Is there a visa we qualify for? (from UK)

[Gypsy Queen 0]

Hi everyone,

I've been looking for free information online to determine whether my husband and I can obtain a US via to live and work there and hopefully settle permanently. I used to live in the Los Angeles area and would like to move back to the country for our future children's quality of life. We currently live in the UK and it's just a bit stuffy over here, too reserved and boring, costs too much to dine out at restaurants, etc.

Here's my husband's info:

He's a Web Developer, employed for around 6-7 years in his field

He has a Bachelor's Degree

He has an Aunt who lives in Colorado, though I don't know if it will be possible for her to sponsor him as they're not immediate family

I don't know what else to include that might be relevant...

Does any of this qualify him for a US work visa? Are there any other avenues we can pursue?

Many thanks for your help!

[kzielu 1,149]

He meets requirements for a work visa, just needs to find employer to file for him.

Remember work visas are temporary in nature and have nothing really to do with being able to live in US permanently other than employer may be eventually willing to file for a green card.

Aunt can't sponsor him.

No really much other avenues (assumme him finding a US citizen wife isn't an option ;-) )

[Gypsy Queen 0]

Thanks kzielu. No, I'm afraid he's stuck with me, haha. So if he had an offer of employment would the visa last as long as he was employed in that position? And then doesn't this usually result in permanent residence? I've known some friends from India who seem to arrive in the US through that avenue and stay permanently... Just wondering how temporary it is, really. And then in this case, how would he find work in the US? Is it just a matter of applying for positions online?

He meets requirements for a work visa, just needs to find employer to file for him.

Remember work visas are temporary in nature and have nothing really to do with being able to live in US permanently other than employer may be eventually willing to file for a green card.

Aunt can't sponsor him.

No really much other avenues (assumme him finding a US citizen wife isn't an option ;-) )

[kzielu 1,149]

Finding an employer is trickiest part of it - especially since many people want to come work in US... Yes, need to apply and make sure you let them know you're looking for sponsorship.

Work visas (google H-1B and read about it) do not results in permanent residency. Need to be petitioned for EB (employment based) green card - which can also happen directly without filing for work visa but rarely does for obvious reasons.

In addition, H-1Bs are limited, application period starts April 1st (next one is April 1st 2015) and they're gone very quickly. Visas themselves are given out October 1st - this year's were all gone very quickly. So the earliest you can get H-1B is October 2015.

Other work visa is L-1 (for intracompany transferees) but it requires you to work for a company for at least a year.

Bottom line - not easy but also not impossible.

[MacUK 983]

Just out of curiosity, with what type of visa did you previously live near Los Angeles?

[Gypsy Queen 0]

I was married to a yank .

Just out of curiosity, with what type of visa did you previously live near Los Angeles?

[Boiler 45,525]

Transfer with his current Employer is the easiest route.

[umeranyth 0]

Hi everyone,

I've been looking for free information online to determine whether my husband and I can obtain a US via to live and work there and hopefully settle permanently. I used to live in the Los Angeles area and would like to move back to the country for our future children's quality of life. We currently live in the UK and it's just a bit stuffy over here, too reserved and boring, costs too much to dine out at restaurants, etc.

Here's my husband's info:

He's a Web Developer, employed for around 6-7 years in his field

He has a Bachelor's Degree

He has an Aunt who lives in Colorado, though I don't know if it will be possible for her to sponsor him as they're not immediate family

I don't know what else to include that might be relevant...

Does any of this qualify him for a US work visa? Are there any other avenues we can pursue?

Many thanks for your help!

Just to confirm what other posters have said, H1B would be your best bet, assuming if you can find an employer to sponsor your husband. Good thing is, Web Developers are currently in-demand especially in tech-heavy areas (i.e, Silicon Valley, New York City etc.). Would be best for the both of you to start contacting companies looking for web developers, or even a web development recruiting firm that has experience in placing foreign web developers.

If your husband's current company has a branch in the United States, perhaps he could ask them to transfer to that branch. Assuming he's been working at said current company for at least a year, he'd be able to transfer to that branch without a problem on an intra-company transfer visa (L-visa).

As for obtaining Lawful Permanent Residence (LPR), it's easier said than done. If you thought obtaining a work visa was hard, you've seen nothing until yougo through the process of obtaining LPR through a sponsoring employer (This is the "Employment-Based" category). However, there are Sub-categories within the Employment-Based category and not all sub-categories are created equal .... some are way faster than others. For example, your husband will have to apply in the EB-3 category since he only has a Bachelor's, and going by current numbers provided by USCIS, people who began filing for LPR after the 1st of April in 2011 are still waiting for their green cards to be processed (Though if you were from China/India, the dates extend back to 2008 and 2003 respectively!). However, if he had a Master's, he'd apply in the EB-2 category and going by current USCIS numbers ... there'd be no wait for him at all!

US immigration policy and law is commonly known as 'Alphabet soup' due to the usage of alphabets to describe different visas. If you want to live and work here permanently and marriage is not an option (marriage is, by far, the easiest and fastest route to obtaining LPR as most members on this forum would attest to ), you'll have to start knowing the different ingredients and components that make up this ridiculously complicated Alphabet soup.

Anyhow, keep in mind that this is just my opinion deriving from personal experience of doing exactly what you guys are intending on doing It also helped I had a top-notch legal team helping me. Speaking to an attorney isn't always such a bad idea!

Best of luck!

[bunnygirl 86]

I was married to a yank .

But you didn't stay long enough to get citizenship? That's a shame...

[Gypsy Queen 0]

But you didn't stay long enough to get citizenship? That's a shame...

I wasn't at all interested in sticking around any longer. I'm still not sure I would live in the US again but am curious about our future options anyway as my partner's career progresses. His company does have offices all over the US. I'm Canadian so it's also easy for us to move to Canada and have similar benefits to the US but with the bonus of healthcare and a few other things.