Making the move...Well...Trying!
 

**Mods - Sorry if I am posting this in the wrong place**

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen!

Hope everyone is healthy.

I am writing this knowing you have all most likely read a million posts like this, but I must apologise in advance and keep going regardless Haha

I am turning 31 this month, single, no kids, no responsibilities. It has been a lifelong dream to make the move over to the US! I feel like England just doesn't have anything for me anymore, basically I'm not happy and have decided the next year or so I am planning on making the move!

But...It all seems so daunting and confusing to me! I have spent the last few days looking into correct Visas (B-1 I think I need). And how the sponsorships work.

I lack a degree, and I know it employers seem quite heavy on them? Will this be major issue? I have been coaching "soccer" for the last 10 years and was looking down that route maybe.

I'm also not sure if I'll be taken seriously? I am willing to travel over and job hunt in person, would anyone recommend doing this?

Sorry for banging on, my brain resembles mash potatoe right now!

Thanks,
Callum.

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Re: Making the move...Well...Trying!
 

I'm sorry if anything I've asked is blatantly obvious but trust me I've been looking and its just a lot to take in.

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It is difficult to get into the USA as a migrant and has been since just after World War One. Your best bet is marriage to a US citizen.

Lots of material on here. Read, read, read,

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What profession are you in?

Basically, you need to be offered a job where the job qualifies for a visa and the employer is prepared to sponsor you for a visa. Think, IT, finance, engineering, business expertise.

This means you need to be qualified and have skills the US employer needs, and is prepared to spend time and money to get.

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Haha marriage is a no no for me I think!

Yeah im still reading through everything, this was a desperate post I think because I was stressing myself out with all of it, tea break time!

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Sports, I'm a qualified coach. So was looking at that really, I know high school/colleges offer full time employment for this, but I'm guessing it doesn't qualify as a skilled profession?

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https://travel.state.gov/content/tra.../us-visas.html

There is something on here by Pulaski which explains it all. I cannot find it.

Re: Making the move...Well...Trying!
 

Not unless you are in the world class league. ......

Read the following to see if you could qualify some other way:

https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulas...ork_in_the_USA

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There is something on here by Pulaski which explains it all. I cannot find it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks you guys! Really appreciate the help :)

Re: Making the move...Well...Trying!
 

The reason you find it daunting and confusing is that you are coming at it with the assumption that it is possible and you can't find the way to make it happen, when the reality is that it is highly likely that there is no way for you to live and work in the US.

We see probably 6-10 cases a year like yours, here on BE, typically complaining that it is "confusing", of that they "can't find the information", but it is hard to accept that you, like most other people, will never come to the US as anything other than a visitor.

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Yeah you're definitely right there sadly for me!

I will continue to fight the fight and pursue the dream any way possible! haha

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Or apparently not, see post #6 above. ;)

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That made me laugh at least! I'd rather stay in England than have a sham marriage I think! :p

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No-one is or would suggest a sham marriage! Not only is it immoral, it's illegal!

The suggestion would be to find a soul mate who is a USC and marry. Then you could immigrate legitimately.

Coaching soccer is not likely to lead to a visa to live and work in the US. Therefore, your dream is just that, a dream - or possibly a nightmare! As has been explained, you can NOT come over and look for work. You must be offered a job by a company that is prepared to invest thousands of dollars and lots of time, and that's only if you qualify, which it does not appear you do.

There are plenty of other parts of the world that may be easier to get into that may require soccer coaches or even a different part of the UK. The world's a big place, although until the Covid 19 pandemic is under control, no-one's going anywhere!

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Actually seeking work while in the US as a visitor, on the VWP or B-1/2 is permitted, but hypothetically if you find work, you then have to leave the US while your prospective employer coughs up $5k-$10k in visa and legal fees to apply for a visa for you. And the prospect of finding work as a soccer coach who needs visa sponsorship is likely to be extremely slim.

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This part confuses it me. The UK certainly gives you more (in terms of healthcare, paid annual leave, sick leave, welfare, employee rights - google 'at will employment' if you want a real nightmare - parental leave - when the time comes) than you can ever hope to achieve here.

