Employment in America.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

My husband is an electronic engineer so never even formally trained as an electrician, does whatever we don’t need technically need a licensed electrician for (probably has even done some of the stuff we technically do for all I know), hasn’t managed to blow us up yet. I’m quite sure someone who understands how electricity and wiring etc works in principle, and certainly sounds like OP has plenty of experience on that front, wouldn’t take that long to learn the differences in systems especially as that is what he is focused on rather than just dabbling in it.

[Boiler 45,519]

I anticipate his issue will be with the bureaucracy not the technology

[retheem 566]

2 hours ago, movetousa2021 said:

I assume the one from when I was 22 will only be a misdemeanour. It wasn’t anything serious. Short story is that I was at a football against a rival side (if you’re British you’ll know what that’s like) and was arrested in a group for shouting stuff at rival supporters. The annoying thing is, I didn’t even actually do anything. I just happened to be there when the police walked by and arrested everybody in sight.

 

The only reason I’m asking is because my UK police certificate I’ve got as part of my visa application says no live trace, so I’m wondering if I’ll have to present and then explain this when I’m applying for jobs when the time comes. Or will my record in the UK be largely irrelevant to employers if I’ve obtained a green card?

Omg let me guess. You are either a Liverpool or Man.United fan lol. Just kidding. You should be fine. 

[movetousa2021 3]

1 minute ago, retheem said:

Omg let me guess. You are either a Liverpool or Man.United fan lol. Just kidding. You should be fine. 

I’m a Middlesbrough fan. 

[movetousa2021 3]

1 hour ago, SusieQQQ said:

Is it possible to get the second conviction expunged? You’d still have to declare it to immigration regardless of that (and it doesn’t sound like the type of thing that is a problem for an immigrant visa) but then it wouldn’t come up in employer background checks. Not sure how the uk system works. Then again I’m also not sure how through US employer background checks would be for something like that either. Bottom line it doesn’t sound like something that’s going to be a huge hindrance. 
 

Board of licensing in your intended state is surely the best source of information.

You can’t get it deleted, apparently. I called ACRO to ask about it after I received my police certificate and they said that because I had to go to court, they can’t do it - which is massively frustrating because I haven’t been in trouble since, so it was clearly a one off. 

[bobjennyhitched 99]

11 hours ago, movetousa2021 said:

Hello all. 
 

I have a quick question. My wife and I looking at moving to America on an I-130 visa. We have a minor (at least I hope it’s minor) stumbling block in that I have a “criminal” record - 1 caution from 2001 when I was 15 and a 12 month conditional discharge from back in 2008 when I was 22 - this is now spent/stepped down. Both convictions are for minor offences. The first was from damage to property and the second was for disorderly behaviour/using threatening and/or abusive language. 
 

I'm worried that despite these two convictions only being minor, they may cause a couple of issues in the visa process, but going forward ahead of that, I’m worried that it might impact my chances of employment when the time comes around once we have moved. What are the chances that this could happen?

 

Thanks in advance. 

First off, I don't know as I did not have convictions, but I thought I'd google and found this link. Hopefully it may help. Sorry I can't help further.

https://www.ezbordercrossing.com/the-inspection-experience/prior-criminal-offenses/crimes-that-will-make-you-inadmissible-to-the-u-s/
 

I did have a friend who is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict and he was denied his US visa. That's the only experience I know off through discussing with him. He wanted to move to marry his fiancé. He's still working on this and I hope he doesn't relapse.

 

Also, good luck!

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

54 minutes ago, bobjennyhitched said:

First off, I don't know as I did not have convictions, but I thought I'd google and found this link. Hopefully it may help. Sorry I can't help further.

https://www.ezbordercrossing.com/the-inspection-experience/prior-criminal-offenses/crimes-that-will-make-you-inadmissible-to-the-u-s/
 

I did have a friend who is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict and he was denied his US visa. That's the only experience I know off through discussing with him. He wanted to move to marry his fiancé. He's still working on this and I hope he doesn't relapse.

 

Also, good luck!

Your friend’s situation is very different to OP. Firstly, a history with drugs is extremely prejudicial to chances of getting a US visa, especially if there have been any related convictions. Secondly, being a substance abuser is a medical inadmissibility (potential to harm self or others).  Very different situation to OP.

[Loren Y 2,755]

Just a note, I would reconsider california as the place to move to. That's another country in itself, and with all the taxes, rules and regulations, it would be my last choice as a place to live. People are leaving california by the thousands daily, it's that bad. It's so bad you can't even get a one way uhaul rental to leave the state because they don't have the trucks coming back. Good for me in Nevada, my house value is going up so fast I can't keep track. Double digit gains every month. No one wants to be in California now. Just food for thought.

[Sarah_k92 112]

7 hours ago, movetousa2021 said:

You mean 8000 hours working under a certified electrician over in the US, even though I have 15 years of experience in the UK? Seems a bit crazy. I’ll have to have another read up and see what’s what. Starting from scratch at 35 years old seems a bit undoable/unrealistic really, but we’ll see!

