britboy_usgirl

Hi All,

My girlfriend an I have been dating for around 2 and a half years, 1 year has been spent with us both living in the UK together. My girlfriend first had a 6 month work visa and is now on a visitors visa, after this she will be forced to leave the UK and as a result, I would like to follow her back to the States.

I am 23 and a recent graduate, I have a good job in the City and am currently looking at any possible career opportunities in the States however I know that now is not great time wise. However we are progressing and was hoping someone here may be able to provide some advice on my best chance of obtaining a work visa. I have look at the J1 visa but did not understand exactly who was eligible. My company has offices in the States but not in the location that my girlfriend will be living therefore this is a possibility but one which is not particularly likely.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

Noorah101

It will be FAR easier if you guys get married and do an Immigrant Visa for you to move to the USA. If you are able to get married in the UK now (not sure she can on her current status, but worth checking), then after marriage she can start the Immigrant Visa process by filing an I-130 to the correct location in the USA (depending on where her last address was). In about 8 - 10 months, you'll have your Immigrant Visa and can move permanently to the USA.

Or, your girlfriend can become your fiancee and then file for a K-1 fiance visa for you. That only takes about 6 - 8 months to process, and then you have 90 days in which to get married in the USA once you arrive there on your K-1 visa.

Marriage is probably by far your easiest way to the USA.

Rene

Octang Frye

Marry her. Or nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

Noorah101

Perhaps your girlfriend can think about moving to the city where you will be located if you get the company to transfer you. This is also a really good option.

Rene

penguinsix

Marriage. It's really the only way.

You can try to get a transfer, but that's got some problems as you noted. You could try to find someone to sponsor you, but they'd have to convince the US government that there is a dearth of available Americans to perform the task that you wish to do such that you should be brought in and take a job from an American (who is currently laid off from said job in the first place).

The J1 has some restrictions on it in some cases (like returning to your home country for 2 years before returning to the US or something like that). You could also come to the US for a graduate degree program, but you're going to have to show that you have the resources not only to pay tuition and fees ($30,000) but also living expenses while you are here for a year or two (with very very limited work options available)

So...it's really back to marriage or just visiting a few times a year.

Bob

On a visitors visa I don't think she can anymore, would need a fiancé visa jobby....would be a lot easier to get though and remain in the UK than to move to the US.

One thing the OP hasn't elaborated on, what exactly the career is, working in "the city" doesn't mean shit if he's a finance guy, doesn't mean all that much as a solicitor and slightly less useful if in IT.

Bill_S

And send the bill to Ripley

fatbrit

My thoughts, exactly. One of you has a good job and the other has diddly squat. Best to stay put at the moment. Later, when the economy starts moving, consider relocating.

meauxna

Maybe he's a stalker and she doesn't want him to follow.

Didn't say specifically one way or t'other.

scrubbedexpat099

Marry her, that will involve lots of work.

pejpm1

I was in a very similar situation. She was on a 6 month work visa in London when we met...she went home for a year, came back on a student visa to do her masters and we moved in together, then my company moved me to NYC which was pretty cool as she was having a hard time finding a job in London as she didnt have any kind of long term visa (we were planning on doing the unmarried partner visa but most employers said 'ok, come back when you have it')...we've been here a year now. As the others have said, best bet is marriage. I dont know what you do in the city...I work for a hedge fund so have a fair idea of the market at the moment and the chances of someone sponsoring you now or in the near future are very very very low. Everything is ****ed and the last thing a company is going to do is hire someone from abroad with very little experience.

CitySimon

I was in a similar situation as yourself... My girlfriend was in the UK on a six month work visa and, when she made enquiries, she was told that she'd not be able to extend it... It took me about 5 seconds to decide to ask her to marry me simply to avoid all of the problems and, to be honest, I had no desire to go back to the long distance relationship thing.

I asked her that night and we got married eight weeks later a week before her six month visa expired. It made her visa extension to stay in the UK a lot easier and made my visa application getting into the US relatively straight forward (comparatively).

From a legal and immigration position, the most straight-forward way of immgrating seems to be from a position as spouse of a citizen.

britboy_usgirl

Thanks for the comments and feedback so far, I think this is just confirming a lot of what we have read so far, that marriage is going to be the easiest way. Oh and for those asking, I work in a bank as an analyst, with around 1yr's experience which I am fully aware gives me no kind of leverage when finding a job in the States.

Another question for you all is regarding the 8-10 months of processing time it would take if we were to get married. Presumably we wouldn't be expected to get married and then live apart for 8-10 months while the visa is processed? Would it therefore mean that we could effectively both move back to the States and I could then legitimately look for employment?

Thanks again in advance for your help.

Bluegrass Lass

Buzzzz!!! Wrong answer. You absolutely cannot move to nor live in the US while the visa is in process. USCIS has no compassion, and does not care whether a couple is split up while awaiting a visa.

You can visit the US, but you must keep your visits under the 90 day maximum. If you try to visit too often, they can deny you entry, since they would likely think that you are trying to live in the US w/out the correct visa.

Sorry this info is probably not what you want to read. Honestly, the time does go by very quickly. It will give her time to get a job and living arrangements squared away, and for you both to save some money for the fees involved in teh process. Since she will need to be your sponsor, she will need to have enough income and/or assets to meet the Poverty Guidelines requirement, or she will need to find a joint sponsor for you.

meauxna

Why not?
I'm not saying it is ideal, but if the USC has to go back to the US for her own reasons then she does. There is no mechanism for you to move to the US in advance of your immigrant visa.