Tsparks

Hi I'm currently living in England and have been running my own business as an electrical contractor in domestic, commercial and industrial sectors for the last 3 years. I am an American citizen hoping to move back to the U.S and wondering how I would have to go about transferring my qualifications over and any re training I would need as from what I have researched it is a lot different. I have 10 years + experience apprentice trained nvq level 3, City and guilds testing and inspection 2391, 17 th edition and jib registered but by the looks of it this won't help me a great deal! If anybody with any experience of 'starting again' in the electrical industry in the USA it would be much appreciated. I also have a wife who is a trained beauty therapist and a 2 year old son.
Tim

hoffage123

Visa things first - presuming your wife/son aren't US Citizens, you need to file a petition for your wife, report your son's birth to the Embassy so his US citizenship can be 'claimed' etc. Check out the Marriage based visas bit of this forum for information on the process.

Retraining - presume you would need to get appropriate licensing as they work with different voltages etc, but will leave this one to more experienced posters etc. As a US Citizen already, you are in a great position to move over with your family. Do you have any family over there who would be willing to put you up until you got a job there? You likely won't get a job offer unless you are actually in-country, due to not working in a profession that requires a degree.

Hoffage

Tsparks

Hi thanks for advice re visas will check that one out as they were both born in the UK. My dad lives in New York but we aren't looking to move there.

civilservant

As Hoffage has correctly stated, your son will need a US Passport and your wife will need an IR1 visa. This will take about a year to get sorted.

JAJ

The son may not be a U.S. citizen. Depends on when the father left the United States.

If the son isn't a U.S. citizen he could be included on the IR1 application and will immediately become a U.S. citizen when the family move to the U.S. Or he could be naturalized based on grandparent presence in the United States. Either way, both of these options for U.S. citizenship expire at age 18.

The U.S. citizen parent may also need to catch up on tax filing.

Bob

Both of you will need to look at the state you are interested in and see what you need to get certified in that state.

There might be a good chance that you will both have to start from scratch.

jeffreyhy

Son is or isn't a US citizen. If he is, his citizenship needs to documented, not "claimed".

Regards, JEff

steveq

Get yourself a copy of the NEC - the US equivalent of the IEE regs, and remember black is live, and you'll be good to go..

The sick feeling that you get seeing live sockets over the sink in a bathroom disappears eventually.

Pulaski

+1 .... That, and using the caps from toothpaste tubes to connect wires together.

steveq

Do you mind, I'm eating.

yeah, them too. Back in my callow youth I worked as a sparky at A summer camp. We definitely left it better wired, grounded and fused than before.