Just Looking for Advice

[JaredLCo 5]

Hey!

I'll keep it short & to the point:

-I'm a born & raised US Citizen, my girlfriend is a French Citizen.

-Want to spend a little more time living together before starting the K-1 Visa process.

-Trying to find a country where we can do that!

-Deciding between Ireland & Canada..

-She can easily go to both. I can easily go to Ireland, but I read that Ireland's economy is fairly bad at the moment, possibly making it difficult for us to find jobs good enough to support us.

-Toronto was an exciting plan, but not sure if I could find work there either, because of the LMO process, etc. (http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/basic-motivation-hints-for-us-citizen-to-start-the-twplmo-process-t55441.0.html) (http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/take-the-risk-or-no-t56774.0.html)

-I've done years of Landscape/Gardening, & also years of Retail Sales, Sales Representative, etc, so my spectrum of abilities is fairly broad. (but not exactly specialized I suppose)

I know this will more than likely get moved to General Immigration, etc; perhaps not belonging at all on VJ...BUT

It's more of a personal question that's K-1 related, than a K-1 question that's slightly personal.

Any insight on whether or not just jumping into a K-1 is wise..

Or any insight into which path would make the most sense, Dublin or Toronto...

Perhaps starting the K-1 process halfway through the 1 year of living in one of these cities.

Many thanks & much appreciated,

Jared

Edited November 2, 2010 by JaredLCo

[canadian_wife 1,822]

Most work visas through Canada are for specialized or professional work. Not sure if gardening would qualify for that

If you do, you'd have to get a job and an employer to start the LMO process which is not easy

Good luck

[JlovesA 109]

It sounds like you are trying to get together long-term before you start the K1, but what about shorter-term trips? Could she come visit you for a month or 2? Could you go visit her that long?

If you started the K1 process now or maybe in the new year, it would still be mid to late 2011 that she would be moving to the USA (and she has 6 months to use the visa, further delaying it if you wanted). Of course with all important things in life, especially something as important as marriage, it is advisable to take things slow, but considering she wouldn't necessarily have to be there until 2012, why not just start it now?

[aoifemc 2]

I'm from Ireland and waiting for a k-1 visa to the states. Ireland is such a great place with the friendliest of people but the economy is in an awful awful way. I've ust finished college and cannot get a job, my fiance who was an electrician was let go recently. We cannot even afford to move in together in Ireland. It's that bad.

I'd say apply for the visa now.. you could move to france while the petition is pending! it can take up to nine months so why not start the process now?!

good luck

[Aztec&Taino 144]

Hey!

I'll keep it short & to the point:

-I'm a born & raised US Citizen, my girlfriend is a French Citizen.

-Want to spend a little more time living together before starting the K-1 Visa process.

-Trying to find a country where we can do that!

-Deciding between Ireland & Canada..

-She can easily go to both. I can easily go to Ireland, but I read that Ireland's economy is fairly bad at the moment, possibly making it difficult for us to find jobs good enough to support us.

-Toronto was an exciting plan, but not sure if I could find work there either, because of the LMO process, etc. (http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/basic-motivation-hints-for-us-citizen-to-start-the-twplmo-process-t55441.0.html) (http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/take-the-risk-or-no-t56774.0.html)

-I've done years of Landscape/Gardening, & also years of Retail Sales, Sales Representative, etc, so my spectrum of abilities is fairly broad. (but not exactly specialized I suppose)

I know this will more than likely get moved to General Immigration, etc; perhaps not belonging at all on VJ...BUT

It's more of a personal question that's K-1 related, than a K-1 question that's slightly personal.

Any insight on whether or not just jumping into a K-1 is wise..

Or any insight into which path would make the most sense, Dublin or Toronto...

Perhaps starting the K-1 process halfway through the 1 year of living in one of these cities.

Many thanks & much appreciated,

Jared

Jared,

I guess what I don't understand is why you would both want to move to a different country and go through all the expenses and difficulty if you are not intending to stay in that country and make your lives there. Would your ultimate goal be to live in the US? If so, it would be much better to visit each other various times for semi-extended periods of time. The advantage is that your fiancee is from a Visa Waiver Program country. Many of us here (VJ members) would really like to have the opportunity for our fiance(e)s to come visit us in the US! Remember that if you decide to petition for the fiancee visa you will eventually need to show that you can financially provide for her, how would you be able to do that if you move elsewhere? You would need a co-sponsor. Also, the visa process takes around 6 months, from the moment of sending the petition to the interview (give or take a couple of months). So, you could visit each other in that period of time without having to give up your homes, jobs, etc. In particular so that YOU (the petitioner) can continue to have a job and make an income for the time that you have to file an Affidavit of Support. I know it is hard to not really "try the waters" before taking the plunge, but sometimes you just have to have faith and try to make an informed decision, even if you are not sure (who is ever sure, anyway?) of the outcome.

