Move to USA?
 

Hi guys,

I'm a 24 year old male born and residing in the UK. I have an Italian and Iranian passport but no British passport.

I really want to move to California. Or at least work there for a few months/years.

Could anyone please, please advise me on what options I have in getting a working visa, or perhaps immigration to the USA?

Many thanks for your help guys!

Sacha

Re: Move to USA?
 

Read this link: http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulask...ork_in_the_USA

That should get you started. Moving to the USA is a struggle for most people. It helps if you're fabulously wealthy or supremely gifted, otherwise you could be in for a long and frustrating wait.

Re: Move to USA?
 

If you have an Iranian passport, surely you must also have relatives in the real estate business in Beverly Hills who can help you out?

(I jest. But, lacking a bit more background info, it's hard to offer serious comment.)

Re: Move to USA?
 

Do you have a degree, a substantial amount of money, currently work for a company with US offices, wish to study for a degree in the US and have the funds to do so, have immediate family who are US citizens or are you eligible for the for the diversity lottery?

Just a few things I can think of that might open up a route to a visa.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Hi guys!

Many thanks for your replies!

What background information would you like to know?

As for the degree. No. Cash. No. Work for US company. No. Able to study. No. Diversity Lottery. Perhaps, though complicated.

So those are the only ways to work the US as I thought? I have a friend who is staying with her boyfriend in Cali and she said she'd help me get a job as a waiter or chef but I doubt that that's possible (she's currently in Australia with her Cali. boyfriend so she hasn't actually tried getting a job herself yet and I therefore suspect she doesn't know she can't).

Looks like I'll have to go to Canada instead. :(

Re: Move to USA?
 

To get a job, you must find someone willing to sponsor you for an immigrant visa, such as the H-1B. The cost is many $k, and there are strict rules, such as the job must be one that requires a degree, and you must either have a degree or 12 years work experience (or a mixture of 2 years of a degree and 6 years work experience), so therefore, you are not eligible for the H-1B visa.

Also, your friend may have a shock if she planned to move to the US with her boyfriend, if she's in a similar position to you.

Re: Move to USA?
 

From the link above...

....

Could someone elaborate on this?

I'm thinking about opening my own high class Italian pizzeria (I can make pizzas like they make them in Napoli) in the UK sometime in the near future. If I had my own business I can get into the US?

God bless guys!

Re: Move to USA?
 

So basically the answer is, "no".

If you want short term, you should consider studying in the US, not cheap, but if you had a degree or were at uni, it would open internships up for J1's as well as stuff like Bunac/Camp America type programs.

If you're going to start a business in the US, it's E2 visa but you realistically need upwards of $150K in cash.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Come to think of it I remember one of my family members went to the States with a E2 Visa before 9/11. He had a business in the Uk but I'm sure he didn't have £150,000 in cash.

Are you sure it's not £150,000 turnover or something?

Re: Move to USA?
 

No degree, no cash and no funds to study. What makes you think Canada would be any easier?

Re: Move to USA?
 

You'll need funds to start up a business in the US, or start a US franchise of your UK business.

I don't see any way in which you can emigrate to the US any time soon. I'm not too familiar with Canada's visa requirements, however you may be able to go to Canada on the 'working holiday visa' (not sure what it's called now). :)

Re: Move to USA?
 

Worth stating that even if you did qualify for a visa, with an Iranian background you should be prepared to get stuck in administrative processing for some time.

Re: Move to USA?
 

No.

They want you to invest in a business or create a business that'll lead to employing people, 10 plus people. A business that won't go splat with a tin pot turn over.

Considering you'd need money down on premises, equipment, insurance, utilities, medical insurance and all the rest of it and then personally have to have personal set up costs of getting a place to stay, utilities, car, insurance, furniture, etc, etc.

Only way you will find a location where you could do that would be in a shit hole where your business will be even more likely to fail.

Things are very different now than they were 10+ years ago.

