicitor that deals with more than divorce. Its quite a complicated area that many won't know in depth. But simply his parental rights can not be removed bar the child being taken in to the care of the local authority or adoption that also removes his right. So he will always have a say, though if he has no contact maybe find him & try and work something out, get his written & legally withnessed permission. Far cheaper & less stressful than a year or more of Court.


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## SandraDee (Oct 8, 2013)

Whatever you do make sure that this is what you really want and you wont be moving just because of him but that offers you also something more besides him.


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

i aam sorry to say I believe you are very foolsh and exremely gullible 
A felon will lie about anything ... he can have a passport but few countries will admit him 
But is your life and I contiue to be amazed how little regard people have for their lives


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## jsharbuck (Jul 26, 2012)

Don't mean to five unsolicited advise but you sound like a nice person and that you have caught the attention of a con. This is the same reasons that teenage girls fall victim over the Internet. they start slow, build an emotional relationship over months or a year. Then when someone advises caution, it's almost futile to try and talk someone out of it.


There are millions of eligible men available without being sucked into something with a man whose history will give any potential life together a rocky start. Think of you daughter.


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

Davis1 said:


> i aam sorry to say I believe you are very foolsh and exremely gullible
> A felon will lie about anything ... he can have a passport but few countries will admit him
> But is your life and I contiue to be amazed how little regard people have for their lives


And quite frankly I can't believe that some people can be so stereotypical and tarnish every felon with the same brush but again that is your opinion which you are entitled to.

His background isn't hard to check out, I've seen how hard he has worked to turn his life around, clear his debts and get his license reinstated. Someone with something to hide wouldn't readily allow access to his family circle. He has helped and supported me emotionally and financially through some very hard times also. My family also had reservations but having had contact also with him and his family are much more supportive than I could have asked for.

This isn't a decision I am taking lightly hence why I was looking for an alternative to only getting a fiancee/marriage visa.

I respect your opinion but certainly don't take lightly to being called gullible and foolish just because he made some bad decisions and fell in with the wrong crowd as a teenager doesn't mean he can't be given a second chance.


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

jsharbuck said:


> Don't mean to five unsolicited advise but you sound like a nice person and that you have caught the attention of a con. This is the same reasons that teenage girls fall victim over the Internet. they start slow, build an emotional relationship over months or a year. Then when someone advises caution, it's almost futile to try and talk someone out of it.
> 
> 
> There are millions of eligible men available without being sucked into something with a man whose history will give any potential life together a rocky start. Think of you daughter.


jsharbuck I will take into account all advice this is a public forum and everyones opinions will differ. I will happily listen to constructive criticism and it isn't futile to give people advice and to give them reason to doubt.

I am considering all options and not wanting to rush into anything hence why I've put off visiting for 2 years. But it feels right now to visit and then see how things go from there.


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## Guest (Oct 10, 2013)

Obviously no idea what the offence is but dont assume he cant come to the UK. You should ask on the UK board, UKBA works on the fact we have the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Some offences may never get in but many do if he is past his rehab period and not reoffended. Reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act - Resettlement Advice Service - What we do - Nacro, the crime reduction charity


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Folks - we do not know anything about OP, her gentleman in WA or any specifics about her/his/their situation but that someone posted in a public forum asking some straight forward questions. Instead of turning into judge and jury how about giving some answers?


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Horseychick - what part of WA are you looking at? What kind of work are you in?


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

twostep said:


> Horseychick - what part of WA are you looking at? What kind of work are you in?



He lives in Tacoma so looking at Seattle and surrounding areas. I hold a BA (HONS) in Business Management and currently work in financial services. So would be keen to remain in this type of work if or when possible.


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

_shel said:


> Obviously no idea what the offence is but dont assume he cant come to the UK. You should ask on the UK board, UKBA works on the fact we have the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. Some offences may never get in but many do if he is past his rehab period and not reoffended. Reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act - Resettlement Advice Service - What we do - Nacro, the crime reduction charity


Thanks Shel these are the types of links I was hoping to get access to. It would in all honesty be much easier for him to make the move but I didn't think this would be possible.

I will certainly look into UKBA


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

horseychick said:


> He lives in Tacoma so looking at Seattle and surrounding areas. I hold a BA (HONS) in Business Management and currently work in financial services. So would be keen to remain in this type of work if or when possible.


Tacoma - Seattle is a cruel commute. Especially with a child.


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

twostep said:


> Tacoma - Seattle is a cruel commute. Especially with a child.


Yeah he currerently commutes from Fircrest to Redmond and its often a nightmare. He currently only rents so the option to move about is there but a lot of his family are in close proximity to where he is and I like the idea of having a close family support system close to hand.


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## horseychick (Oct 7, 2013)

Eryn Hanlon said:


> Hi Horseychick,
> 
> If you are not married your partner cannot sponsor you for a visa. However, if you are willing to turn $50K into creating a business in the US, you may be eligible for an E2 investor visa.


Thanks will look into it


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

horseychick said:


> Thanks will look into it


The purpose of investment visas is to create jobs for those eligible to work in the US. The business has to have enough profits for you to live off it and make it through the regular renewal audits. Your child will be covered by your visa until he is of age.


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