Best wishes!

[aoifemc 2]

i would agree that you should stay where you are and concentrate on a job and being prepared to have your finances in order for the affidavit of support form, you will not be able to support your fiancee if you have no job! I suppose it doesn't make sense to move away when you're considering the k-1 visa. just have a few visits back and forth... and sure visit ireland for a holiday while you're at it

[JaredLCo 5]

Thank you so much for your replies & advice...keep it coming if possible!

canadian_wife: I was hoping to push more of my Sales experience, rather than Landscaping, for a job, to find an employer to start the LMO for me in Toronto. I've been posting on the canadavisa forums, asking how hard is it really, to move there & find a job/LMO within a few months, without being in specialized or professional work, as I don't think my experience quite qualifies for that. As it stands right now, it seems risky to move there without solidifying work, first. But I was willing to try...

JlovesA: We've done the short-terms trips; weeks there, months here, etc. It becomes expensive, & I suppose hard to gauge how well we "live" together when one of us is on "vacation." It's true we could start it now, & put it off for later, since there is the 6 month window to use the visa. But the way we're looking at it now, it's the Catch-22 scenario: we don't know quite yet if we should get married, without spending more time together, though the only reasonable way for us to spend time together is to get married.

aoifemc: I appreciate your info about Ireland. It's what I've been reading as well: it's hard to find work there, even in Dublin I hear? It makes the risk of not finding work that much more of a reality, especially since we'd only be temporary work, it's likely it wouldn't be quality pay I suppose. Again, we want to start the K-1, but still we both seem to agree the wisest would be to spend more time together first. Certainly a tough call...

Aztec&Taino: Yes, the ultimate goal IS to live in the US. And I agree, we are lucky because France is a VWP country. I agree with what you say, visiting each other during that time period, & continue to have solid income for that time. And yes, who is ever SURE anyway. An informed decision it would be. Still, we are slightly on the fence about it, with our reservations stemming from just wanting to make a responsible decision. It's quite a big change for her, especially.

I'm still open for any opinions!

I appreciate it...

Edited November 2, 2010 by JaredLCo

[canadian_wife 1,822]

You cannot move to Canada without authorization. You, as a US citizen, may travel there for up to 6 months but you cannot work. In order to live and work in Canada, you must have the appropriate permission. Do not 'move' to Canada and then try to find a job

Good luck

[baron555 934]

Hey!

I'll keep it short & to the point:

-I'm a born & raised US Citizen, my girlfriend is a French Citizen.

-Want to spend a little more time living together before starting the K-1 Visa process.

-Trying to find a country where we can do that!

-Deciding between Ireland & Canada..

-She can easily go to both. I can easily go to Ireland, but I read that Ireland's economy is fairly bad at the moment, possibly making it difficult for us to find jobs good enough to support us.

-Toronto was an exciting plan, but not sure if I could find work there either, because of the LMO process, etc. (http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/basic-motivation-hints-for-us-citizen-to-start-the-twplmo-process-t55441.0.html) (http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/take-the-risk-or-no-t56774.0.html)

-I've done years of Landscape/Gardening, & also years of Retail Sales, Sales Representative, etc, so my spectrum of abilities is fairly broad. (but not exactly specialized I suppose)

I know this will more than likely get moved to General Immigration, etc; perhaps not belonging at all on VJ...BUT

It's more of a personal question that's K-1 related, than a K-1 question that's slightly personal.

Any insight on whether or not just jumping into a K-1 is wise..

Or any insight into which path would make the most sense, Dublin or Toronto...

Perhaps starting the K-1 process halfway through the 1 year of living in one of these cities.

Many thanks & much appreciated,

Jared

If your relationship is such that you need to live together for a year or more to decide if it's meant to be forever, then yes for sure DO NOT pursue any visa, because those are actually only for couples that have a real relationship and one that is meant to be forever.

I'd personally choose Canada over Ireland, but both are nice places with nice people.

[newlyweds2010 208]

Sorry to ask, but how would you be able to move to either Canada or Ireland and then plan to find a job there? I guess that the immigration process would be quite difficult there too. I don't know about Canada, but in Ireland, unless you are an EU-Citizen, you can only visit for 3 months and you cannot work. If you want to work there, you need a sponsoring employer and you can only work for him, after receiving the proper visa.

