lsmith20

My partner/father of my unborn son due April works for a company that's clientele base has excelled in the UK and are now moving to Chicago, which is great news for him, but I'm only a 20 year old with a son born around a month after the moving time, I currently only have a BTEC in Film and Television production but I am currently looking to do a degree in midwifery. Now I may have to do that in Chicago, but i'm worried that my BTEC national diploma will not be recognised in America and if it is and I do manage to study is it true i will have to do a BSN to be able to nurse here if i decide its not for me. I got so much pressure as my family are really against me going because they don't think there is anything for me there and I'd be living of my partner which I really don't want to do.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Firstly, you say 'partner', but are you married? You wouldn't be able to go along as a dependent on his visa unless you are. If you are, then what visa will he be on?

lsmith20

He is going on a work visa and i will be going on as his spouse, we are not currently married but if I decide that I want to go with him, We are going to get married.... but I'm not sure how to start my life out there with only a BTEC in Film and Television production when I want to be a midwife and if that becomes an will I have to do a bachelors degree to make sure if I move back I will be able to work here.

christmasoompa

OK, so if you were married you could go with him on his visa (although depending on his visa, you may not be able to work).

If you want to do a nursing degree in the US, then you'll just need to look up courses and find one that is suitable. I don't believe you'll need a special visa to study over there if you are on a H4/L2 etc, but hopefully one of the forum pros will correct me if I'm wrong. The only thing will be if you can afford it, as studying in the US is far from cheap!

Best of luck.

Bob

You're right, study would be allowed, but would be international rates which would be rather pricey.

Also don't know how widespread being a midwife is, it's certainly not as common to find here compared to the UK.

The other problem might be the cost of childcare...

Bluegrass Lass

I'm not familiar with a BTEC, and am unsure what the equivalent would be from a US university. You may want to look into have your degree evaluated at a place like WES http://www.wes.org/. However, a background in Film & Television will have little relevance to a midwife degree. There is not such thing as a midwife degree in the US, as far I'm aware.

You would likely need to pursue a BS or even an Associates Degree in Nursing. And Bob is right, it will cost you a tonne, because you will be considered an international student until you are considered 'resident' in your state. In most states that is generally about a year. However, I guess it's also possible that a university will always consider you an international student, unless you become a Permanent Resident. I'm not entirely sure about this, so you definitely need to ask the university about their policy.

If your (future) husband moves to the US on a H1-B visa, you will come over on an H4. And you will not be allowed to work, full stop. If you pursue a nursing degree, you wouldn't even be able to use it. So think very, very carefully about what you want.

Noorah101

That's not specific enough. We need to know exactly which visa he's going to have. H1B? L1? What you will be allowed to do / not do depends on what visa HE will be on (and as a result, which visa YOU will be on). The spouse of an H1B holder gets an H4 and is not allowed to work in the USA. The spouse of an L1 gets an L2 and will be allowed to work.

It sounds like the timeline is that you plan to marry first, then move with your husband to the USA in March (1 month before your due date in April), correct? He must be getting an L1 visa, then...because an H1B visa is more difficult to get that fast, and has certain dates of admission (unless he has a job that doesn't fall under that cap).

One thought...will you even be able to travel that close to your due date? From what I've heard on these forums, travel isn't even allowed that close to your due date.

I imagine it will be rough for you in the USA, though, even if you're allowed to work. You'll have a newborn baby (and thus will probably need child care). If you want to go to school, you'll be paying international tuition.

Rene

sir_eccles

You suddenly learn a lot when the wife gets pregnant. Lots of Americans go for an ob/gyn but midwives do exist. Further there are different levels of midwife, from basic up to certified nurse midwife (CNM) who can do pretty much anything except cesarean. Sometimes midwives are at a birthing center rather than a hospital setting it all depends. We found a lovely CNM in a hospital setting so it is relatively natural focused but with doctors standing by.

Try finding a national professional body here in the US you can talk to about qualifications.

paulpur

one other thing that no one has mentioned yet, even if you are allowed to fly being so close to your due date, have you considered that you are going to be giving birth in the US, how is your health insurance situation? i only ask as its going to be very expensive having a baby in the US

Bob

Yes, I know that, but I still stand by that they are just not as commonly found or used in the US.

Some states don't even allow them.

lsmith20

I'm having the baby in England then supposed to moving over to him, his current company is arranging it so that his visa will allow me to work, my issue is not with Visa's or marriage or the baby, as I already know that the only way I can travel as of 28 weeks is if i have a written letter from my doctor, and that is only up until 4/5 weeks before my due date and that's when I can't fly.

what my problem is how I can make myself a career out there with only a BTEC national diploma, will it be recognised in the us? .. will I have to study a certain degree in america to be able to work in England if I want to come back or would it be wiser to study here and then join him over there in a few years time after completing my training in the UK?

Childcare won't be an issue in Chicago as my partner works from home, the only reason we have to move is the fact that the company has a lot more opportunity for business in america.

Bob

The baby will need a visa if born in the UK.

If you're getting the L2 based on a company transfer, you need to apply for a EAD before being allowed to work, that can take 90 days to be granted where you can't work in the interim, it also often is only valid for a year at a time and costs a chunk of cash.

The BTEC is worth as much as toilet paper on its own.

IF you have colleges in mind, contact them and ask them what they want, if they want it evaluated then you get it evaluated. Each college is different and will have different requirements, so we can't help you there.

I have no idea what requirements you will need to practice as a midwife in the UK, you've been given leads for forums better suited to finding that info, I suggest you actually check them out.

Also, realise working from home does not mean childcare.....it's bloody hard to do the two together, so even if working from home, the possibility of childcare should be considered and budgeted for, because until they hit 18 months old it can be ridiculously expensive and difficult to find a place without a waiting list in a metropolitan area.

scrubbedexpat099

I was reading a piece I think in the Guardian which suggested that it might not be worth that much in the UK, less than 20% being able to get a job using it.

Noorah101

I know you don't want to discuss the visa aspect of it all. But for the rest of the folks reading this...something doesn't sound right here.

If his company is transferring him to a branch in the USA, but he will work from home, why does he need to be in the USA? Why can't he work from home in the UK, doing what he'd be doing at home in the USA?

Rene

lsmith20

For meetings in the USA etc ... he has been working from the UK for the past year and now the company are only really leaving the marketing side here, The majority of the company is moving to chicago as the head base is already there...... the company now wants to concentrate more on the USA and getting more clients there as its got more of a business oppourtunity..... The reason why discussing a Visa is irrelevant is because the company will sort that, hense why I asked about study cause frankly I was wondering how possible that would be for me considering I have a BTEC, which i'm currently looking into. My point was seeing how hard it would be for me to study and would they recognise my BTEC to be able to go to university there

I was asking for advice, considering in an ideal work I'd rather live in the UK as it will be alot better for me and my son, but I love my partner and want to support him.

All I wanted to know was if it was wiser for me to study here and move over or move over and study there.