Relocating to the US with my 2 kids to live with my spouse.

[Timma 0]

- I am British

- I have 2 sons that are also british (3year old and 4 month Old)

- I have been going back and forth Atlanta since 2012

- I met a guy last year (not the father of my kids) who has been putting pressure on me to move to America.

- The fear of the unknown has made me decline, but the long distance is beginning to have a toll on our relationship, so now i am considering it.

- I will be visiting him in a few weeks on ESTA

Question: What will we need to do to sort out permanent resident for me and my kids please? What is the process?

Edited June 24, 2016 by Timma

[A'n'L 735]

Are you married or not?

How many times have you met in person?

Is the father of your children in the picture at all?

[Georgia16 2,858]

Either a K-1 visa for you and K-2 visa´s for you children or a CR-1 visa for you and CR-2 visa for your kids.

K-1 is a fiancé visa. You can only get married here in the states. (I just got here on K-1 and I have one K-2). Here you arrive then get married within 90 days and then you have to file AOS (to get your GC and work permit) for you and your children.

CR-1 is spouse visa. You can get married anywhere and the file the paperworks. Here you'll be allowed to work when you get here and you get you 2 year GC when you get here.

It depends on what route you want to take. But don't feel pressured it's a really big decision to make and you have to be sure this is want you want to do. Also you will need the content from the children's father to move them to the US.

[Unlockable 7,315]

Welcome to the forum.

You can investigate every aspect of the immigration process here. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here. And you will likely get the quickest and likely accurate responses than any other immigration forum.

But bullets 3 and 4 of your post is of concern. Even after you learn everything do not rush a decision or be pressured if you are still not ready.

We can help you with immigration process but we can't predict what your relationship will be like once here.

[Penguin_ie 5,997]

You cannot use the Visa Waiver program to move to the USA and stay; it is illegal and visa fraud to do so, the VWP is ONLY for visiting. As mentioned above, you have the option of a fiance visa (K1), which takes about 6 months but costs more, or a spousal visa (CR-1) which takes about a year but is cheaper and you can work and travel right away. You can visit with your VWP during that time, but you cannot live or work in the USA on the Visa Waiver.

That being said, yes it is a big step and you still sound unsure, which is understandable, especially with two kids. Perhaps you can explore him coming to live with you for a while?

[JFH 12,191]

First make sure that this is the right decision for you and your children in terms of the relationship and the move. "I met a guy last year" does not sound like the relationship is very serious. Usually people refer to someone they are in a long-term relationship with as a boyfriend, partner, fiancé, etc. This sounds very casual.

In order for you to move there, you would need to be either married to him or close to marriage to him. It's not possible to move there as a friend or acquaintance. There is no girlfriend visa.

A move like this would be pretty much permanent. How easy would it be for your children's grandparents, cousins, etc to visit? They will have no family there and everyone they know is back home. It would be very upsetting for them as they are so young. Which is why it should only be done when you absolutely certain you want to marry this bloke and settle with him permanently. There is no visa that will allow you to live with him for a few years and then come home. With US immigration it's all or nothing in terms of family visas. There's no "try it and see if we get along" visa.

Since you have children (and you've not mentioned him having children), it might be easier for him to move to the UK. There is a visa category for boyfriends and girlfriends (with no requirement to marry) for the UK. That might be more suitable.

Also, you may need permission from the father of your children to permanently take them out if the UK. Depending on how much contact the children have with their father, it could be very upsetting for them. Is living with this bloke worth wrenching your children from their extended family?