just starting the long process
 

Hi there

me and my wife are wanting to emigrate to the us im a self employed and successful building contractor here in the UK and a very highly skilled heating and plumbing engineer, but also very proficient at carpentry and plastering and electrical my wife will come on a no working visa at first

i have been reading through the mountain of information on here and were just in the process of finding a immigration attorney but don't know of anyone with any kind of experience with it just wondering if anyone had any recommendations dont want to just find someone on google

what do you think our chances are for getting a B1 ?

many thanks
oliver

Re: just starting the long process
 

You wouldn't use a B-1 for this, anyway.

Try www.ailalawyer.com for finding an immigration attorney.

Rene

Re: just starting the long process
 

I was under the assumption from what I had been told that is what visa we would need to work there, even told by a so called immigration expert 😭

I'll have a look through that link

Anyone else any help will be appreciated

Thanks Oliver

Re: just starting the long process
 

Out of all the information in the Wiki, Pulaski's Ways is the place to start.

Re: just starting the long process
 

Hi, and welcome to BE.

The 'Pulaski's Ways' link above is the place to start. Have a read of that, and see if you think you might qualify for any of the visas mentioned, if so you can ask more questions about it and people will be happy to help.

As you may gather after reading it, it's not likely that your skills will lead to any kind of work visa or move to the US, so does your wife have a degree and/or specialist skills by any chance?

Good luck with it.

Re: just starting the long process
 

Would anyone recommend universal migrate here from London or would you suggest getting a us attorney

My thoughts are h1b visa from reading the wiki document

Don't know what my other options are do we get into Canada then come down to us after a period of time?

Slightly disheartened by the lack of directions I can take I'm willing to work anywhere but my skills would be wasted doing that.

Thanks

Re: just starting the long process
 

I don't think you'd qualify for a H-1B from what you've said, you can read up a bit more about it here, but to qualify the job must require a degree and must be specialist (generally technical or scientific) - Workpermit.com - Immigration - US - H-1B visa But the forum pros will be along shortly to give you any idea of your chances with this, I could well be completely wrong and it might be that you would stand a chance of a H-1B.

But definitely don't go near Universal Migrate - they are not lawyers, and unfortunately don't have a great reputation. You should only use a proper immigration lawyer if you are considering hiring somebody to help.

As for Canada, you could try and move there (you'd have a much better chance than the US), but it wouldn't help you move to the US unfortunately. The only way that you'd have more of a chance going via Canada would be to wait until you get Canadian citizenship (approx 6 years or so after moving as a rough guide) and then qualifying for a TN visa, but for one of those your job must be on this list - http://www.nafsa.org/_/file/_/amresource/8cfr2146.htm At the moment, your jobs don't appear to be on that list, so there would be no advantage in you moving to Canada or getting Canadian citizenship if your real aim is the US.

Best of luck.

Re: just starting the long process
 

Building trades will not support an H-1b visa. Almost none, contrary to popular belief, it is very difficult to get from Canada to the US, unless you have one of a limited listed of high-skill professional occupations, which I see Christmasoompa has already provided the link for. The list does not include building trades.

Hypothetically, if you did find a visa to allow you to emigrate, for example if you won $560,000 on the lottery and used it for an EB-5 investor visa, plus fees, you would find that all your qualifications are not recognize in the US and you would have to start over as an apprentice and get US qualifications and "approved experience" before you would be pemitted to work independently as a construction contractor in the US. Trade licenses are approved at the state level.

Re: just starting the long process
 

Thanks for that I never thought that the process would be a complicated or hard as it is, can any of the experts say if there is a visa that we could get we love the us and want to move there but sounds like hard work do they not do a 1 year work visa we would love to go for a 12 month vacation but that isn't financially possible that's why we're looking down the route of working visas,

Any help is appreciated as only spoke to universal migrate so far and they want money sending straight away to even start process

Oliver

Re: just starting the long process
 

Yep, the US is one of the most difficult countries to move to.

I'm sure when the experts in the US are awake they'll be able to tell you if there is any way. I think you could do it, but you'd need to look at it as a long term plan - get a degree, ideally a masters, change jobs etc. But perhaps they will have a suggestion.

Nope.

It's not possible anyway, even if you did have the finances. You have the VWP but that only gives you up to 90 days.

What visa did they suggest you'd be eligible for?

Is another country an option? You've got the whole of the EU you can move to without needing a visa (for now anyway, depending on what happens in a few weeks time!). Or are you set on the US? If so, you might just need to rethink your career or your wife's career - you've not said yet, but what does she do?

Re: just starting the long process
 

Honestly, I don't think it is possible for you without substantial capital to invest and/or a dramatic change in direction for you. In your particular case the problem is with skilled building trade licensing - even if you found a way to get to the US to live, it would be several years before you had requalified under US state-level building trades licensing.

Re: just starting the long process
 

No.

That's not really possible anyway, if you qualify to use the VWP.

And it sounds like your jobs don't qualify you for a work visa to the USA. So most likely, unless you have enough money to invest and get one of the investment visas, you should probably only plan on visiting the USA using the VWP.

Yes, and there isn't even a process to start! So they will just take your money and do nothing for you.

If you REALLY want someone in the legal field to help you, pay about $200 for a 1-time consultation with a real, qualified, immigration lawyer (not consultants).

Rene

Re: just starting the long process
 

Totally forgot that 😞 she works in the motor trade as a administration manager
So nothing that we could use I don't think

We have been to the us 5 times in the last 3 years and are in lover with it and now would be the time for us to have a go at something different as were already married but have no kids

Cheers Oliver

Re: just starting the long process
 

I would quite happily start as a apprentice level to learn all the trade in the different state, I'm already gas safe registered here in the UK but that still by the sounds of it means nothing, looks like I'm already fighting a losing battle and best start playing the lottery we already have about 90k saved but still not enough lol

Re: just starting the long process
 

Unfortunately, the impression given in the media and in films/tv programmes that it's very easy to up sticks and move to the US (or Canada, or Australia etc) - after all, we have a UK passport and everyone loves that, right?

Your options are:

• Find a long term plan to get to the US involving getting a degree and/or degree level specialisation and/or employment with a large multinational that offers opportunity to transfer.
• Look at other countries - the EU is often mentioned as somewhere you can move to, and Ireland is English speaking.
• Rethink why you want to emigrate and see whether you can achieve the same objective within the UK by thinking creatively, eg if it's for a fresh start - move to a different part of the country.

good luck.