Carolineclair

Hello all

My name is Caroline and I just came across this site. I currently live in London and my boyfriend is an American living in New York. We worked together during a summer programme last year and have been together ever since. We talk every day and we travel to either country whenever we can afford. We both see marriage in our future but would like to be able to spend time together for at least 6 months to a year before taking that step.
Ideally i would like to be able to work in NYC and live with him for that time. I work for the BBC and have been told that if i can find a media company willing to sponsor yme for a year that i can legally work on a J visa.

I guess what im asking is, if you are the partner of an American how did you do it? Did you manage to live there pre marriage and if so how?

We are both extremely optomistic but its very downheartning when everywhere you turn is a no entry sign into the USA.

Any advice welcomed.

Thank you very much

xxx

Bob

Well this is the meet and greet, so welcome to the forums...but you really should post your question in the visa section.

There are requirements for the J1, and might have a 2 year HRR, which would put a spanner in the works.

If your experienced and high up in the beeb, see if you can get a company transfer to an office in the US - L1 visa, but they aren't cheap to get for the sponsoring company, so you'd have to have niche skills or be upper management really.

You could also try an H1B, but for a year, that'll be hard finding someone willing to sponsor you because of the cost and hassle of getting the visa, but if you find someone willing to sponsor you, they couldn't apply till April and you wouldn't get the visa till Oct.

You might want to look into a BUNAC type of thing...or get a student visa and study in the US.


http://britishexpats.com/articles/us...rk-in-the-usa/

Read that for the ways into the US.

anabella

Welcome to BE Caroline.

My American man moved to England with me and we got married after 6 months of living together, as it was too hard to be together otherwise. We still had to be apart for 6 months when we decided to move to the US while I was waiting for my visa in the UK. The immigration process is a nightmare for most people..

I think (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that if you move to the US with a fiance visa you'd be allowed to work. You might want to start this thread again in the US visas section, they'll be able to tell you more there..

Good luck whatever you do..

Bob

Technically, though only JFK provide the stamp to prove it, and you have to get an EAD to continue after the 90 day mark, so you'd have to get married straight away and then apply for the EAD...but most places won't bother hire sometime till they have the EAD proper.

TruBrit

hiya caroline and welcome to BE

yes i am married to a usc. for 2 yrs my man and i talked on the phone and grabbed time together. it didn't exite me to live in the USA and as i had a young son i wanted him to stay in the UK school system and so we didn't know what the future held for us as a couple then out of the blue my man's company opened a London office and so over he came...brill couldn't have been better.

remember where there's a will there's a way ......good luck to you

britvic

Welcome to BE It was a bit of a shocker to meet my USC Hub's in the UK and with both of us recently single again was in no way looking for another half as it were, but these things hit you from out of the blue, he was posted back to America, so for two years it was me coming over to visit and stay for 4 to 6 week's at a time, but in the end both Countries want to see that bit of paper that says your married, so I feel we were pushed in that direction, of course I'm not sorry it's our 7 year anniversary next month, but if he had been an Englishman pretty sure we would of still been just as happy just living together.

anotherlimey

I thought all the Americas were taken....

Englishmum

I don't know what you do for the BBC but they transmit the daily financial news for BBC World (and other BBC services) from the Reuters building at 3 Times Square. Most major publishers, US news and magazine organisations have offices in NYC.

Perhaps you could also approach Reuters (a British company!) or Bloomberg, Conde Nast, Time Life Warners, CNN etc.

No idea of your age......but perhaps you could consider being an au-pair for a family in NYC for a few months? You would need to go through an agency to get the visa, but it seems that many au-pairs change employers once they get here anyway (see the au-pair thread and links from last week).

unicorndreams

Hi and Welcome,

I am married to a USC and we met here.
I came over on a Fiance Visa. We applied in the Nov of 2001 and i had my Visa by the April of 2002. Moved in the May and was married by the end of July. Have only the 90 days to do that. I did get an Ead .

Good Luck however you proceed with this.

anotherlimey

Did you find a spare America?

unicorndreams

I had a friend here who i knew from when her and her husband had been stationed in England years back. I came over and visited .
My Husband is her cousin. So now we have become family.
Its strange how your life can change in an instant.

unicorndreams

He had not been married before and no kids to support. So i got lucky.

scrubbedexpat099

In the circumstances you describe much much easier for him to go to the UK.

simongb

I married an American and came to Baltimore, MD, to live. Dating was hard. 6 weeks in the US and then she would come and visit me in the UK. This was during the early 90's and there were NO jobs in the UK (at least I couldn't find one)and so, after much debate, we decided to settle in the US. I have been here ever since. I came here on a fiance visa and did not have much trouble. I could work immediately. I remember that I could not leave the US for 3 months (I think, this was a while ago) and constantly had to renew my visa or report to the INS (as it was called back then). At one point we had to do an interview like in the movie 'Green Card'. We actually had to take photos from our wedding and vacations to the INS and they went through the photo album page by page and asked us questions like, 'What is her name?', or, 'What was the name of your hotel on your honeymoon?'. I must say, I had hardly any trouble with the INS. I always followed their rules (no matter how ridiculous they were) and filed forms when needed. I got my citizenship in 2001 and do not have to deal with them anymore. Anyway, this was all a while ago and I am sure things have changed since then. I would call the US Embassy in London or go online and find out what forms you need for the fiance visa. Good luck!

Ray

Stop sodding around and get married ... it will take a while to
arrange all the visa details....

You can always get divorced later