Over before we've begun :(

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

Moved from DCF Discussion to Off Topic; topic is about a personal set of circumstances and not about any specific immigration process.

But the personal circumstances are certainly in regards to Laura's research and preparation for immigration to the US.

Why in the world you would move her legitimate questions about immigration to Off-Topic so the thread can become cannon fodder for the bored, I have no idea.

[JoannaV 174]

But what are the requirements to register?

Male.

Between the ages of 18 to 26.

Living in the US.

I'm not convinced that Laura's husband was ever required to register. I don't think we have enough proof to believe that he is now "tainted" insofar as Federal employment goes. Laura says she has researched the matter so perhaps she can explain it.

No it is most certainly any US citizen plus any other person living in the US, with the "living in US" part only applying to those who aren't US citizens... I am going to be making sure I remind my friends to remind their dual-citizen sons to register when they reach 18!

Laura right now it seems all you can do is keep investigating the possibilities. Perhaps take a rest from thinking/worrying about it for a few days/weeks whilst your husband is investigating the job situation?

Most people do find that when they move countries they have to take a step-back in their career and live on less money for a year or two. The main thing I was thinking with a state or private sector job was as a way of making the move work with your desired timing, then the vagaries of the federal application process could play out without the timing matter. But of course the risk then is that he ends up not qualifying for a waiver, and you've already made the move. It seems you need to somehow find someone who's been in the same situation, because unfortunately the regulations can't tell you how it actually plays out in practice, and I don't know if the fed gov follows the regs more consistently than financial aid officers do or not.

Virginia jobs require SS registration but I don't think Maryland does.

I don't know why you are considering moving to America so I don't know whether I should be encouraging or discouraging you, if you see what I mean. You seem to be in a position such that the worst that could happen if you moved to the US would still be a nice life, but on the other hand you already have a pretty nice life so there is more to lose.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

The problem will be the competition for ANY job in the US. It is not like there is a single qualified applicant for any one position in the US. There are over 300,000 fewer teaching positions in the US. Which means lots of qualified teachers looking for job. The feds and private sectors have shed, more like bled, jobs over the last decade. If your hubby was interning in 95 than I would guess he is pushing 40 and not high on the desirable new hire list age wise. The fact that he will be going up for any open position with people that already hold a security clearence is also a huge negative. Why would someone put out over 50K probably closer to 100k for your family to get cleared when the clearance is already available. Your husband is probably looking at over a year to land a position that is less than he hold now. If he is closer to 50 , double that timeline.

[Rebecca Jo 1,962]

No it is most certainly any US citizen plus any other person living in the US, with the "living in US" part only applying to those who aren't US citizens... I am going to be making sure I remind my friends to remind their dual-citizen sons to register when they reach 18!

Okay, I've looked at https://www.sss.gov/regver/wfregistration.aspx and it looks like you are right, Joanna.

"If you're a male U.S. citizen, age 18 through 25, and are living OUTSIDE the United States, you can register with Selective Service by clicking here."

I suppose the only other question I would have is - were these rules in place when Chris was that age? They probably were, but I would research that if I were Laura. She may already have done so.

[Xanax 349]

Is there really no other job or employment opportunity for him?

[LauraDP 10]

You don't seem strident to me. I'm sure you're exasperated because you've been working on this a long time.

I hope you don't think other people think you are "stupid" or haven't thought things through. It's just that people writing to you here already have been through the process. Or they work in the field your husband wants to work in. Or they've raised children in the US, or lived in DC, or both. Or some other aspect of this process that you've researched and examined, but not lived. That colors our advice and writings.

I do think that your wishlist is to long for your family to realistically immigrate. There's a lot of balls that go in the air when one moves abroad, and a certain element of risk. Rarely do the stars align as you've outlined that they must. At some point, if a person really wants to move abroad, they control what they can and leave the rest to the Gods.

I hope you can work this out both in your head and in your hearts.

Oh goodness, no. I didn't at all think anyone was accusing me or us of being stupid. No one wrote anything that caused me offence.

I think you are right about me wanting the stars to align, certainly more than they are likely to do. I am a major, major control freak so I become very anxious and on edge when things get outside of my sphere of control - which most of this process is. My husband, on the other hand, is much more laid back and flexible about these things. I think I need to cede more of the decision making to him over this whole process and trust that he will make good choices for us as a family because the reins need to be in the hands of the one of us who is capable of relinquishing some control.

Essentially I am wigging out because I am a control freak.

Cheers

Laura

[LauraDP 10]

No it is most certainly any US citizen plus any other person living in the US, with the "living in US" part only applying to those who aren't US citizens... I am going to be making sure I remind my friends to remind their dual-citizen sons to register when they reach 18!

Laura right now it seems all you can do is keep investigating the possibilities. Perhaps take a rest from thinking/worrying about it for a few days/weeks whilst your husband is investigating the job situation?

