CarolineMac

Hi

Myself and my family have hopes of being able to move stateside and although we have looked at how to go about applying for visas etc, would really like to communicate with someone who has/had a similiar situation. We are a family of four (born and bred in the UK) looking to uproot and move to the USA. I am (almost) 43 and in Administration (PA to a Deputy Headteacher at a Secondary School) and my husband is 44 and a self-employed builder/carpenter (not a limited company). We have 2 children; a son aged 20 and a daughter aged 14. Neither myself or my husband have degree qualifications, just a willingness to continue work and support our family, as we do here in the UK.

Is there are anyone who has moved to the States with a similiar background who could offer me some advice please?

Many thanks in advance

avanutria

Hi Caroline,

The first step is to check out this article to see if there are any matches between your situation and the possible ways to obtain a visa for the US.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulask...ork_in_the_USA

If there are no matches, then I'm afraid it's not likely for you to be able to relocate permanently..

Rete

Your son (20) would not be eligible to come with you even if you had an avenue for immigration.

May I suggest that you look into Canada (your husband's skills might assist if the economy gets stronger but then Canada was not as badly hit as the US). Your skills are not worth anything in the US but might be worth someone in Canada.

Not sure about your son's ability to immigrate with you due to his age.

Besides Canada, there is also New Zealand, Australia and you have all of the EU.

Forget about the US. It's not going to happen unless you or your husband has a place of birth that would allow you to apply in the diversity lottery.

caleyjag

I suggest you consider Canada.

They have a much more positive attitude to skilled construction workers, and it's a nice place to live.

If you look at the wiki, you will see that your particular careers, coupled with the fact neither of you have degrees, mean that it is effectively impossible for you to move to the US.

Be prepared for some unambigous and even rude replies - unfortunately it's difficult to shoot down people's hopes without being abrasive. There is no way to circumnavigate the US system - if you don't meet their narrow set of criteria (which it doesn't look like you do), then you can't get in.

ian-mstm

Sorry... I just don't think it's going to happen for you. To be blunt, from what you've written you have nothing to offer the US and, sadly, your willingness to work simply doesn't enter into the equation.

If you have money, you may want to consider some sort of investment visa but even so, for most investment visas your 20 y/o would need to leave the US once he turned 21 (sorry, but that's the way the rules are written), and once your 14 y/o turned 21... the same for her. If you have a *LOT* of money, an E-5 might be a possibility.

Ian

chrisfromusa

They are right, we pretty much here only want family of US citizens (immediate relatives, mind you) and people with Master's degrees and PhD's. Other than that, unless you're a nurse or other healthcare/allied health professional that we have a shortage of (or a doctor), might as well emigrate to Canada. it's a nicer place, really in my opinion. You have free healthcare there unlike here, and basically you live like an American, except it's just colder.

penguinsix

Hi,

Sorry but it doesn't look likely at this time. If your son or daughter were willing to consider (and you could afford) university in the USA and from then, finagle their way into US citizenship (i.e. marry an American) than they would be able to sponsor your for a green card after they turn 21. Of course this means having a US citizen for an in-law...

People are generally pretty blunt not only because we get this question daily but because there are 'fly by night' websites out there promising a work visa or something else to the US for a small fee (£500 or so). They prey on pub talk like 'hey, Bob's uncle moved to Vegas' or 'that women on Eastenders packed up and move to the US--you can too' but the cold hard reality is much more negative. The US is one of the hardest places to move to legally, and you don't even want to apply for a visa which will get rejected as that will limit your ability to vacation in the US later on the visa waiver program.

meauxna

chris, I like that you are helping out so many with your posts here, but this one needs brushing up.. there aren't any nurse visas & haven't been any for a while, there are other methods (would be good for you to read the Pulaski's Ways article) and healthcare in Canada is not free.
And if a Canadian catches you saying it's just like "America" they'll float you on an ice floe to the Northern Territories in a bikini.

CarolineMac

Many thanks for the pointer - I will have a look.