Re: Move to USA?
 

If you were born in Britain around 1988-89 with Italian citizen parents exercising European Treaty Rights then you (normally) should also be a British citizen. You can apply to the Home Office for a nationality status certificate to prove it.

HOWEVER - British citizenship/passport won't get you any further in terms of entitlement to live in the United States.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Wow thread got hijacked by weird cheating girlfriend story. Yes women cheat - it is common practise lol.

Yes I am a British citizen but I don't hold a British passport. Don't think you can legally hold three passports anyway so they might ask that I revoke Italian/Iranian citizenship.

As for Canada - I'm pretty sure a UK resident/European national can get a working visa to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. I just wanted to move to California because I feel I am destined to go there.

Alright well looks like I should focus on opening a business. Anyone fancy going 50/50 on an Italian pizzeria takeaway? £25,000 needed. Any location. Wood fired pizzas and pastas. Expected turnover £6-£10,000 a week, 35% food margin. I have the credentials more info on request.

Peace

Re: Move to USA?
 

Just a correction. H1B is a non-immigrant visa.

Rene

Re: Move to USA?
 

Oops, thanks for spotting that. :)

Re: Move to USA?
 

You can hold 3 passports.

Rene

Re: Move to USA?
 

I know little about businesses, but if you're thinking of opening a pizza restaurant in the UK, you'll be up against some big names such as Pizza Hut, Dominos and Pappa Johns. With the economy the way it is, surely it is a huge risk? Also, is £50k enough? If you was referring to opening one in the US, £25k each would be nowhere near enough.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Yeah, there's millions of indie pizza places over here too and it's hard to carve out a niche and compete that a lot just go under, even if they are really good.

The ones locally that seem to survive seem to cater to their heritage/expat community such as the Greeks, Brazilians and Italians and the pizza is just a side thing for everyone else.

They're able to survive because they're got families working in the business and already know the local community that supports them.

All of which the OP won't have and a take out joint just doesn't need to employ 10+ people and the eat in places will have even tighter margins.

Re: Move to USA?
 

I hold 3 citizenships and 3 valid passports. Not only does the US not have the authority to force you to renounce any prior citizenships, it is the other country - not the US - that decides who is or isn't a citizen of their country. US jurisdiction on citizenship stops at the US border.

Ian

Re: Move to USA?
 

Yes, you can get a working holiday visa for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. However in order to move permanently to any of those countries you have to qualify. Not everyone does.

For Australia look at www.immi.gov.au
Canada www.cic.gc.ca
New Zealand www.immigration.govt.nz

Re: Move to USA?
 

This.

Seriously. You need to think outside the box, but I think that you'll find opportunities in Tehrangeles. Use the social/business contacts of your parents and grandparents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehrangeles

Re: Move to USA?
 

Yep, Working Holiday Visa gives you a yr in Canada. You've probably missed out on this years program though, unless you get cracking (i.e. order your police check etc).

The 2013 program opened the other day and the first 1000 visas went within a couple of hours. Another 2000 are being released next week but also expected to go immediately, and then the final batch the week after that.

So you may have to wait until the 2014 program opens.

Still much easier and quicker than moving to the US though.

HTH.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Working on the family contacts though my father is a bit possessive with these contacts and doesn't really want me to succeed so I can't really ask him for help - he kinda wants me to work for him and wouldn't want me to go to Cali. without him as he knows I'd quickly get set up there.

Anyway a family friend owns shopping malls in LA and I lived with his son for some time in the UK at my dad's restaurant but he's not on FaceBook for some reason. Trying to track him down. They're seriously rich Iranian Jews so if I find him I'm sure he can help me out.

As for the business. Yes £50,000 is more than enough - which would include all kitchen equipment, takeaway boxes/packaging, advertisement, required certificates, tiling, interior decor/design and advertising. I can run the place singlehandedly to start with and I would hire a couple of delivery drivers and a pretty cashier when the time comes.

