General questions about US Immigration

[ahhaat 0]

21 hours ago, SalishSea said:

It's very expensive for employers to petition overseas workers for employment visas.  It is a long process, and generally handled through the company's lawyer.

 

No one is going to interview you for an unskilled position while you're visiting on a B visa, and then petition you for an employment visa.

 

If you want to live and work in the US, you will need to get a degree in a field that has a labor shortage in the US:  STEM, medicine, nursing etc.

And incidentally, why a B visa?  Why not visit on the VWP?

I was looking at the B visa as my friend is “moving” to Miami in July and he’s going on the B visa and he won’t have to work in the US as he runs a fairly successful online business and I was wondering if I’d be able to do something similar but work part-time or full-time.

[ahhaat 0]

19 hours ago, Boiler said:

Do you have a B Visa

 

Being eligible for the Lottery may have been a one off, no way of knowing now.

 

Further education in the US for example a Degree in IT or Medicine may open doors.

 

There is the Investment option if you have lots of money

I have not applied for the B visa as I am simply weighing my options at the moment.

[Crazy Cat 41,836]

6 minutes ago, ahhaat said:

I was looking at the B visa as my friend is “moving” to Miami in July and he’s going on the B visa and he won’t have to work in the US as he runs a fairly successful online business and I was wondering if I’d be able to do something similar but work part-time or full-time.

 

Can You Work Remotely from the US Without a Visa? | NNU Immigration

"However, a visitor cannot do any paid work during their US stay, even if they also plan to undertake any one of the permitted activities, such as visiting a relative and using their address to work remotely from. This is because the B-1 or B-2 visitor visas do not grant US work authorization. The visitor visa categories also do not permit a foreign national to earn any US source income."

[appleblossom 2,482]

19 minutes ago, ahhaat said:

 

I am currently doing a gap year after finishing sixth form, I have looked into university and such and just wanted to see what I could potentially do to move to the US. 
 

Thank you for all the help here.

What is the EB2 NIW route?

 

Ah, you're still super young then! Plenty of time to work toward a move. As above, any of the STEM fields would be a good option (I work in energy/engineering).

 

EB2 NIW is an employment based route to a green card that doesn't need employer sponsorship (I did the EB1 which is similar). Full details here - https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-second-preference-eb-2

 

17 minutes ago, ahhaat said:

I was looking at the B visa as my friend is “moving” to Miami in July and he’s going on the B visa and he won’t have to work in the US as he runs a fairly successful online business and I was wondering if I’d be able to do something similar but work part-time or full-time.

 

You need to tell your friend that his plan won't work! Remote/online work in the US is absolutely not permitted on a B visa, he'll be working illegally and runs the risk of being refused entry/being banned if he tries.

Edited January 8 by appleblossom

[appleblossom 2,482]

9 minutes ago, ahhaat said:

I have not applied for the B visa as I am simply weighing my options at the moment.

 

As a UK citizen, don't apply for a B visa. You have the VWP available to you so it's not worth risking. If your B visa application is refused then you'll always have to declare that on any other visa or ESTA application, and you may find it scuppers your chances of visiting for a while as any ESTA app is also likely to be refused as a consequence. 

 

I have to ask, have you visited the US before? 

Edited January 8 by appleblossom

[SalishSea 17,819]

15 minutes ago, ahhaat said:

I was looking at the B visa as my friend is “moving” to Miami in July and he’s going on the B visa and he won’t have to work in the US as he runs a fairly successful online business and I was wondering if I’d be able to do something similar but work part-time or full-time.

What your friend is planning is immigration fraud.   No work is authorized on a B visa, even remote/online work.  nor can you “move” to the U.S. on a B visa.

Hopefully he will be turned around at the airport and his visa revoked.

[Boiler 45,467]

2 hours ago, ahhaat said:

I have not applied for the B visa as I am simply weighing my options at the moment.

Forget about the B, VWP is much more practical.

[Crazy Cat 41,836]

2 hours ago, ahhaat said:

and he won’t have to work in the US

But it is illegal to work inside the US after entering via a B2 or VWP.