Just shining a little light. I am from the UK and worked in education. I managed my own preschool there. When moving here it was hard trying to get back to where I was. They accepted my qualifications luckily but had to start from the bottom. I was 26 when I moved here and I am 3 years in. I had various skills and experience but it’s just different. Try to find connections if you can. Maybe also take a few classes. I think it’s great you are looking into all of this but mentally prepare yourself to start new or taking a different path if needed.

 

All the best! 
 

 

[laylalex 7,284]

21 minutes ago, Loren Y said:

Just a note, I would reconsider california as the place to move to. That's another country in itself, and with all the taxes, rules and regulations, it would be my last choice as a place to live. People are leaving california by the thousands daily, it's that bad. It's so bad you can't even get a one way uhaul rental to leave the state because they don't have the trucks coming back. Good for me in Nevada, my house value is going up so fast I can't keep track. Double digit gains every month. No one wants to be in California now. Just food for thought.

Kind of hyperbole to say "no one wants to be in California right now." Some of us happen to love it here and wouldn't live anywhere else. It isn't just about money, it's about a way of life. It's a good thing that there are a lot of different places for Americans to live, so we can all find a place that suits us. I'm sure Nevada is nice, but I would never want to live there.  

 

OP: You're very welcome in California.  

[Boiler 45,519]

Certainly is significantly cheaper to get a UHaul from Denver to LA than the other way around, I have some stuff to move and last time I looked it was 3x the cost to rent from LA . Current plan is to do a two way trip rather than rent and drive back.

Edited February 1, 2021 by Boiler

[Loren Y 2,755]

47 minutes ago, laylalex said:

Kind of hyperbole to say "no one wants to be in California right now." Some of us happen to love it here and wouldn't live anywhere else. It isn't just about money, it's about a way of life. It's a good thing that there are a lot of different places for Americans to live, so we can all find a place that suits us. I'm sure Nevada is nice, but I would never want to live there.  

 

OP: You're very welcome in California.  

Just saying to do the research before you move. Costs for everything. I would love to live in San Diego, CA. Great place, but not worth it in my opinion. Just my opinion, but I'm not alone in this thought.

 

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/californias-growth-rate-at-record-low-as-more-people-leave/103-3f814e19-ffe1-44af-90c0-a49168be4a60

[usmsbow 801]

1 minute ago, Loren Y said:

Just saying to do the research before you move. Costs for everything. I would love to live in San Diego, CA. Great place, but not worth it in my opinion. Just my opinion, but I'm not alone in this thought.

 

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/california/californias-growth-rate-at-record-low-as-more-people-leave/103-3f814e19-ffe1-44af-90c0-a49168be4a60

 

Yet housing prices continue to go up and up here. Clearly not THAT many people are leaving. And as your own link says, CA's population increased from 7/1/19 to 7/1/20.  It wasn't by much, but it was nevertheless an increase. 

 

California has a ton of problems, but so does every state. And sure, the cost of living here is crazy, but the job market is also second-to-none for certain professions. There are few places in this country where my wife would have risen so quickly professionally. Thanks to the start-up culture here, she started as an office temp, and within 5 years is an operations manager supervising a bunch of people. Sure, it's due in large part to her own effort and abilities, but the work environment here was certainly a contributing factor. 

 

And to connect this to the OP, there is a significant electrician shortage here in the SF Bay Area. I'm sure he can make a pretty good income here if he were to move here. I suspect other large metro areas in CA are similar. 

 

 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

56 minutes ago, laylalex said:

Kind of hyperbole to say "no one wants to be in California right now." Some of us happen to love it here and wouldn't live anywhere else. It isn't just about money, it's about a way of life. It's a good thing that there are a lot of different places for Americans to live, so we can all find a place that suits us. I'm sure Nevada is nice, but I would never want to live there.  

 

OP: You're very welcome in California.  

Yeah. My town in CA has seen property prices booming over the past year as people have moved out of the big city, but don't want to go too far. The people moving in from the big city have far outnumbered those moving out of town or out of state, and my local realtor friends had a fabulous year even with however many months they lost to covid shutdowns. Everyone has different reasons for being where they are. For some it's low taxes and low cost of living, but for others you get what you pay for. Just like the reasons for immigrating in the first place, reasons for wanting to live in different places can be many and varied, and one man's meat is another's poison. One thing I do love about the US is that it is so big and so varied, that almost everyone is going to find somewhere that checks all the boxes important to them individually. 

[laylalex 7,284]

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

Certainly is significantly cheaper to get a UHaul from Denver to LA than the other way around, I have some stuff to move and last time I looked it was 3x the cost to rent from LA . Current plan is to do a two way trip rather than rent and drive back.

You could always join us, Boiler, and not do the drive back to Denver.