Need some insight!

[AgnettaHoo 18]

Hi fellow VJers. I'm currently in the process of K1 visa. However, I would like some insight about Work Visa for my friend. So her sister is now having a work visa as a cruise ship employee. And next year, she decides to resign her post at the cruise ship and wants to stay in New York City. She has a relative there. Not immediate relatives. Just some cousin.

And she told me that she would use the visa from the Cruise Ship employment to stay and work in USA. I am worried that she might get in trouble.

Will she be in trouble is she continues and proceed with her plan?

I might be wrong, but in my understanding; soon as she resigns from the cruise ship company, they would withdraw their sponsorship upon her, won't they? And therefore, her visa will not be valid anymore?

Please kindly give me some insight about this.

Your help is highly appreciate it!

Regards,

AH

[aaron2020 11,651]

Hi fellow VJers. I'm currently in the process of K1 visa. However, I would like some insight about Work Visa for my friend. So her sister is now having a work visa as a cruise ship employee. And next year, she decides to resign her post at the cruise ship and wants to stay in New York City. She has a relative there. Not immediate relatives. Just some cousin.

And she told me that she would use the visa from the Cruise Ship employment to stay and work in USA. I am worried that she might get in trouble.

Will she be in trouble is she continues and proceed with her plan? She will get in big trouble because her plan essentially is to become an illegal alien.

I might be wrong, but in my understanding; soon as she resigns from the cruise ship company, they would withdraw their sponsorship upon her, won't they? They don't need to withdraw their sponsorship. By resigning her job, her work visa becomes invalid. And therefore, her visa will not be valid anymore?

Please kindly give me some insight about this.

Your help is highly appreciate it!

Regards,

AH

All cruise ship employees (except US citizens and LPRs) whose ship docks at a US port must have work visas. These work visas are tied to the employers. When an employee resigns, the work visa attached to that employer becomes invalid. The work visa is only valid with that employer. No other employer can hire this person.

Your friend's sister's plan is to make herself an illegal immigrant. Her cruise ship work visa does not allow her to live or work in the US. It allows her to work on the cruise ship, and that is all.

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Read this; http://www.cruiselinesjobs.com/visa-work-permits/

Visa and Work Permits

All employees must be eligible to work in the country where the cruise ship is registered. Cruise ships sail to many countries and all personnel who want to visit those countries must obtain valid visas.

Firstly, to be able to travel abroad, you will need a valid passport. Apart from the passport, it is recommended to have other ID documents with you all the time, such as a driving license. Once you get to the ship the purser will file your passport and other documents and keep them in a safe, since you won't need them during the cruise.

Most staff on cruise ships do not come from the same country from where the ship is registered. Therefore many of them need a valid visa and/or work permit to work on a cruise ship legally.

If your ship embarks from a port in the USA or you have a stopover in one of the US ports, you will need the appropriate visa. You do not need to apply for a Green Card. All you need is your letter of employment (from your employer) and apply for C1 Transit, D1 Seamen and B2 Visitor visa at the US embassy in your country. These visas allow you to enter the USA for a limited time (usually 30 days) only when your ship calls to a US port.

If you choose to stay in the USA, you will need to return to your home country to apply for the work permit - you cannot stay in the USA with C1/D1/B2 visa. Contact the US embassy in your country for more information. See more information about immigration and work permits in the USA, and the Green Card lottery.

If your cruise ship is registered in the UK, you will need to apply for the appropriate work permit at the British embassy in your country, unless you come from a country of the European Economic Area (EEA): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

Nationals of 10 new member states of the European Union need to register with the Home Office (Workers Registration Scheme) if they haven't worked in the UK legally for a period of at least 12 months before. This applies to the citizens of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

[AgnettaHoo 18]

I am very grateful for your information, Aaron. I have passed this information to her. However, she is still sure that she would work things out. She based her opinion by the cousin's experience from student visa then living in USA. I told her already that this cousin might have applied for LPR during her stay in USA using student visa.

But anyways, thank you again for the kind responses.

I really appreciate it.

Edited December 13, 2012 by AgnettaHoo

[justashooter 430]

cruise employees are prohibited from conversion of visa to different type while in USA. IIRC this applies even to marriage conversion.

[Noah Lot 387]

I am very grateful for your information, Aaron. I have passed this information to her. However, she is still sure that she would work things out. She based her opinion by the cousin's experience from student visa then living in USA. I told her already that this cousin might have applied for LPR during her stay in USA using student visa.

