robbie3002

Hi
I have been in the USA now for nearly 4 years, married to an American woman and we are in the process of a divorce.
I really cant much point in staying in the USA, all my family are in the UK
so questions.
I own a house in the USA should I keep it for a while and rent it out?
or sell it and transfer the money back to the UK.
what should I do with my green card?


any help and advice would be great

RICH

Stick it out in US long enough to get citizenship. Keep all options open.

My marriage to a US lady also lasted about 4 years.

Do not throw away the opportunity you have.

robbie3002

easier said than done, like in Oregon and no work, apply for everything and still nothing, I cant afford to live here much longer. she is having the gas and electricity cut off from Wednesday next week. spoke to the utility companies and they wont offer to open accounts for me as I am not working.

robbie3002

also read somewhere about the federal government taking 15% of sale price if I sell the house

UkWinds5353

Hi Robbie
Sorry about your situation. Keep your chin up man. Things will improve. Do you foresee things changing for the better or worse between you and your wife? Maybe you might want to keep a USA property in case you two are able to reconcile? Is there any chance she might try to stake a claim on the house in question? Is her name anywhere on the property(deed, mortgage)? Is all your money tided up in the property? There are a few questions that need more attention in order to better advise you.

robbie3002

I would say things will get worse. no there is not chance of us getting back together.
yes her name is on the house title with mine. also joint names on a line of credit.

UkWinds5353

If both your names are on the title it will require both of your signatures to sell the property. Any chance she will agree to a quickie sell of the property? If so, I would say get rid of it ASAP. Do you think it possible you might one day want to return to the States? If you leave before getting your citizenship you will be giving up the opportunity for dual citizenship. Think carefully before leaping.

robbie3002

yes she would sell, but issue I see is if I sell I have to go back to the uk whatever then there is this 15% federal tax thing I would have to pay.
I have only had green card for just over 2 years and in fact it is being renewed at the moment. from what I can understand if we were together I could do the naturalization thing in a year. but because we are not and she wants divorce then it would be another 3 years

UkWinds5353

You have a way in for citizenship. Most people don't. Only you can know if the wait is worth the time and expense to attain it. Personally speaking to wait an extra 2 years to achieve citizenship in a different country is not a huge burden. But only you know how home sick you are, how much this woman is trying to make your life difficult, and how tough the job market is in Oregon at the moment. About the latter, are you able to receive any assistance from the government, can you find work with temp agencies? Can you use any of your line of credit on your mortgage? Can you access credit via credit cards?