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Girlfriend visa hurdles to starting postdoc in USA

Girlfriend visa hurdles to starting postdoc in USA

Old Oct 13th 2021, 11:39 am
  #16  
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Default Re: Girlfriend visa hurdles to starting postdoc in USA

Originally Posted by JJ5
Wow, that is quite a bit of time. Is job hunting legally off the cards until the EAD comes through?
One can job hunt, but cannot accept employment until the EAD is in hand.

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Old Oct 13th 2021, 3:31 pm
  #17  
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Default Re: Girlfriend visa hurdles to starting postdoc in USA

Originally Posted by JJ5
Initial contract is 12 months, with a view of it to be extended up to 2-3 years. NC state caps post docs at 5 years. In my head 24 months would be a nice amount of time, but I guess you can't predict the future. Right now, I don't see us gaining residency or emigrating.

The overarching appeal of this is it being a good career move (for me) due to the groups expertise, my expertise and the value of an American post doc on your CV (plus the publishing that could come with that) to gain a permanent role in academia in the long term (in the UK or EU). I also would hope it would be a fun experience, expanding both of our horizons and opening up the world to us a little. I appreciate this is a lot of sacrifice on my girlfriend's part and I know that without work and a "life" whilst there we won't be able to enjoy the experience that may come along with it.

Ironically I was looking at fellowships in Japan before this, moving there would obviously come with more of a culture shock, language barrier as well as expense (I would be able to get money for relocation however) but based on senior colleagues who have worked in Japan on the same fellowships (who took their long term girlfriends whom they married afterwards) it seems like the visa situation and partners finding work is much simpler (albeit the work was mostly teaching English to adults and children, or lecturing at the same university).
Based on what you have said above - 12 month contract initially, good career move for you and a fun thing to do, - I think your girlfriend (wife to be) and you should think of this as a potential 'gap year or two' for your wife.
If I remember correctly, the few J2's we have had on the forum, have been partners of academics (such as yourself) and found work in the same University as J1 partner.
She might be lucky and get a really good job in her field locally, but better to not depend on this.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do. I agree, it would be a great experience.
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Old Oct 14th 2021, 3:38 am
  #18  
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Default Re: Girlfriend visa hurdles to starting postdoc in USA

Originally Posted by JJ5
Initial contract is 12 months, with a view of it to be extended up to 2-3 years. NC state caps post docs at 5 years. In my head 24 months would be a nice amount of time, but I guess you can't predict the future. Right now, I don't see us gaining residency or emigrating.

The overarching appeal of this is it being a good career move (for me) due to the groups expertise, my expertise and the value of an American post doc on your CV (plus the publishing that could come with that) to gain a permanent role in academia in the long term (in the UK or EU).
Ahh, that sounds familiar. I came for a 9-month postdoc, with the intention of returning to Oz for a permanent position. It's been 13 years! Mind you, I also left academia for a role that suits me a thousand times better. The moral of the story is to keep your options open, as you never know what is going to come along. It could even be a serious job opportunity for your gf -- you never know!


Originally Posted by JJ5
In regard to the 9 mo vs. 12 mo, is that still common for post docs in the US? I thought they were generally trying to move away from this sort of setup. If it were like that, I could just save for those months right?
I am not aware of any changes, but it may depend on the nature of your role. And yes, if you are stuck on a 9-month salary, you just need to save for the summer. Think of it as character-building

Originally Posted by JJ5
In terms of start date, surely timing it with the academic year isn't necessary? Maybe it's very different from the UK system where non-students generally show up throughout the year?
Not necessary, no. But there are all kinds of conveniences that come with the start of a new academic year. I only started a new job mid-year once and it was miserable; I didn't meet a single person in another department. In contrast, when I started at the beginning of the year, I inevitably met people from across campus during new faculty orientation events. These little things can make a big difference to how well you settle in.

Originally Posted by SanDiegogirl
Based on what you have said above - 12 month contract initially, good career move for you and a fun thing to do, - I think your girlfriend (wife to be) and you should think of this as a potential 'gap year or two' for your wife.
This is a decent idea. I have a friend whose wife is a medical doctor. While he was a postdoc in Canada, it would have been wildly impractical for her to go through all the paperwork to practice there. Instead, they decided to just take it up for 1 year, during which she very happily loafed around and did a beautician course for mild entertainment. Caution: she comes from great familial wealth, so loafing around without a care in the world is definitely in her bones.
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