Dan_UK

My father has been offered a job in California, he will naturally want to bring his wife, my mother, with him. What he wants is to go there on a green card visa, arranged with the help of the company and become a US citizen.

However, he has concerns over accepting the position as he has a strong relationship with me, his son and my wife and daughter.

He has come to me for advice as to whether or not to accept the job. The only way he would accept is if I will come to US myself and bring my family to be close to them. He believes that he will become a US citizen in 2 years and then as his son I can come over to US and bring my family also.

This is all based on a lot of assumption from my father's part and I don't know if what he's suggesting is possible.

I would like and appreciate as much advice as possible on this subject. I also have some questions:

Is what he's suggesting even possible?

How long would it take for him to become a US citizen after he's started working in US?

Can he bring his son, me, and my family to US after?

Would we be able to work there and become US citizens in due course?

dbj1000

None of that's going to work.

Read this and come back to us when you know more about how he intends to come over here.

Assuming it's on a work visa (L1 or H1) then only his wife can come over.

He won't be a citizen in 2 years. He won't have a Green Card in 2 years, most likely. He can apply to become a citizen FIVE YEARS after he gets his Green Card. He can then sponsor you and your family for Green Cards, at the current time, I believe the waiting time to sponsor an adult child is around 10 years.

Dan_UK

So technically, if he moves to US on a work visa, and say he starts working in US, Silicon Valley, that is, in Spring 2008.

He will not be a US citizen for how long, 7 years?

Then it would take another 10 for him to be able to sponsor me and my family? That's just crazy.

He has a very successful career here and so do I and my wife. This move seems way too much of a headache this way. Certainly something I would not consider.

Even if I would consider working in the same company as my father, even on an L1 visa, this seems like a very difficult, complicated and unfriendly process.

dbj1000

Did you think that America wants skilled worker immigrants? It's happy for you to come over for a few years to help out with their dreadful skills shortage, but they certainly don't want you to stay, and they definitely don't want you brining your dependent family over, even if they're not the least bit dependent.

It took me a while to realize just how unwelcome we are, at the official level, even if the people we meet or work with seem welcoming.

dbj1000

Unless he already works for the same company in the UK in a senior role, and has done for a year or more, we won't be coming over on an L1 visa in Spring 2008.

What visa do you think he's going to come over on? If it's an H1-B, he'll be VERY lucky to be able to start in October 2008... if you call working on an H1-B "lucky".

Dan_UK

To be honest mate, I like living in Britain. Yes, I'd prefer the weather in California and yes it may offer better opportunities for my children if they become US citizens. But this seems like far too much hassle to be worth it.

I just think my father is very optimistic about things. I knew from a few discussions with friends that it's not very easy at all to immigrate to US.

I can't tell you what visa he will be coming on to work in US. I can tell you that the company he works for now, and has been for the last 20+ years, is owned by the same conglomerate. I can also tell you he's at the top of his profession. The position offered to him is nearly twice what he earns here and the company will probably try to arrange things so he starts work in US as soon as possible. From what he said, his wife, my mother, can work there also, so I'm assuming, from what I've read, the visa is a L1.

In either case, I understand clearly what you meant in your second post. My father will read this thread and he should understand things clearer.

Once he gives me a bit more information I'll post up.

fatbrit

Is what he's suggesting even possible?
Yes - except the time lines

How long would it take for him to become a US citizen after he's started working in US?
Around seven or eight years based on current data (though things do change).

Can he bring his son, me, and my family to US after?
Yes -- but around seven or eight years after your father becomes a citizen, or fifteen years after he's started working here based on current data.

Would we be able to work there and become US citizens in due course?
Yes

Alternative for ya: he comes on L1, you come on EB5. Latter costs 0.5M USD.

mayhemuk

Why move completely? Why can't he take this work opportunity as a fantastic option it surely is and come work, live and play in the US for a couple of years?
Your family can come visit for some super holidays aswell. Not just in California but East coast mini break meet ups aswell?

Elvira

Believe me, the weather in CA may be better than in Britain, but at the end of the day it's just.........weather.

I am not sure why you think your children would have more opportunities here. Our sons, who have been here for over 6 years and are now at college can't wait to get back to the UK. The UK is a very vibrant country these days, but offers way more by ways of job protection and benefits if things go wrong. Plus you have the whole of Europe on your dooorstep.

Make sure you do not get sucked into some pipedream...

dbj1000

I think the "more opportunities for the kids" concept is perfectly valid, but probably not in the way Elvira is looking at it.

The great advantage for British kids acquiring US citizenship is the fact that they will be dual citizens. It's not that there's necessarily more opportunity for children brought up here in the US, but you can't really argue that there isn't more opportunity for a dual-citizen child who can choose to live and work either in the US or in the UK and Europe without trouble (barring the whole worldwide tax issue, of course!).

Mallory

Your mum and dad would love California. The weather and scenery are superb. Surely they would be disappointed to lose out on such a great opportunity. Also, you could have great holidays out here. If I were you, I would be grateful for the opportunity for the visits with the parents. Nonstop flights available from CA to UK. I can't see what the problem is.

Elvira

True...........but is it worth the 12 years or so they would have to spend here to acquire said citizenship? For some it may, but I doubt that ours will stay around...

dbj1000

Oh no, it's not worth it at all!

Just sayin'

Dan_UK

Many thanks to you all for your replies.

To answer a few questions:

My father working in US for a few years would not work because he wants to be close to his son and granddaughter. We were discussing it, and it would be very difficult to visit each other even 3 times a year. This would be due to commitments and distance. Going to this from seeing each other twice weekly and my granddaughter spending time with my parents every other weekend would be a painful experience.

Holidays are not expensive in US, with the £ to the $ rate. Since the flight would be the expensive part, that point is not valid. I prefer Florida anyway, or plenty other warm European countries with less flight time and far cheaper flights.

It's difficult to give advice to someone to move thousands of miles away when you love them and would miss them dearly.

Dan_UK

As far as I'm concerned investing $0.5M in a business in US is out of the question for me. While my father could probably raise that capital, I couldn't.

No, the best alternative, as I've already worked in the same company as my father about 7 years ago, would be to look into a position in the same company as him. Difficulty is that I moved away from that nature of technology and I'm pursuing a different career now and have done for the last 8 years. While with some effort, maybe, I could work in US on a L1 visa. In my opinion a L1 visa would be extremely difficult to obtain without serious help from the company.

I think one conclusion is that if we go we both go, and if we go, we both work for the company and come on L1 visa's. In my opinion, possibilities of this are slim to none. I'm just being a realist.