Dominoes, Pizza Hut, Papa Jons and even Pizza Express are no match for me. They sell frozen dough (all of them) and shitty ingredients. I'm talking about real, wood fired, stone based, authentic pizzas that you can only get in a few places in the world hand made from flour, water and fresh yeast daily - at cheaper prices. And I can do it with style, ya' know throwing it in the air and all that. I'm quicker than the world's fastest pizza maker (I've watched him on YouTube) I'm faster than him I can make a pizza quicker.

Don't forget that I will also offer real Italian starters as well as lasagnes, baked pastas, calzones and traditional chicken dishes like Piazzialoa, Crema, etc so not only will I be offering better pizzas, but a whole range of foods the competitors don't offer. Also bare in mind most takeaways that sell pizzas aren't Dominoes, Pizza Hut or Papa Jons, they're the shitty ones that sell dona kabab and frozen pizza. Average takeaways turn over 2000-3000 a week and in my area there at at least 15 so I would be breaking into a market with over £40,000 a week potential.

Anyway let me know if someone is interested. 49/51 to me and I will pay back my £25,000 share with my half of the profits.

Willing to move to your area.

God bless

Re: Move to USA?
 

Yes, but you're failing to see that people don't give a shit. They want big, cheap and fast, especially when they already have coupons for free.

Being a small indie like you propose wont' be enough for you to set up a US venture and transfer yourself. The start up capital is also much to small for an investment visa. It might be enough for you to set up, but that doesn't matter, it won't get a visa and the venture won't be big enough.

The biggest cost in business isn't the ingredients, they're peanuts, it's the liability insurance and medical insurance and if you want booze, the liquor license though that probably depends on location, Boston if you can get a ticket is $250K which compared to some cities is either pretty cheap, or pretty expensive.

Re: Move to USA?
 

People do give a shit. People know more than you think. You are arrogant if you really think the 'masses' don't want quality. They do. They just can't afford it. That's where I step in. Quality, but cheaper than Dominos and Pizza Hut. Those places are EXPENSIVE. Yeah I can't compete with the corner chippy on price, but I still have a big enough market in any UK town or city. Besides this is supposed to be a quality place, not a greasy, corner chippy so the RIGHT price is important - cheaper might actually be counterproductive in my case.

It would be a place you would WANT to collect rather than get delivered because your children insist they want to go see the pizzas made for them and thrown in the air. In winter you'd be warmed by the real wood logs burning in the oven and the smell of fermenting yeast. And in the summer I would make real Italian ice cream daily.

In any case I'm not asking for investment from the US. I meant from people in the UK. Obviously if someone in the US is interested that's fantastic although it would be more money as I would have to relocate there and start up costs could be more (I don't know). But in the UK, yes, £50,000.

Peace

Re: Move to USA?
 

No. People don't give a shit. Some do, but the masses don't, that is why top quality family restaurants fail on a daily basis.

Anyway, you were asking about moving to the US and given ideas of building up in the UK and then doing the same in the US to transfer (L1 -good visa) or investment visa (E2 -not good visa). With that in mind, you've been told that the sums involved just aren't there, nor the scale of the UK venture.

Now if you're just talking about the UK venture as a sole venture, go find a business forum or go to a bank and ask for a small business loan.

Re: Move to USA?
 

I don't know if this is a novelty in the UK, but places like this are a dime a dozen in the US. Back to the drawing board.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Indeed. You can find them even in backwater nowheres of Maine...never mind a tourist trap or big city :/

Re: Move to USA?
 

So where do you guys go for your pizzas then?

Re: Move to USA?
 

At any one of the dozens of locally owned wood fired pizza places. Some of which are certified authentic Neopolitan by the VPN association in Naples. Others that are frequently listed in the top ten pizza in the country. But then again phoenix is overrun with the places. It's like the cup cake thing all over again.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Personally, I'm one of those in the masses who doesn't care if it's a chain pizza, I just want it to taste good to my liking. My first choice is Barro's, second choice is Papa John's. I've tried a few others, including a couple of small independent places, and my own opinion is that their pizza was not as good as Barro's or Papa John's.