Edited November 2, 2010 by newlyweds2010

[JaredLCo 5]

Once again many thanks for the responses, keep them coming!

canadian_wife: Right, you're correct, I've done lots of research on the matter. Being a US citizen, I could "travel" there for 6 months solid. The idea was to go with her, who can enter Canada on a Working Holiday Visa, she finds an apartment, & I stay with her looking for jobs, until I find a job willing to do the LMO process (many people do it this way apparently, being that they're much more likely to find a willing employer in person). If I got a positive LMO, I could take it & the job offer to the border at Buffalo, NY, & get a Temporary Work Permit. This is possible because US Citizens luckily are TRV exempt. Still though, obviously it's risky because I may not find a job at all, willing to go through the LMO process.

baron555: Thanks for your input! I agree with you completely; we just want to make sure the time is right for both of us to decide the big decision, 100%. Our reservations stem from just wanting to make a responsible choice. I'd personally choose Canada over Ireland, too: I can drive 10 hours to Toronto, Ireland's economy isn't great at all right now. But unfortunately of the two, only Ireland currently offers Working Holiday Visas to Americans.

newlyweds2010: Ireland & the US recently opened up the Working Holiday Visa for their citizens, & luckily I qualify to obtain an Irish Working Holiday Visa, being 28 years old. So, really, Dublin, Ireland makes the most sense for our scenario, because I could live & work (IF I find a job) there without a lot of rigmarole, for 1 year. To be honest...Toronto is probably out, because it's just that much harder for me, not her, to go there & live & work. And it's so close! Ha.

Still very open to any opinions or insight! I appreciate all the comments

Edited November 2, 2010 by JaredLCo

[newlyweds2010 208]

Then I'd say that Ireland is your best choice. Do they have similar working holiday programs between Canada and France? But even if they did, you wouldn't be able to work there. On the contrary, she can legally move to Ireland to live and work, and you can get this visa and do the same. The economy may be bad now over there, but I don't really see any other options if the two of you want to have a chance to find a job in the same place. Unless there are other EU countries that have the same kind of agreement with the US.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

To enter Canada and plan to work there illegally will lead you into a lot of trouble. You will find it a lot more difficult to find an employer who is willing to hire you without proper authorization than in the US. They cannot hire you without a Social Insurance Number and you cannot get a Social Insurance Number without either a permanent or a temporary residence permit. All employers who wish to hire foreign employees need to submit the job request to the Canadian government first proving that they cannot find a qualified Canadian to do the work, and that is extremely unlikely in any sales position or any landscaping position. Only after they receive that permission are they able to apply for a specific individual with specific qualifications which are also vetted before that person is issued the necessary employment visa.

You really need to realize that foreign countries are just that - foreign countries sovereign onto themselves and with their own policies and procedures regarding immigration and foreign workers. You can't just pick up and move to another country and expect to be allowed to live and work there without going through the proper steps.

Another issue you need to remember. If you wish to sponsor anyone to the US you need to fulfill certain financial requirements from US based income. You need to prove through income tax returns (and a US citizen has to file a US tax return regardless of where they live in the world declaring their world income) and employer letters that you are earning and will continue to earn at least 125% of the poverty level for a household of your size. If you cannot do this, then you need to find a co-sponsor - someone who does meet this minimum standard - who is willing to commit themselves to a possible lifetime obligation to the federal government through a legally binding contract to reimburse the government for any means-tested benefits your partner may incur until the terms of that contract are met. If you are not working in the US, then you will not be able to meet the terms required for the Affidavit of Support. Foreign based income doesn't count.

As much as we all wish we could just pick up and move in together, a long-distance international relationship is not like a relationship with someone in the same country. Sometimes you have to move faster or slower than you would wish and you have to accept that there will be a great deal of government involvement in all aspects of your relationship - whether you are living here, living in her country or trying to live in a foreign country.

[CBM 14]

Kathryn41, you rock. haha seriously, your advice is always spot on, thorough, and very diplomatic. You rock.

[JaredLCo 5]

Kathryn41: I have no intention of working illegally in Canada, nor did I say that I would. The method which I described was finding a job while traveling in Canada, & with the chance of obtaining a positive LMO & job offer, taking it to the border to get a TWP, which is possible because US Citizens are TRV exempt. Please don't mistake me for doing anything illegal in Canada. Also, please don't think I assumed I could pick up & go anywhere I please; in fact I think I was quite clear in my posts that I am aware I can actually only easily work in Ireland, on a WHV, & that Canada would be difficult to find work because of the LMO process. I understand the sovereignty of individual nations.

Past that, I appreciate your advice. I'm happy that you filled me in on the specific details of the Affidavit of Support. You're right, & it seems like moving away would & could probably hurt our chances of actually fulfilling the K-1, in the long run. You're definitely right about international relationships, faster or slower; excellent way of putting it. Makes sense of course.

Many thanks for the opinions!

Regards