French man married with French-American Woman who both live in France => Which VISA?

[jeremy_fritzen 1]

8 minutes ago, Roel said:

It will be quicker by like 2 months at the most plus you have AOS after that which will cost over 1200$ and will take another year for approval. So k1 is actually more complicated. There is wait for work permit and travel permit so if your fiance wants to find work in the US fast, she won't be able to. 

 

But of course it's your choice.

Thank you. 

Actually, my fiance wouldnt hardly find a job in the US as she's already American. All is more complicated for me as I'm French. 

 

Anyway, I understand k1 is not a good option. As everybody told me here: CR1/IR1 is the best option and I'm focused on it. 

 

Thanks again for all your support. 

Edited August 16, 2018 by jeremy_fritzen

[jeremy_fritzen 1]

Hi everyone, 

 

Me again just 2 days after our wedding in France 😍

Since my last post in August, I learnt that my current French company was planning to develop its US office, located in NYC. Top Managers also told us that the US office needs to grow and it would be possible to work there! (of course, it's not that easy and I would need to pass interviews + US immigration procedure).

 

But I think it would be easier to go work in the US with the help of my company, even if I know this is not a green card and I will have to stay in my company to stay in the US. I like my job and my company very much, so it's not a problem with me, even if it's NYC and not in Florida. 

 

So, if it works, I will work in NYC with my wife for 2 or 3 years and then hope to work and live in Florida. 

 

My question is : after receiving a VISA and authorization to work in the US office of my company, will it be possible to ask for a green card? When should I start the procedure? Will my first Visa prevent me from getting a green card? 

 

Thank you all again for your help and your advice! 

 

Have a nice day

 

Jeremy

[Zangief 3]

Congrats on the marriage, Jeremy. 

 

You will likely qualify for one or both of L-1A, H-1B work visas in the US, the L-1A is a lot simpler, and better in your case for various reasons. They are both "dual-intent" visas, i.e. you do not have to prove non-immigrant intent to secure the visa unlike a student visa, e.g. F-1. You will need your French/American employer to produce paperwork and help you process all this, and usually, their legal/HR team will take care of it. The H-1B is massively more complex, and I would avoid it if I were you and somehow secure an L-1 instead.

 

Once you land in the US and establish residence (start your job, get an apartment, get a driver's license, get a bank account, etc.), you can immediately kick off an "Adjustment of Status" (AOS) for the CR1 immigrant visa, and not be separated from your wife during the process. In theory, you don't need to do any of these things, i.e. you can land at your port of entry, walk straight to the local post office and start your AOS process, but in practice, it's probably much easier once you have a reliable mailing address, etc. so I would wait a week or two to take care of those things. You'd even get your SSN in a week or two, so maybe wait for that to show up, too.

 

The L-1 and H-1B do not interfere with your Green Card, but your employers will most likely not care about your GC. You should just do it yourself since you're adjusting via your spouse. The H-1B will let you come in at lower titles (and for new employers) but the L-1A is restricted to the same employer - i.e. if you work for Peugeot France, you have to work for Peugeot USA, you cannot switch to Alfa Romeo or KFC, and further, the L-1A requires you to be a "manager" etc. so if you're young and just starting your career, you're likely screwed unless you get fancy/awesome lawyers, but if you're an older guy who is already a manager, the L-1A is a cakewalk. Again, the H-1B is an option, but it's a massive pain in the ####### in your case, so I'd stay away from it if I were you, especially because you have other options that most regular H-1B folks do not normally have.