To the OP....you would need to set up your business first in the UK, then get enough money to open a branch of the restaurant in the USA, while keeping the UK one up and running. It would be a goal to work towards in the next several years, it won't be happening anytime soon, is my guess.

Rene

Re: Move to USA?
 

I live a few miles from Heathrow Airport. There has been quite a few italian restaurants and take-aways come and go over the last few years. I've ordered from a few of them and some were really good, but ultimately, myself and many of the people I know will always go back to the big names, and these small places will and have gone under.

Also, you're going to find it hard to get someone to put all the money up for a business and then let you pay them back once (or rather if) the business makes a profit. You're more than likely going to need to go to a bank and get a business loan of some sort.

I think realistically if you want to move to the US, you need to make it a long term goal. Study for a degree or start working for a company with US offices and work your way up the ladder, eventually getting a transfer. Think 5-10 years.

Re: Move to USA?
 

+1. As well as Frank Pepe's and Sally's in New Haven -- two of the best in the country.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Sweet so you guys actually go to the top end pizza takeaways then. What are your typical orders? For your family or just yourself?

It's great that there are apparently so many of high quality pizza/pasta takeaways in the US as it shows there is a large market for it. Ideas don't have to be unique to succeed. In fact an established market will make it easier to get investment.

LinkTen, many thanks for your info. From the sounds of it you as well would prefer real pizzas but you fret that they all seem to close as soon as they open. That to me shows that they did not advertise, didn't price right, or didn't make good enough food.

As for getting investment you'd be surprised how many people out there are looking to invest their money in something like this.

Huge thanks for the advice guys! Would love to hear more about your typical spend in a takeaway and whether you order for yourself or for family/friends as well typically.

Noorah I'm sure you'd pick my pizza or cannelloni over Papa Jons!

God bless

Re: Move to USA?
 

Respectfully, your competition isn't going to be Domino's, Pizza Hut, or Papa John's. It's going to be the numerous, small, independent places - exactly the sort that you want to set up - that you're going to have to deal with.


Actually, I hope you avoid my area!


Respectfully, again, we are not here to answer your market research questions.

Ian

Re: Move to USA?
 

I like Papa John's pizzas, I prefer them to "authentic, wood-fired, gourmet" pizzas. I would buy them even if the competition was cheaper, closer, and "more authentic". I rarely ever eat pizza in a sit-down restaurant, if I'm dining out want proper food, not "slob in front of the TV" food (pizzas). :)

Re: Move to USA?
 

ian-mstm. I'm just asking, if you don't want to answer you don't have to. :) You come across as a very rude and bitter person may I add. Why you would want me to 'avoid your area' I don't know but you clearly have some issues or something that I do very much sympathise with. Get that bitterness out of your heart my friend you will be better for it! :)

Pulaski, you haven't tried my pizzas though have you :). As for 'proper food', you can have it - pastas, steak, char-grilled chicken. In any case Pizza Express only serve pizzas and they are a dine out restaurant, and they're packed. But again poor quality and expensive.

I must say you lot are incredibly pessimistic. I'm shocked that the Americans on here were not more supportive - goes against what I have been told about American enthusiasm for businesses. Anyway I know I will succeed with my pizzeria, here, Canada or California. :)

But many thanks again for your advice guys.

God bless.

Re: Move to USA?
 

Do you want people to be sweet and peaches and be a load of bullshit, or do you want actual advice and experience?

Your idea is nothing new. Your investment capital is not enough. Quality restaurants fail daily.

So what realistically are you going to do about it?

You've been offered plenty of advice already. You don't need to sell your ideas to people on BE, we aren't going to be investing and losing the money in it.

Good luck with it.