[ahhaat 0]

22 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

 

Can You Work Remotely from the US Without a Visa? | NNU Immigration

"However, a visitor cannot do any paid work during their US stay, even if they also plan to undertake any one of the permitted activities, such as visiting a relative and using their address to work remotely from. This is because the B-1 or B-2 visitor visas do not grant US work authorization. The visitor visa categories also do not permit a foreign national to earn any US source income."

 

22 hours ago, appleblossom said:

You need to tell your friend that his plan won't work! Remote/online work in the US is absolutely not permitted on a B visa, he'll be working illegally and runs the risk of being refused entry/being banned if he tries.

 

22 hours ago, SalishSea said:

What your friend is planning is immigration fraud.   No work is authorized on a B visa, even remote/online work.  nor can you “move” to the U.S. on a B visa.

Hopefully he will be turned around at the airport and his visa revoked.

 

20 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

But it is illegal to work inside the US after entering via a B2 or VWP.

I have let him know about this, I hope he doesn't go through with it.

[ahhaat 0]

22 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

As a UK citizen, don't apply for a B visa. You have the VWP available to you so it's not worth risking. If your B visa application is refused then you'll always have to declare that on any other visa or ESTA application, and you may find it scuppers your chances of visiting for a while as any ESTA app is also likely to be refused as a consequence. 

 

I have to ask, have you visited the US before? 

Not yet, but I am planning to do so later this year, I'm not sure if I want to visit as a tourist or try get a job on a H2B visa just to see what life in America would be like before completely committing to attempting to move.

[appleblossom 2,482]

1 minute ago, ahhaat said:

I have let him know about this, I hope he doesn't go through with it.

 

Does he already have the B visa? If not, he's likely to fall at the first hurdle!

[appleblossom 2,482]

3 minutes ago, ahhaat said:

Not yet, but I am planning to do so later this year, I'm not sure if I want to visit as a tourist or try get a job on a H2B visa just to see what life in America would be like before completely committing to attempting to move.

 

OK, so I'm struggling to understand why you've wanted to move here for years to be honest if you've never been here. Don't get me wrong, America is a great place, but you need to look at the practicalities i.e. healthcare, high cost of living, lack of vacation time etc. Don't build it up to be like you see it on the tv because it really isn't! As with everywhere, there are downsides so I'd ask yourself what you want out of a country - you may find you would be better suited to somewhere else that is easier to move to, or even somewhere else in the UK.

 

Best of luck to you. 

Edited January 9 by appleblossom

[yuna628 9,671]

I'd suggest visiting off and on for a few years to see what America is like. America is a big place and honestly, it will still not give you the big picture of what truly this country is like, but it is a start. You're young and have a life ahead of you. Make connections here by finding friends and who knows, there might be a special someone out there eventually. To be able to visit, visa free, is a special privilege not many get, so it's wise to never do anything to jeopardize that.

 

I know someone that grew up absolutely loving the US, but as an adult he certainly kept on with his education and job in the UK. Chance would have it he met an American lady in a pub one day, and the rest was history.

 

[ahhaat 0]

1 hour ago, appleblossom said:

 

OK, so I'm struggling to understand why you've wanted to move here for years to be honest if you've never been here. Don't get me wrong, America is a great place, but you need to look at the practicalities i.e. healthcare, high cost of living, lack of vacation time etc. Don't build it up to be like you see it on the tv because it really isn't! As with everywhere, there are downsides so I'd ask yourself what you want out of a country - you may find you would be better suited to somewhere else that is easier to move to, or even somewhere else in the UK.

 

Best of luck to you. 

I completely understand why you'd be struggling to understand why I'd want to move but I guess, it's just the change of climate and culture which I have found a great interest in, and by talking to a few friends from America it made me look at the practicalities and made me understand them and accept them. However, I'll have to re-evaluate them. 

 

Thank you for all the help. 

[ahhaat 0]

28 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

I'd suggest visiting off and on for a few years to see what America is like. America is a big place and honestly, it will still not give you the big picture of what truly this country is like, but it is a start. You're young and have a life ahead of you. Make connections here by finding friends and who knows, there might be a special someone out there eventually. To be able to visit, visa free, is a special privilege not many get, so it's wise to never do anything to jeopardize that.

 

I know someone that grew up absolutely loving the US, but as an adult he certainly kept on with his education and job in the UK. Chance would have it he met an American lady in a pub one day, and the rest was history.

 

I'll likely do that, thank you for the advice.