Most people do find that when they move countries they have to take a step-back in their career and live on less money for a year or two. The main thing I was thinking with a state or private sector job was as a way of making the move work with your desired timing, then the vagaries of the federal application process could play out without the timing matter. But of course the risk then is that he ends up not qualifying for a waiver, and you've already made the move. It seems you need to somehow find someone who's been in the same situation, because unfortunately the regulations can't tell you how it actually plays out in practice, and I don't know if the fed gov follows the regs more consistently than financial aid officers do or not.

Virginia jobs require SS registration but I don't think Maryland does.

I don't know why you are considering moving to America so I don't know whether I should be encouraging or discouraging you, if you see what I mean. You seem to be in a position such that the worst that could happen if you moved to the US would still be a nice life, but on the other hand you already have a pretty nice life so there is more to lose.

You are absolutely right, Joanna. He was required to register and only honest ignorance of that fact led him to not do so.

Chris had another long conversation with the people at SSS last night. The two he spoke to think he might be eligible for exemption on the basis that, when he returned to the UK at 16, he became a non-resident alien and was not required to register. They confirmed that that was their view despite the fact he is a dual national. The cynics in us are not quite comfortable with the veracity of that assessment so he has sent off two versions of the paperwork (the honest ignorance version and the non-resident alien version) with an explanatory covering letter so now we just have to wait for someone at the SSS to determine whether is exempt or is being given the Status Information letter. The former would smooth the way and make this whole SS problem go away.

The reasons we are considering the move to the US are many and various and I won't bore everyone with the details on here. It is true that it is largely driven by Chris' desire to return to the US - which he has wanted to do for 20 years now - but I would not be countenancing it at all on that basis alone otherwise we would have made the move earlier when it would have been arguably easier to do so. It is not the end of the world if it does not work out. We can all live here together as a family here in the UK. We don't have the compelling and urgent motivation of family reunion that many of you have. We are very lucky that way. Chris will be devastated, of course, but will just have to suck it up. We would, however, really love for it to work out.

The real stress of this situation right now is that we really have to start making decisions about submitting I-130s (and the hefty fees for five of those) right at the point where everything is up in the air. It's a timing issue right now and a conflict over whether to take a leap of faith / leap in the dark or play it more cautiously and potentially end up with a bit of a stressy mess at the other end of the visa process.

Chris has not yet investigated prospects in the private sector simply because that is not where his professional experience lies and we assume it would make him less competitive in that particular employment arena. He may well move on to looking into that possibility depending on the outcome of the whole SS debacle.

Cheers

Laura

[LauraDP 10]

The problem will be the competition for ANY job in the US. It is not like there is a single qualified applicant for any one position in the US. There are over 300,000 fewer teaching positions in the US. Which means lots of qualified teachers looking for job. The feds and private sectors have shed, more like bled, jobs over the last decade. If your hubby was interning in 95 than I would guess he is pushing 40 and not high on the desirable new hire list age wise. The fact that he will be going up for any open position with people that already hold a security clearence is also a huge negative. Why would someone put out over 50K probably closer to 100k for your family to get cleared when the clearance is already available. Your husband is probably looking at over a year to land a position that is less than he hold now. If he is closer to 50 , double that timeline.

That's a fair point, NigeriaorBust.

My husband is 37 which on both sides of the Atlantic makes him a less appealing prospect than someone a decade younger. What we would hope is that his many years of relevant professional experience will balance out some of the concerns about his age. The Security Clearance aspect is also a fair point and one we have taken on board. What we cannot possibly determine right now, however, is to what extent some of the drawbacks to employing him will hold him back in the job market versus what his wealth of experience will do to boost his prospects. That is one of the reasons why we are having people working in Federal Depts look over his resume to give us some frank and realistic feedback about his prospects before we go headlong into this. We appreciate that it may take a year or longer for him to obtain a job offer. He is going to start applying as soon as he has the Qualification Equivalence paperwork back as he cannot begin applying until he has that in his possession - and, of course, now we may hold off until the SS stuff is all cleared up.

Cheers

Laura

[LauraDP 10]

Is there really no other job or employment opportunity for him?

Hi, Xanax. It is about matching his professional experience to the job descriptions. As he has always worked as an Auditor or Finance Manager in the public sector, it makes sense for him to pursue that option until it is clear that it is a closed door. Our assumption is that he will be less competitive in the private sector because that is not where he has experience but he has yet to research that.

Best wishes

Laura

[Xanax 349]

Hi, Xanax. It is about matching his professional experience to the job descriptions. As he has always worked as an Auditor or Finance Manager in the public sector, it makes sense for him to pursue that option until it is clear that it is a closed door. Our assumption is that he will be less competitive in the private sector because that is not where he has experience but he has yet to research that.

Best wishes

Laura

I think finding any kind of work here now is difficult so expanding your search preference maybe needed anyway. If you have your heart set on the US then I would still immigrate but looking at another job where his skills match, surely there is something else?

** I admit I have no knowledge of Auditor or Fiance manager jobs but I do know all jobs are scarce.

Good luck