Planning to move

[CherryT]

So... anyone from out of the US planning to move to the US?

 

My SO and I have discussed a 1 year plan. There's a lot of things up in the air (real estate etc) that we have to sort out within the year... and we said 1 year because we see each other often (every 2-4 weeks) on the weekends and we want to be *financially* smart about the move.

 

Any tips or any insight anyone can give me about how they planned to close the distance? I'm moving from Canada to US.

[Life'sGood]

That must be exciting and frustrating. Me and my SO talked about me moving there with him but we haven't really gotten into the details yet.

[cerridwen]

So... anyone from out of the US planning to move to the US?

 

My SO and I have discussed a 1 year plan. There's a lot of things up in the air (real estate etc) that we have to sort out within the year... and we said 1 year because we see each other often (every 2-4 weeks) on the weekends and we want to be *financially* smart about the move.

 

Any tips or any insight anyone can give me about how they planned to close the distance? I'm moving from Canada to US.

 

We're in similar circumstances with real estate and familial issues to be sorted out.

We've also given ourselves a year.

 

Visas are a huge deal.

The United States is particularly hard to get into legally.

Have you started researching visas you may qualify for?

Have you considered a student visa if you two aren't planning marriage?

Then there are work visas, which have their pros and cons depending on your industry.

 

The application and approval process can be long (8 months seemed to be the average for a fiance/marriage visa), so if you're thinking a year, you may want to get started--to account for any hiccups.

 

Visajourney.com helped us get more information from those going through the process first hand.

Have you checked it out?

[CherryT]

It's definitely exciting... not yet frustrating. Haven't gone through the visa process yet

 

I personally want to go through with a work visa only because I'm a typical girl and want to be able to have things settled and planned before having a wedding. I'm certain that we would be married within a year of me moving, but it's my stubbornness to have work first. I hear if I go through the marriage visa route, I may not be able to work for a year. Although he is able to provide for me, that year would be hell for me... because I like to work. I would say the marriage visa is our last option.

 

I haven't checked out Visajourney, never heard of it before... thank you! I'm going look into it.

 

anything else outside the visa's that you made sure to take care of? I know I'm at least a year out but I want to save as much as I can. Ensure that my condo has everything renovated/fixed so that I can rent it out quickly. What else?

[Els]

I have done a lot of research into immigration for various countries, the USA being one of them, but admittedly I have never applied for the USA. As far as I know, work visas generally tend to be tricky unless you're in a profession that is in extremely high demand. Your employer needs to sponsor your work visa and there are usually a huge mountain of rules that govern whom they can sponsor, in order to protect their own citizens and ensure that they get available positions preferentially. This is so troublesome that often employers state that you must have the right to work in the country legally before they will take you. So you have the Catch-22 of needing a job offer to get a work visa, but needing a work visa to get a job offer.

 

I moved to the bf's country a couple years ago, and my experience has been that visas have been the toughest issue by far (other than adjusting from a LDR to a ITR and financial problems perhaps, but financial problems were an offshoot of the visa issue), and the one that most people struggle with. I don't recall having any other issues, but then again I was very young when I moved and owned no property nor had any family members under my care.

 

I think that if you're serious about wanting to go the work visa route, you need to look up the laws therein and start looking around a little for jobs. You may find that you need to reevaluate your options after, and that will affect everything else.

Edited February 24, 2013 by Elswyth

[FitChick]

Why would your first year be hell if you got married and couldn't legally work? You could do a lot of volunteer jobs, i.e. animal rescue, charity work, get involved in your new community's affairs, take a class or two related to getting that future job.

 

You'd have the opportunity to prove you are a thrifty housewife able to live on your husband's income and have more time to devote to your husband. Not a bad thing at all. Then when you go back to work, your salary will feel like a lottery win in comparison.

 

Barring that, change your name to Hernandez and walk across the US/Mexico border where they will roll out the red carpet and hand you the keys to the kingdom.

[CherryT]

I have done a lot of research into immigration for various countries, the USA being one of them, but admittedly I have never applied for the USA. As far as I know, work visas generally tend to be tricky unless you're in a profession that is in extremely high demand. Your employer needs to sponsor your work visa and there are usually a huge mountain of rules that govern whom they can sponsor, in order to protect their own citizens and ensure that they get available positions preferentially. This is so troublesome that often employers state that you must have the right to work in the country legally before they will take you. So you have the Catch-22 of needing a job offer to get a work visa, but needing a work visa to get a job offer.

 

I moved to the bf's country a couple years ago, and my experience has been that visas have been the toughest issue by far (other than adjusting from a LDR to a ITR and financial problems perhaps, but financial problems were an offshoot of the visa issue), and the one that most people struggle with. I don't recall having any other issues, but then again I was very young when I moved and owned no property nor had any family members under my care.

 

I think that if you're serious about wanting to go the work visa route, you need to look up the laws therein and start looking around a little for jobs. You may find that you need to reevaluate your options after, and that will affect everything else.

 

That's exactly what I think... right now, I'm working for a company that has offices out there. The only thing is that things are changing and we may actually close the office in my city before I'm ready to move. So things are sooo up in the air. I could get an internal transfer, but I don't even know how to go about asking for that and my current boss isn't the easiest to work with. Unless it has something to do with his bottom line, he's not the kind to do something a little out of his way to help someone else.

