Seedbird

Hi All,

I'm new here so go easy on me. I've been doing a bit of back ground reading and looking for some advice on what you guys think will be best for my situation. So a bit of background info :

I've recently been offered a job in San Francisco, pending my visa etc. and I plan to make the move in May. I'll be getting an E2 visa. My partner however, doesn't have a job lined up. She's a science high school teacher (7 years experience & worked in international school in Dubai) and would hopefully look for a job to start in September. It's looking fairly unlikely that she's going to be able to secure a job due to the competitiveness.

Do any of you have any experience from being in a similar situation? We're thinking that we may just have a small marriage at the registry office so that she can come with me on my visa however that's not our first choice, we're quite traditional with the idea of marriage. I would appreciate any advice you guys have or similar situations you've been in and progressed.

Thanks in advance.

mikelincs

It'a highly unlikely that a teacher would be able to get a visa, and there is NO chance of her coming with you on your visa unless you are married. Even if she did find a job she could apply for, the closing date for H1-B applications is April for a start date of October, providing she was lucky in winning in the lottery for visas, and that's around 40%. There is only one realistic way, and that is for you to get married.

SanDiegogirl

She either gets a work visa based on her own work experience OR you get married and she gets a visa based on yours.

With the E2 dependent visa, once in the US, she then obtains an Employment Authorisation Document and would be able to work. Seems like you have already done some research into a teaching job. Being in the US and looking for such a role would make it easier.

tom169

You're traditional about marriage, but ok with shacking up together? Anyway, are you making an investment? I don't see any mention of that, but I thought that was a requirement of E2.

scrubbedexpat099

E2 Employee presumably

She could get a B2 Cohabitating but that means no work.

Even if you got married most unlikely she would be work authorised by September.

Seedbird

Thanks for the helpful (and even non-helpful) feedback. You guys have reinforced everything we've read and it is all pointing to marriage. There's no rush to get her working once the process has started. We both have savings and even if she has to stay in the UK for x number of months to get everything sorted, we're planning on being here for the long haul.

Do any of you have any advice for people going through this process as it would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Pulaski

An H-1B for an educational institution would be uncapped, so not subject to the lottery and timing issues usually associated with this visa type.

Pulaski

As Boiler said, a treaty investor visa is possible so long as there is a trade treaty with the country where the employer us based, AND the employee has a passport from the same country. British & British works.

Seedbird

Yep - I'd be working for a British company out there.

sherbert

You'll need to get married. Also, there's a shortage of teachers in the Bay Area because the cost of living is so high and the teaching salaries so low that they can't find staff. So she would likely be able to find a teaching job once she had an EAD and could work.

scrubbedexpat099

Would they fudge the lack of US Qualification because of this?

Pulaski

I heard recently that school districts in CA are hiring in the Philippines to fill vacancies. Draw your own conclusion as to how that relates to your question.

pejp

Make sure the salary is good. I looked at a move to SF from Colorado recently, and it really is outrageously expensive. There was a recent thread with someone who had been offered a move to NYC with a British company, but with a laughably bad salary, so make sure you're going to be paid enough to actually live there and enjoy it.

Seedbird

Thanks for the advice. The salary is very good, although Ill be spending around 35% of my salary on rent after tax for a 1 bed apartment in the city! It's shocked me.

tom169

May want to reconsider then or ask for more money. 35% is over 10% too much in my opinion.