vickier

Hi peeps,

I've been browsing for a few days but today I finally signed up. Hoping that you can help me with a few questions and appreciate input from those who have gone through similar. I like the site - a beacon of help in a minefield of bureaucracy. Lots of helpful people.

I visited Portland, Oregon for the first time a few weeks ago and really felt at home there. I visited a dear online friend of mine I have known for 1.5 years which progressed into a relationship after he visited London in October.

I am 26 years old and he has just turned 38 so as well as the distance we also have a big age gap. However neither of us sees that as a problem.

I told him I would like to move out there and I don't really have much tying me to the UK (no house, kids, car, big debts etc) My job is quite reasonable but doesn't really pay well considering it's in London and in web development.

As far as I can tell, I have two, maybe three options for getting a visa. The first is getting married. As we have only spent a week together this really isn't an option yet. I never wanted a big wedding though, something as small as possible. So for now I guess we'll just see each other a few times year until we know for sure.

The second option is looking for a job out there, which really would be favourable. The job market in Portland looks good for web developers and I have 4 years experience in the field as well as a degree. If I apply to jobs what should I say? Many of the jobs I have found are contract which most likely would not sponsor a visa. If I can get a job offer what kind of time frame am I looking at to being able to move out there and start work?

The other option which I originally thought may work is asking my workplace to let me work remotely. This would mean applying through the VWP and going home every 3 months. Knowing the way my work is going they may very likely allow this at a reduced salary. However, speaking to people about it most people think it has legal implications and immigration will see it as very fishy. Although I am already starting to plan a long holiday in the Summer to avoid the olympics and if I can work during that time I could stay for a couple of months at least - this would make me so happy.

I honestly feel lost. I know I have a good life in London but I can't help but worry about the long timeframes involved, wanting to be with my partner asap and become obsessed with what feels like an impossible dream

penguinsix

Start here and let us know if you can answer positively to any of the visas listed:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulask...ork_in_the_USA

Absent a university degree, you will have a difficult time getting sponsorship as a web designer with only 4 years of experience. There simply isn't going to be a visa for that sort of work.

Using the VWP "option" as you state has one major flaw: it is illegal. You will be working in the USA without a proper visa and subject to a world of trouble when you get caught. You will also likely be guilty of tax evasion as I doubt you'll be properly filing taxes in the USA if you are illegally working here. So you might as well scratch that off the list to start.

So take a look at the wiki and let us know which one you think might work. We can then give you better advice on the ins and outs of those specific visas.

vickier

Absent a degree? I do have a university degree as stated, or do you mean US degree? This may be fairly futile applying outside the US but I've already found a few companies I'd like to approach so I may give this a shot (H1B visa)

I realise that my last option probably wasn't viable, thanks for confirming it.

Bob

Dont' even considering working in the US while on the VWP, it's not a good idea. Doesn't matter who the employer is, nor where the money is being paid.

As for finding a sponsor for work, well you've probably already read this and figured out your chances are slim to none, unless you have very niche skills.

There are thousands of folks with more experience, masters, etc...all who can work tomorrow without need a visa.

H1B wouldn't be applied for till next April for a start that following October.

Your best bet, apart from marriage, is a company transfer, but again, you'd need 12 months at the company in the very least and you'd either need niche company knowledge or be in management position for them to transfer you.

penguinsix

A university degree is what's needed. Some people just say 'degree' here when in reality it is some sort of 'credential' or vocational license so there is sometimes some confusion.

H1-B is probably what you'll be looking for. You'll probably bang your head against a wall or fall into a pit of a 1000 resumes if you just go out on the net and look for "web design jobs with sponsorship". You should start to look into networking within your industry, college friends, and even the friends of your new 'friend' in Portland. You'll find networking will really make the process far easier, especially given the distances involved. Have you set up a Linked in account? Do you have a website with your portfolio available so folks can take a look?

Here are some more details on the current status of H1-B visas.

Good luck

http://www.lawfirms.com/resources/im...ion-issues.htm

caleyjag

First advice is to have your own website - in your case a really good one. I'm not a web developer but in my case I had my own website highlighting some of my science work. A large US company found it one day, saw I had exactly what they needed, and offered me a job right away, with the visa.

In my experience the trick is to develop a niche area of expertise, that is both important yet unusual. If you just know your way around Dreamweaver, well there are millions of people that can do that. I don't know the ins and outs of web design but I imagine there are a number of complex and subtle areas under the hood that you could focus in on and establish yourself as an expert.

Good luck!

Noorah101

Even if you want to use the VWP to visit the USA (without working in the USA, as that's illegal), you should not attempt back-to-back trips. Typcial rule of thumb is to spend more time outside the USA than inside. So if you come to the USA for 60 days next summer, spend 60+ days outside the USA afterwards, before attempting another VWP trip.

Rene

Duncan Roberts

Web developer is usually a job description that doesn't really have a good definition. What are your skills and what has your experience been in? It may be that you don't have a hope in hell of getting a work sponsored visa but if you have the right skills and experience you may at least have a small shot at one.

lansbury

Web developers are two a penny in Portland. Current unemployment level in Oregon is 9.5%, but Portland will be a bit lower. Most of the web companies are small and I doubt have the ability to pay for your visa and the costs they would incur applying for it. Having said that there are companies like Aha Consulting based in Lake Oswego who specialize in municipal web sites in seven states. They do our city web site. So if you are really good and have something special to offer there are companies who may be interested, but you are up against local people who will not cost the company the time and expense of getting a visa.

vickier

Thanks for all the feedback. I will keep the H1B in mind but it might be better to wait, save up and apply for fiancee visa K1 at a later date.

Merry Christmas :-)

Noorah101

If and when you guys feel ready to marry, make sure you research both the K-1 fiance visa AND the CR-1 spouse immigrant visa.

In the meantime, continue visiting each other, but not making back to back trips to the USA.

Merry Christmas,
Rene

deltadeliquent

Portland is the best city I have ever lived in. HANDS DOWN!
Plus you can't beat Powell's book store.
Good luck!

avanutria

Have you considered expanding your skills through a university program in Portland? It would give you a chance to legally spend time in the US and see if you and your friend develop a relationship and also give you additional training in your field which would be useful whether you stayed in the US or returned home.

In 2004 I went to London for a year long graduate program. During that year I developed a relationship with a British friend (who I knew liked me but I didn't know that until after I accepted a place on the degree program). We ended up marrying just before my visa ran out, and I returned to the UK on a spousal visa, and lived there for several years. Now we live in the US together.

sir_eccles

Portland is nice but I felt it is trying to hard. It's very young and hipster. I thought Seattle is much more mature and settled. If it wasn't for the weather I might have ended up there.

Recommend watching "Portlandia", hilarious and truer to life than you'd think.

lansbury

Portlandia the only city that builds a rail line costing $10,000 a foot or just over $200 million a mile.