Ben Wigmore

Hi,

I've met a US girl and would like to move out there, but I want to do a trial run of 3 odd months to see if I like it, get into the culture etc.

I've been there before on an ESTA visa but I'm unsure if you can do any sort of work on there, like part time or maybe a certain amount of hours.

If I can't, what visa would I need? I'm lookin for very unskilled job types like bar work, Walmart etc.

Can anyone help with this?

Noorah101

You cannot work on the VWP at all.

There are no visas for unskilled jobs such as you describe.

There is no visa for what you're looking to do.

Seems like you'll have to continue visiting on the VWP until you guys are ready for marriage.

Rene

PetrifiedExPat

Get married or become very qualified/desirable in the STEM field.

civilservant

As the others have posted, there is no visa available for what you want to do. For alot of us (myself included) we came up against the same problem, and our solution was to get married (when we were ready of course) so that we could live on the same continent.

scrubbedexpat099

She should be able to visit you for 6 months, would that be long enough?

civilservant

Even if it was, it wouldn't really fulfill the stated objective of 'getting into the culture'

scrubbedexpat099

How does working at Walmart compute with culture?

civilservant

Who knows? Maybe he needs to learn the sizes of US coins?

It seems to me that working is a secondary objective, I suspect that he cannot finance months in the US without working. Which of course is one of the reasons that VWP eligible people typically don't get B2 visas.

az2014

Save up enough money for 3 months and go and have a nice long holiday there. Yea she will be going to work but assuming you will be living together you will still spend a lot of time together to get to know each other.

Guindalf

Walmart happens to be the largest employer in the US!

OP, what skills do you have? Qualifications? Aspirations?

Without a plan, the US can be a very expensive and disappointing place to live. There is no (or very limited) healthcare and/or government assistance if you do not have enough to live on. In fact, you would need a sponsor to be responsible for you for a long time after you arrive to make sure you don't become an immediate burden on the government welfare systems!

Twinkle0927

Depending on your age and stage of life, you may be able to get a J-1 for summer holiday work through someone like Camp America or BUNAC. That would give you the opportunity to spend a few months here and see how you like it. I think it’s very sensible of you to look for a way to “try things out” before making a huge commitment. The USA you know from your holidays won’t be the same USA you live and work in and it’s a good idea to do something like this, if you can.

There is, as you have discovered, no visa to try things out with your girlfriend and take a temporary job at Walmart. Reason being that if such a visa existed half the world would be applying for it with a claim of a relationship of some sorts with a random US citizen.

That’s why there are only visas for marrieds and almost-marrieds.

Good luck!

carcajou

Can I add: Don't even think of arriving and then working illegally or "off-book." If you get caught it will, at worse, forever ruin your dream of living in the US and at best cause a massive and messy complication.