Emmigrating to the USA

[BruciesBabe]

Hello all,

 

My other half and I are hoping to move to the US to live within the next 5 years.

 

Does anyone have any hints or tips or can you recommend any useful sources of information (other than the obvious)?

 

Are there any immigration experts on the forum?

 

Thanks

BB

[Agent Orange]

Why, one or both of you been offered work? All I know is that US are very strict with immigration and I'd be lying if I was to tell you that it would be easy to get the relevant documentation to stay there. As for advice, I would state the obvious and point you in the direction of the immigration department's website or contact the American Embassy and I'm sure they will give you further information.

[Debk]

My son moved to the US 2 years ago ....he married an American girl and still had to jump through hoops to get his residency and work permit. I think unless a company sponsors you to do a job they can find no US citizen to do (very rare) or you have close relatives there or are puting at least £250k into a business in the US, it is very difficult to get in....... ..not that most of us would want to

[nick2]

Unless you have a skill they need in the US you won't get a work permit.

[squeakyclean]

Unless you are in are in a sought after proffession, then it will be very very difficult to make the move.

 

If you have lots of money to invest in a business, and you are going to employ a few locals,then this is another option.

 

Tried it a few years ago, and gave up in the end

[nick2]

A good plan might be to work for an American company over here, then move offices ?

[downtroad]

My son moved to the US 2 years ago ....he married an American girl and still had to jump through hoops to get his residency and work permit. I think unless a company sponsors you to do a job they can find no US citizen to do (very rare) or you have close relatives there or are puting at least £250k into a business in the US, it is very difficult to get in....... ..not that most of us would want to

 

That’s pretty much the case.

 

I have done the immigration thing twice now. Once under the H1B and once for marriage. It's mainly lots of forms to fill out.

 

Some people choose to get a lawyer, but if you are vigilant with the forms you can save a lot of money.

 

Apart from Marriage or a particular skill the only other options you have are-

 

1) Green card lottery. But millions of people apply, so it really is like winning the lottery.

2) Entrepeneria visa, which you need a substantial amount of money.

3) Transfer from an international company.

 

The kind of skills you may get work with are thinks like nursing, teaching or IT. When I say IT it’s only pretty specialized fields, they have to show that they have advertised the job in America before they can get a H1B allocation and those allocations have shrunk in the past several years.

 

Here is the immigration web site.

 

http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/index.htm

[poppins]

Maybe if you knew someone that could sponsor you untill you found work, do some Googling ....USA sponsorship ect.

[nick2]

I think it would be much better to have a job before you go, they don't have the same welfare system we have, if you're not working you are effectively left to fend for yourself.

[downtroad]

Here are a few sites to search on H1B sponsership companies.

 

http://www.h1bsponsors.com/

http://www.h1base.com/page.asp?id=40