Summerbreeze

Hello, can anyone help with advice on moving to Charlotte, NC. My husband is working along Westinghouse Blvd and we need to find a college for our nineteen year old son (who has just finished his apprenticeship in business and was working in recruitment) I would appreciate any help with regards getting my son back to school so that he can adapt quicker and make new friends. I would also require help on good areas to move into....we have looked at Baxter Village, SC and The Palisades, NC; but we are complete novices to the best locations. We also have a twelve year old English Cocker Spaniel so would prefer a house over an apartment (unless complex has elevators).
Looking forward to your reply.

tom169

Palisades is a nice upper-middle class area. It is target of a decent amount of vehicle breakins due to the nice area and folks not locking their cars.

Pulaski

What sort of visa will you all be on? Bear in mind that your son will "age out" of an L-2 when he reaches 21 and in any case won't be allowed to work on an L-2 visa, even though you can once you get your EAD (employment authorization document).

"Colleges" in the US, and the Charlotte area, are two-a-penny, so it really depends on what qualifications your son already has (and how they translate into "transferable credits" that US colleges will recognize), and what he is interested in doing.

If he is interested in pursuing a bachelors degree then that should be fairly straight forward as US "general education" continues all the way into degree level studies and is one of the reasons why US bachelors degrees take four years. The easiest and cheapest way to get on that track would be via a "community college", which effectively acts like a sixth form college in the UK and will enable your son to accumulate the course credits required to later transfer for just two years to a "full" college that awards bachelor's degrees.

Or if your son is more interested in a trade such as being a plumber, electrician, carpenter, mechanic, barber, etc, then community colleges offer training and exams in those areas too. There are also "private" trade schools that offer things such as airplane mechanic or race car mechanic training, but their fees are higher.

You can do a lot of the research easily on-line of course - different community colleges offer different trade programs, but be aware there is such a thing as "historically black colleges", which may or may not be something that you and your son may have an opinion on.

Summerbreeze

Thanks Tom.....do you know of any other areas that we could look at? Could you offer any help on good estate agents for rental?

Pulaski

Most rentals don't go through an agent - look at web sites such as Zillow, rent.com, padmapper, etc. I know that Zillow is fairly active in the Charlotte area, but other rental web sites come and go, so I am not sure which are currently popular - just try Googling <rent home Charlotte NC> and see what pops up.

Summerbreeze

We have E2 visas (not sure what that means). I think he would be more suited to the community college. Thanks for helping Pulaski.

scrubbedexpat099

Well he can stay on an E2 until he is 21, so a year in Community College, then what?

Pulaski

Like Boiler said, he will age out from an E-2 at the same age (21st birthday) as on an L-2.

Summerbreeze

It all depends on 1) if we like the US. 2) my hubby’s job.

Pulaski

Not sure who you're replying to, but unless your husband's employer puts in a green card application for you all within a few months, at most, of your arrival, your son isn't going to be able to stay in the US after his 21st birthday unless he qualifies independently for a visa of his own, and as a young person with no professional qualifications, that is going to be rather unlikely. He might be able to get an F-1 visa to continue college level studies, but that will only postpone the question of what he does next, for a year or two.

Summerbreeze

Oops. Sorry Pulaski, I was acknowledging Boiler with “then What?”
I know that a green card is being put through so not worried about that....I’m more anxious of getting him into college and meeting people...he has already done a year in engineering so he will most likely go back to that in college.
I really appreciate everyone’s help and advice. Will keep you posted on how its going...Thanks everyone.

Pulaski

To reply to someone specifically, click on the "Quote" button near the bottom right corner of the post. ---->

Summerbreeze

Thank you very much for helping me.

tom169

What's your budget? And same answer as Pulaski - rentals here don't need a realtor (estate agent).

scrubbedexpat099

So you are looking for somewhere temporary to give yourself a chance to look around and decide where to buy? How long is temporary?