I'm British. My fiance is American. I have a job offer in the US. What do I do for visas?

[Owen Moore 0]

I have been offered a position at Google in the US and my fiance lives in the US.

I am starting work for Google in Zurich in October this year and am able to transfer office to the US in October 2014 if I can get a visa. I am open to all options right now, we are happy to marry in the US or UK if it will help, but whatever will allow me to take my job and marry my girl is perfect!

I do not qualify for the H1-B this year since I will not graduate until the July. I can apply again next year but if it's a lottery may not be granted it. I could apply for the L-1 but if I understand correctly I must wait until October 2014 until I can apply, and since I can only transfer office every year in October I'd then have to wait until Oct 2015 to move to the US.

Any help you could give would be incredibly useful!

Thanks!

[JLDNNYC 2]

If you and your fiance really want to get married, then the best thing to do is get married this year and have her petition for you to move to the US. It will take anywhere between 6-12 months for you to be granted an immigrant visa and you will be a conditional permanent resident once you have moved here. That way you will have no problems starting your job asap when you get here. You could also apply for a K-1 visa and get married here but it will take some time to adjust your status here. My wife and I got married and applied immediately. I had my interview in London after 10 months of waiting. Good luck to you both!

I have been offered a position at Google in the US and my fiance lives in the US.

I am starting work for Google in Zurich in October this year and am able to transfer office to the US in October 2014 if I can get a visa. I am open to all options right now, we are happy to marry in the US or UK if it will help, but whatever will allow me to take my job and marry my girl is perfect!

I do not qualify for the H1-B this year since I will not graduate until the July. I can apply again next year but if it's a lottery may not be granted it. I could apply for the L-1 but if I understand correctly I must wait until October 2014 until I can apply, and since I can only transfer office every year in October I'd then have to wait until Oct 2015 to move to the US.

Any help you could give would be incredibly useful!

Thanks!

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

The company should be able to work out a work visa for you, L-1 seems best.

If they want you, they do the work (and pay for it).

Or, you could do spousal visa. Get married now and apply. It would take about a year to get.

Fiance visa would not be so good for you, unless you want to not work for 4 months or so waiting for work permission once in the US. A spousal visa holder is work authorized upon entry.

But really, Google does this for you, ask them for work visa stuff.

[TBoneTX 45,309]

*** Thread moved from K-1 Process forum to the Work Visas forum -- topic chiefly involves work status. ***

[lost_at_sea 995]

I have been offered a position at Google in the US and my fiance lives in the US.

I am starting work for Google in Zurich in October this year and am able to transfer office to the US in October 2014 if I can get a visa. I am open to all options right now, we are happy to marry in the US or UK if it will help, but whatever will allow me to take my job and marry my girl is perfect!

I do not qualify for the H1-B this year since I will not graduate until the July. I can apply again next year but if it's a lottery may not be granted it. I could apply for the L-1 but if I understand correctly I must wait until October 2014 until I can apply, and since I can only transfer office every year in October I'd then have to wait until Oct 2015 to move to the US.

Any help you could give would be incredibly useful!

Thanks!

I'm surprised Google isn't sorting this out for you. My partner is a Googler too, and they did all his visa processing for him to Europe from the US (and the same the other way for his colleagues who are European and live and work in the USA). You should make sure you talk to them - they have lawyers they pay specifically to move people around the world.

Edited April 9, 2013 by lost_at_sea

[lost_at_sea 995]

Also, for more general advice regardless of work visas - if you're not planning to move til October 2014, I'd do the CR-1 route. That would involve you getting married sometime soon (anywhere you like), and while you're working abroad (don't worry, you'll still be able to travel to the US as a tourist), your new wife files the CR-1 petition for you to get that visa. It's likely that if you filed by October this year, you'd have the visa by October next year, but the sooner you file the better as wait times are extremely variable and hard to concretely predict. Then you can move, live and work in the US immediately upon issuance of your visa and you'll receive a green card. This is the guide for that: http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

I'd only do the K1 if you needed to move sooner, as they historically have been faster to issue - the only downside to that is you wouldn't legally be allowed to work in the USA right away - you have to file for Adjustment of Status when you arrive in the US along with a work permit (EAD) and permission for the ability to travel outside the US (AP) - it takes 2 - 3 months to receive these permissions and you're sort of in limbo until then. This is the K1 guide, anyway: http://www.visajourney.com/content/k1guide

Edited April 9, 2013 by lost_at_sea

[Harsh_77 718]

The company should be able to work out a work visa for you, L-1 seems best.

If they want you, they do the work (and pay for it).

Or, you could do spousal visa. Get married now and apply. It would take about a year to get.

Fiance visa would not be so good for you, unless you want to not work for 4 months or so waiting for work permission once in the US. A spousal visa holder is work authorized upon entry.

But really, Google does this for you, ask them for work visa stuff.

Harpa OP is correct even if Google wants to file for L1 they would not be able to file the L1 for him until 2014 assuming he would be hired in 2013.

Employee has to be employed for over a year before company can file L1.

H1 option is always open you can try that or as suggested by others you can file either for K1 or CR1.

[NVC 2]

How about applying for the green card?

I have been offered a position at Google in the US and my fiance lives in the US.

I am starting work for Google in Zurich in October this year and am able to transfer office to the US in October 2014 if I can get a visa. I am open to all options right now, we are happy to marry in the US or UK if it will help, but whatever will allow me to take my job and marry my girl is perfect!

I do not qualify for the H1-B this year since I will not graduate until the July. I can apply again next year but if it's a lottery may not be granted it. I could apply for the L-1 but if I understand correctly I must wait until October 2014 until I can apply, and since I can only transfer office every year in October I'd then have to wait until Oct 2015 to move to the US.

Any help you could give would be incredibly useful!

Thanks!

[Harsh_77 718]

How about applying for the green card?

On what basis ??

[NVC 2]

Employment based, EB1a, send I-140 to USCIS, self-petition.

On what basis ??

[Owen_London 65]

Employment based, EB1a, send I-140 to USCIS, self-petition.

I'm assuming you know something about EB1a visas, given that you're applying for one yourself. Since all we know about the OP's background is that he's been offered a job at Google though, what leads you to think he'd have a chance of meeting three of these criteria?

Criteria for Demonstrating Extraordinary Ability

You must meet 3 out of the 10 listed criteria below to prove extraordinary ability in your field:

Evidence of receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence

Evidence of your membership in associations in the field which demand outstanding achievement of their members

Evidence of published material about you in professional or major trade publications or other major media

Evidence that you have been asked to judge the work of others, either individually or on a panel

Evidence of your original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance to the field

Evidence of your authorship of scholarly articles in professional or major trade publications or other major media

Evidence that your work has been displayed at artistic exhibitions or showcases

Evidence of your performance of a leading or critical role in distinguished organizations

Evidence that you command a high salary or other significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field

Evidence of your commercial successes in the performing arts