r32gtr

hi i am an ex infantry soldier and currently i am a strength and conditioning coach

im also a single parent how do i go about getting a visa for me and my daughter
and also how would i get her in to a school? she is 6 i am 25

i would be looking to go in to sport and work in strength and conditioning there i know i have to get a conversion qualification which i am doing middle of the year

i have a qualification to teach and assess personal trainers so maybe thats another way in?

i would also like to run british military style pt classes in the evenings

any advice would be great

r32gtr

iv also been thinking about new jersey or texas as possible places

crg

Welcome. Not many options to do as you describe.

Start with this thread:REALLY, READ ME: Want to Live & Work in the US?

md95065

Since the OP is single, marriage to a US citizen is an option.

That is the only obvious path forward that has a realistic chance of success.

ian-mstm

Generally speaking, there are 3 types of visas: family-based; employment-based; and investment-based. It sounds like you're considering an employment-based route. Be aware that getting a job in the US is relatively easy; getting a job in the US with an employer willing to spend many thousands of $$ to sponsor you for a visa is quite difficult.


Before you worry about school, get the visa... or else nothing else will matter. Be aware that you will probably need written permission from your daughter's mother (or a court order) to remove the child from UK jurisdiction.

Ian

Pulaski

Hypothetically, even if you can get a visa (which I sincerely doubt is possible for you), I would strongly advise you not to emigrate to the US, anywhere in the US, because managing a single parent household in the US is extremely tough. Every time your child is sick, you have to take time off work, every time the school calls you to a meeting, you have to take time off work. What about after school care? - that costs money. Then there are school holidays, when you have to find a "camp" for your child. They start around $200/wk, in cheaper parts of the US, and rise from there; $400-$500/wk for a basic no-frills camp is entirely possible.

Without a family support network around you, managing as a single parent in the US is going be an unpleasant experience, for you and your child, and I honestly don't know how many of the poorest single parents manage, except to say that involves family members (often grandparents) and/or all manner of government programs and handouts. It is NOT pretty, and you do NOT want to voluntarily drop you and your child into this mess. It honestly doesn't matter how bad your situation is in the UK, you are certainly going to be in a worse situation here.

civilservant

Luckily Pulaski its basically a non-starter for the OP.

Unless she fancies match.com anyway.

Pulaski

For the sake of her (?) daughter, I hope you're right.

hungryhorace

+1

Unless you live somewhere like MA where there is a safety net, you're basically at risk of putting yourself and your family in a very not nice situation. Stay in Britain. The grass isn't always greener.

scrubbedexpat099

I assumed a he?

Match.com, blended family, child care sorted.

r32gtr

i managed for 5 years in the infantry as a single parent with no family network and getting deployed all over the world i do know exactly how hard it is to be a single working parent

lucky the mum isnt around and for my duty in the army (getting based in cyprus, Germany, the falkland islands and at the time i got the order they were planning to send me to canada to work at batus) i had a court order saying i can take her anywhere in the world so that's not the problem

the main problem is getting the visa i did think about joining the us army and going that way i dont know if thats an option

ian-mstm

In order to join the US army, you must first be a permanent resident (= green card).

Ian

r32gtr

you would have thought with all my military experience it would have made it easier to go that route? im a fully trained class 1 medic done snipers part 1's machine gunners cardre have a tank licence mortars trained pti and i was a corporal on leaving i know people go off to the australian and canadian armies with out too much trouble

mikelincs

True, but the US just likes to keep immigrants out, unless they are bringing niche skills, or able to invest many thousands.

Pulaski

A US visa (which you do not appear to be eligible for), does not come with the family support infrastructure provided by the British Army.
There is a difference. Here's a clue: