In a pickle!

[Martin + Amie 0]

Hi Guys,

I am in the process of the K1 visa and it has been going for 3 months now. I am a business man and i have been put in this awkward situation. My new affiliation with my company and another one means I will need to move to NYC fairly quickly. My question is this! Is there anyway i can move to NYC while my VISA is processing? The US based company has agreed to sponsor me and will take care of any application processes but i am wondering if this is at all possible? Is there any way i can move to NYC while my K-1 is processing and US company is willing to sponsor me?

Any help is appreciated,

Martin

[Alex+R 0]

So you are the beneficiary and you have found a company to give you a work visa. Couldn't you theoretically come over on the work visa, cancel your K-1 petition, and while in the US on the work visa marry your fiance and adjust status? (Does your fiance live in NYC?)

It's fine to do that on an H1B, as far as I understand it (but don't take that as fact)

Working when you get here would be a relief; most people don't get to work for at least a few months after arriving.

Anyone else have an answer?

[Martin + Amie 0]

My girlfriend is actually in London with me now but lives in Los Angeles, CA. We would both be moving to NYC, she obviously is a US citizen. I want to go through the K-1 visa process as i believe it will be quicker than obtaining a work visa? I need to get to NYC in the quickest time possible and i dont know which route to take.

Best Regards

Maritn

[Alex+R 0]

My girlfriend is actually in London with me now but lives in Los Angeles, CA. We would both be moving to NYC, she obviously is a US citizen. I want to go through the K-1 visa process as i believe it will be quicker than obtaining a work visa? I need to get to NYC in the quickest time possible and i dont know which route to take.

Best Regards

Maritn

Hi Martin,

I'm also moving to NYC soon. Maybe I'll run into you and your girlfriend someday.

As far as I've heard, work visas are MUCH faster to process. If you go to "processing times" and check the Nebraska Service Center (I believe they are now the only people doing I-129 forms, the forms for work visas) and find the kind of visa you'd be getting, you'll see that most of them are May 29, or at earliest March, for processing times. Vermont, at any rate, lists April 2 as their H1B date.

Companies have ways of expediting the process of work visas too. Why don't you find out more about the visa you'd be getting and ask the company when they'd expect you to be in NYC? Surely you are not the first person they've sponsored?

I have a feeling that if it's less than 3 months from now, it's going to be faster than the K1. Although of course, none of us can even begin to estimate the real timelines for those...

If the issue of getting to NYC as fast as possible is your girlfriend's expiring visa for the UK, I hear that. But if it's to take that job in NYC, bear in mind you may not be able to work when you arrive.

I hope some of this helps?

[vartan 0]

not to mention that the Fiance Visa just gets you a temp visa into the country and have to apply for a work permit once you arrive which will take more months on top of that.

[kitkat1 5]

Hi Guys,

I am in the process of the K1 visa and it has been going for 3 months now. I am a business man and i have been put in this awkward situation. My new affiliation with my company and another one means I will need to move to NYC fairly quickly. My question is this! Is there anyway i can move to NYC while my VISA is processing? The US based company has agreed to sponsor me and will take care of any application processes but i am wondering if this is at all possible? Is there any way i can move to NYC while my K-1 is processing and US company is willing to sponsor me?

Any help is appreciated,

Martin

Martin, it looks like you have a great option. But I also think it's complicated and it would be a good idea for you to consult a qualified immigration attorney. Even if you only do a telephone consultation, you'll have the facts and know how best to proceed. Money well spent I think. Good luck.

[desert_fox 32]

have the company submit the petition....ask the US Consulate in London for advice.

Edited June 24, 2006 by desert_fox

[samantha_lou 0]

I would consult with an immigration lawyer, but the H1B is probably going to be way quicker than the K1...with the H1B you are already authorised to work, where as with the K1..it'll be months before you get here, then possibly more months whilst you wait for your work permit (you have to give it at least three months before you can attempt to apply for an interim).

I would just check on the ability to adjust status from an H1B...if its okay to do that, then there is nothing stopping you taking that visa, working over here, getting married in your own time and then just adjusting status. Good luck! Congrats on the new job opportunity and upcoming nuptials, I hope everything goes smoothly for you.