But anyways, thank you again for the kind responses.

I really appreciate it.

That cousin is dead wrong....anyone admitted to the US with a C1/D visa (crew member) CANNOT ADJUST OR CHANGE STATUS EVER!..Reread this...and explain it carefully to your sister...she cannot do an AOS to any other visa category, even if she finds some dodo in a trailerpark to marry....so if she decides to take the 'sage' advice of her cousin, she will remain out of status forever...

[AgnettaHoo 18]

That cousin is dead wrong....anyone admitted to the US with a C1/D visa (crew member) CANNOT ADJUST OR CHANGE STATUS EVER!..Reread this...and explain it carefully to your sister...she cannot do an AOS to any other visa category, even if she finds some dodo in a trailerpark to marry....so if she decides to take the 'sage' advice of her cousin, she will remain out of status forever...

*correction = She is my friend's sister, and not my sister (IF only she was, I would kick her #### to get her back to her conscience.. Ahem)

Anyways.. I know! I have explained it to my friend, to let her - the sister - know about this. I asked her to come back to Indonesia first then, try to apply for Work Visa.

But I want to try to give her solutions first, rather than keep pointing that she's wrong. This girl is going to find a job as a waitress or maybe a cook in a restaurant, that's her plan. Do you think the restaurant will even sponsor her to have the work visa?

And she mentioned also, that maybe the cousin can sponsor her to live in America. I told her that as far as I know, the family based visa is for immediate relative. Your parents, or your siblings. This cousin is like... not really that connected.

I just want her to understand that it's going to ruin her life, if she does this recklessly.

But both of them, are so stubborn.

Is there anything she can do to get her to America legally?

Thank you!

cruise employees are prohibited from conversion of visa to different type while in USA. IIRC this applies even to marriage conversion.

Oh this is very informing! Thank you so much!

[aaron2020 11,651]

*correction = She is my friend's sister, and not my sister (IF only she was, I would kick her #### to get her back to her conscience.. Ahem)

Anyways.. I know! I have explained it to my friend, to let her - the sister - know about this. I asked her to come back to Indonesia first then, try to apply for Work Visa.

But I want to try to give her solutions first, rather than keep pointing that she's wrong. This girl is going to find a job as a waitress or maybe a cook in a restaurant, that's her plan. Do you think the restaurant will even sponsor her to have the work visa? NEVER!!!! These are probably unskilled positions which will not qualify for a work visa. There is no good reason for the US government to let her have a work visa for an unskilled position when there are unemployed US citizens who need the work. If she was a highly trained cook and coming to a restaurant that can't find a US cook, then maybe.

And she mentioned also, that maybe the cousin can sponsor her to live in America. I told her that as far as I know, the family based visa is for immediate relative. Your parents, or your siblings. This cousin is like... not really that connected.

I just want her to understand that it's going to ruin her life, if she does this recklessly.

But both of them, are so stubborn.

Is there anything she can do to get her to America legally? NO. She has no family relationship that allows her to immigrate to the US; no one can petition for a cousin. She has no highly trained skills, so she will not get a work visa. Work visas are for engineers, nurses, scientists, etc. Work visas are not for waitresses, cooks, and other low skill jobs.

Thank you!

Oh this is very informing! Thank you so much!

Your friend's sister has zero chances of legally living in the US.

If she decides to jump ship and stay in the US, she will be an illegal alien. She will not be able to legally work, so she can only get illegal cash paying jobs. Does she know that she needs a Social Security Number to legally work in the US? Guess when she tries for a legal job and can't produce the required work authorization and SSN card, it will dawn on her that she is an illegal alien in the US.

Normally, I would say lots of luck. Here, I hope she gets caught, deported, and ban for life from the US if she stays illegally in the US after getting all this information that what she wants is ILLEGAL.

[vbbv8118 4]

Your friend's sister has zero chances of legally living in the US.

If she decides to jump ship and stay in the US, she will be an illegal alien. She will not be able to legally work, so she can only get illegal cash paying jobs. Does she know that she needs a Social Security Number to legally work in the US? Guess when she tries for a legal job and can't produce the required work authorization and SSN card, it will dawn on her that she is an illegal alien in the US.

Normally, I would say lots of luck. Here, I hope she gets caught, deported, and ban for life from the US if she stays illegally in the US after getting all this information that what she wants is ILLEGAL.

i agree.

there is really no path to change or adjust status if she jumps ship and decides to stay here. if she decides to do that, she's gonna be an illegal immigrant, no if's and but's.