 

I don't have dependents, but I do have properties. So I'd need to coordinate the timing for those as well. I'll need to ensure I have 1 year leases in place before making my move.

 

 

Why would your first year be hell if you got married and couldn't legally work? You could do a lot of volunteer jobs, i.e. animal rescue, charity work, get involved in your new community's affairs, take a class or two related to getting that future job.

 

You'd have the opportunity to prove you are a thrifty housewife able to live on your husband's income and have more time to devote to your husband. Not a bad thing at all. Then when you go back to work, your salary will feel like a lottery win in comparison.

 

Barring that, change your name to Hernandez and walk across the US/Mexico border where they will roll out the red carpet and hand you the keys to the kingdom.

 

You're right, I could do volunteering jobs. My work, although not specialized enough to be granted a work visa, is a passion of mine. Although I can see myself be a great wife/mother, we're not exactly there. We're about 3-5 years out from wanting to have children... and I just like to work. Being in a new city can be a bit scary and I see having a job as a way for me to get familiar with my new surroundings. Something that I know... versus me moving, husband goes to work, and I do odd jobs here and there.

 

I suppose it's all apart of the sacrifice that we have to make.

[Els]

That's exactly what I think... right now, I'm working for a company that has offices out there. The only thing is that things are changing and we may actually close the office in my city before I'm ready to move. So things are sooo up in the air. I could get an internal transfer, but I don't even know how to go about asking for that and my current boss isn't the easiest to work with. Unless it has something to do with his bottom line, he's not the kind to do something a little out of his way to help someone else.

 

If you can find some way to work that out, that is very likely your best bet at the work visa.

 

I don't have dependents, but I do have properties. So I'd need to coordinate the timing for those as well. I'll need to ensure I have 1 year leases in place before making my move.

 

Can you not pay rental agencies a commission to handle it? I know a few people who have overseas properties and leave the leases and handling to the agents.

 

You're right, I could do volunteering jobs. My work, although not specialized enough to be granted a work visa, is a passion of mine. Although I can see myself be a great wife/mother, we're not exactly there. We're about 3-5 years out from wanting to have children... and I just like to work. Being in a new city can be a bit scary and I see having a job as a way for me to get familiar with my new surroundings. Something that I know... versus me moving, husband goes to work, and I do odd jobs here and there.

 

I suppose it's all apart of the sacrifice that we have to make.

 

I think if you do your work for free, you are allowed to do it. So you can still 'work' and gain experience, but not for money. Where I live, at least.

[FitChick]

I think if you do your work for free, you are allowed to do it. So you can still 'work' and gain experience, but not for money. Where I live, at least.

 

Would you believe that in the UK you are not even allowed to volunteer? An immigration attorney told me that. I was planning to work for a charity for a few months.

[cerridwen]

It's definitely exciting... not yet frustrating. Haven't gone through the visa process yet

 

I personally want to go through with a work visa only because I'm a typical girl and want to be able to have things settled and planned before having a wedding. I'm certain that we would be married within a year of me moving, but it's my stubbornness to have work first. I hear if I go through the marriage visa route, I may not be able to work for a year. Although he is able to provide for me, that year would be hell for me... because I like to work. I would say the marriage visa is our last option.

 

I haven't checked out Visajourney, never heard of it before... thank you! I'm going look into it.

 

anything else outside the visa's that you made sure to take care of? I know I'm at least a year out but I want to save as much as I can. Ensure that my condo has everything renovated/fixed so that I can rent it out quickly. What else?

 

So much depends on the visa type one's applying for so I started there and let it be a guide to the other things I or he would need to consider.

 

I urge you to do something similar, including looking into the types offered for entry into the United States.

They'll give you an idea about what you may need to prep.

For instance, let's say you go the student visa route.

You must apply to a program, show proof of acceptance and also prove you have enough income to support yourself while studying--which of course means saving up

If you're reconsidering a work visa and/or student visa, AFAIK, we do not offer an unmarried partner visa--just ones for fiances and spouses.

So, that's something to consider if you're not talking marriage yet.

 

Anyway, good luck, C!

It sounds daunting but it can be (and is) done.

Edited February 26, 2013 by cerridwen

[Els]

Would you believe that in the UK you are not even allowed to volunteer? An immigration attorney told me that. I was planning to work for a charity for a few months.

 

Wow, that's really weird! No, I did not know that. I thought the whole point of needing a work visa was to retain employment availability for citizens. But volunteering is hardly employment.

[Minnie09]

A work visa is almost impossible, unless you're highly qualified and specialized, and your employer is willing to sponsor you. And even then, they will have to prove to the government that they can't find a citizen as qualified as you. Student visa or marriage is the way to go. Ideally, get married in Canada and then apply for a green card from there, showing all your documents/marriage cert etc. It's not going to work with a work visa, unless your company which has offices in the US is willing to transfer you and deal with the visa issues. Where are those offices, though? If they're not in your bf's area, it won't help you, either, because that'll be the only place you'll be allowed to work at. So for the US: marriage is the way to go. Even with a student visa the process can be cumbersome, having to explain a lot of why's about wanting to go to a certain place in the US as opposed to go to school in Canada.