TraceyMcAlister

Thank you! So I guess it's a good idea to move somewhere with atleast a couple of good options for schools. I'm not overly fussed about elementary but middle (is that also called intermediate?) and high schools are very important. I'm hearing a lot of good things about Mission Viejo so we are thinking of this as an option rather then Irvine. :-)

TraceyMcAlister

Hi! :-)

Now I'm feeling really stupid!

I do not already have an IR-1. My very optimistic husband seems to think it will be straightforward for me to get a green card. Both children have a British passport. Will they need to give it up?

I'm assuming I'm missing something fundamental?

carcajou

Don't base important life moves on assuming that something immigration-related will be straight-forwards or fast.

I also would not plan to deliberately enroll your child in school until the middle of the year, thinking that will provide some kind of advantage over enrolling at the start of the year. Teachers and administrators aren't any less busy in February than they are in September.

You mentioned one of your children is dyslexic. Special needs is highly, highly regulated in the US and there are a battery of legal requirements around both designation and resource allocation. When you are calling around the schools and the district for information, you need to mention the dyslexia and ask what documentation they require to provide support for your child from the first day he arrives. He will not be eligible for special supports or resources just because you claim he is dyslexic, and that particular school district may or may not accept a formal diagnosis from a foreign source. So you need to find out what they require to provide that support. Don't wait until you enroll him as it could take longer to get that documentation than you anticipate.

Good luck.

scrubbedexpat099

So you have your Immigrant Visa's sorted out?

petitefrancaise

TraceyMcAlister

Thank you. :-)
It all seems like a bit of a gamble.
Fortunately most of the schools in and nearby Mission Viejo suggest that they are good.
I wonder if there's any that I should avoid?

TraceyMcAlister

Thanks! :-)

TraceyMcAlister

Nope! Filling the forms out as we speak!

petitefrancaise

I would suggest asking on this forum
Orange County Forum - Relocation, Moving, General and Local City Discussions - City-Data Forum

also - just as a way of sorting some possibilities - USNews does an annual high school rankings that might eliminate some for you. As a note of caution though, they look at college readiness and graduation rates which may not translate to a lot of support for your child with dyslexia but on the other hand, I know from the local rankings for me, the schools mentioned are good.
You are quite correct to choose the middle/high school so that you don't have to think about moving again and separating your children from their friends to get a better education.

Once you've looked at USNews, go to the school/district website and find the feeder schools for the middle and elementary.

https://www.usnews.com/education/bes...ame=california

TraceyMcAlister

Thank you. :-)

GeoffM

No.

Regarding the dyslexia, which I missed, that might affect your school choice as well. I have an autistic son which is different, of course, but he doesn't go to the local school because they don't have a special ed program beyond 3rd grade.

Regarding enrolling in June: you might have to wait until early August. Depends on the school district but we moved over a summer holiday once, but before the new school closed, and had to wait until the school admin offices re-opened about 2 weeks before the school opened. Different district but SoCal.

Pulaski

Unless you have a criminal record or a drug habit it will likely be very easy for you to get an IR-1 visa, I believe the current reported time to get a CR-1 or IR-1 in London, if the US citizen sponsor is legal resident in the UK, is 4-6 months.

The IR-1 visa will lead automatically to a green card when you use the visa to enter the US. So you are applying for a visa, the green card comes later, on entry to the US. .... You will have green card status immediately, with a stamp in your passport, the actual physical green card will come 2-3 months later.

Neither you nor your children need to give up their British passports or citizenship, and indeed it would be quite difficult to do so, even if you wanted to.

scrubbedexpat099

Just time, is he moving first and you are following?

Marc_ely

I'm not sure this will search properly but I'll try it:
https://www.greatschools.org/califor...Levels%5B%5D=e

There is quite a spread in rating. Like I said don't get too hung up on them but they are not all good.

Note that real estate websites like Trulia, Zillow and Redfin usually list assigned schools in the listings. They aren't always accurate though. I've seen some listing the good schools when they are actually allocated to bad schools (realtors are well... err... often conservative with the truth shall we say)

If you want any details of Mission Viejo specifically PM me and I'll help.

Havnfun

We lived in Mission Viejo when we first came to California. Watch the boundaries for attending Mission Viejo high school. The catchment area for that school is a portion of Mission Viejo and a portion of Rancho Santa Margarita.