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While it's very unlikely that you will be able to get a visa to live here permanently, I'm surprised no one has mentioned the option of a J1 visa, which might enable you to get here, albeit temporarily, to teach at a soccer camp. There are many soccer camps and soccer schools that employ coaches and they really do value those coming from countries with a much more established soccer culture than they have here. Look into training schools and camps and see what you can find. Of course, right now everything is on hold so you might not be able to do anything until much later in the year at this point.

Just a random google around found a law firm in Florida specialising in visas for athletes and coaches (.Sports Immigration Visa for the USA. How to live and work in the US.). They mention P visas for 'culturally unique' teaching (giving examples of soccer coaches from Spain and Brazil. No idea if that covers UK too). Again though, they are temporary.

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It is OK to feel jaded with your UK life and sometimes a change can bring a whole new pizzazz. Very unlikely you could go and live in the USA . Have you thought about trying for somewhere else for a while. *

OK. What quals and exp do you have for that. If you want a change then think outside the box.
I am thinking that you look around the UK commonwealth countries and other small countries with a view to contacting to see if anyone is interested in you for this.
Years ago MrBEVS , who is an old fogey, was offered to remain in Samoa as a rugby coach . In hindsight we should have stayed for a while.

I mention this as I do know a lad in his 20's currently coaching football in the Caribbean. Not that he is with this but there are also volunteer and internship positions .

CaribbeanCoaching dot org

* Coronavirus and the lock downs will be a factor.

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It was my lifelong dream to move to the USA, and I succeeded, purely out of luck. Back in 2014 I started working for an IT Research firm in London. in 2017 I discovered that there was a (hidden) need for people in my particular field to work out of our USA offices and support our American clients. After doing a lot of research on BritishExpats and other sites, I spoke with some people high up at my company and asked how they could make it happen (and 'sold' my experience to them as to why they should move me overseas). It was about a 9 month process but I managed to make the move to Florida at the beginning of 2018. The company sponsored my L-1B Visa (a visa used exclusively for staff transferring to a US office from overseas) and here I am. The company's immigration attorneys at the time (Fragomen) told me they were pretty confident in being able to apply for a Green Card for me (though the process would not be straightforward, nor quick).

It turns out I might not need that as I'm marrying my American fiancee who I met at the end of 2018. She is the best thing that ever happened to me and we're planning a family (I'm 35, she's 30 this year and it feels like the 'right' time). Most of her family would be thoroughly disappointed if we had children out of wedlock so we've decided to get married in Scotland in July (although with COVID-19 who knows what will happen).

The point I'm making is there is no 'sham' marriage. Because I got out there and made something happen, it started the process without me even knowing what the end result would be. Yes, it takes a bit of luck and a lot of open mindedness, but amazing things can happen if you take a leap of faith.

I will also say that there are a lot of cons to living in the United States. I am sure many people here will back me up in saying it took them a long time to get used to the 'pay for your own health' culture, the 'drive anywhere because nowhere is close' culture, the 'everybody I know has a gun' culture. You might think these are minor issues but they can turn into something very major, very quickly.

Don't let anybody put you off on the forums. Thing are possible but you will need to be incredibly creative (and a bit lucky) to make it happen.

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Actually, not sure what Scot47's post is strictly true. You can seek employment under the VWP. You just can't work. As for excepting employment, you will need a proper work visa and that the prospective employer has to seek for you. So you can interview and if they want you, it is in their ball court to start the visa process for you.

BTW your question is not an issue on this forum. That is one of the reasons why it has been setup. To help those seeking ways to live and work in the US.

I should have read the complete thread. Pulaski said the same thing earlier on.

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100 years of restrictions and it has not sunk in yet ? Getting into the States is not easy !

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor..._United_States

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And yet the UK continues to send a significant number of immigrants to the US every year, and out of all proportion to the relatively small population of the UK.

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.... So many that the UK (excluding NI) are not eligible for a share of the 50,000 green cards a year that are given out in an annual lottery that last I checked only required you to finish high-school or 2 years work experience in certain jobs....