LondontoDMV

Hi all,

I've practiced property, planning and contract law in London for a few years.
I qualified as a solicitor 4years ago and my Green Card came through about a year ago.

I've waited so long and spent a bit on it but it now feels like it's come a little late in terms of me having established a career here. I would love to live in the States cos all my family live there and I feel the isolation of not having family close by although finding a life partner is the ideal situation. Is that harder in the US?

I'm open to a career change as I want to make the best of this move. I would appreciate options to consider in terms of career prospects. I'm female, in my late 30s and my first preference is for career options that are profitable in the East coast especially around the DMV.

I look forward to your suggestions.

Thank you.

london_calling

DMV - Department of Motor Vehicles?

You should check out this thread: http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5...ouston-889227/

I made the move myself, temporarily, as a 5 years qualified solicitor. Given all it took to get where you are it would be a shocking move to throw that away. Unless you really hate law, which is a shame in itself.

tom169

Your green card came through a year ago? So you've remained in the USA?

Or did you come back to the UK for a year to carry on practicing law? If so, have you taken precautions to not be seen as abandoning your status?

lansbury

DC, Maryland and Virginia at a guess.

nun

Yes if the OP has had an immigrant visa for a year and has been living in the UK for over 6 months then he green card is in jeopardy....never mind the difficulty of a career change.

I read DMV as DelMarVa

lansbury

You are probably right I was literally just guessing.

ian-mstm

Umm... you have a green card. From the US government's point of view, you already do live in the US. Why aren't you there now?

Ian

Noorah101

OK, so you've been a US PR and have a green card in hand since about January 2016.

"Here" being the USA? Why is it too late to establish a career in the USA?

You have a green card and have been living in the USA for at least a year, if not more...why do you make this sound like it's a thing in the future?

This is confusing. Why are you not having family close by, even though all your family lives in the USA? You guys live in different states? You could move to live closer to them, can't you?

Is what harder in the USA? Living near family? Finding a live partner? You've lived in the USA for more than a year, according to your first few sentences....so you probably already know the answer.

What move? The move to another state? You don't mean from UK to USA, because you already have been a US PR and making the USA your permanent home for at least a year. The career change can be done, for sure....many people do it.

I find your post very confusing.

Rene

Pulaski

I presume you are getting ready to file your US tax return with the IRS in the next few weeks?

LondontoDMV

As per the title of my post - I'm moving from London to the US.

I'm most interested in viable career options to consider as I don't see law as a viable option for me in the US. This is the main point of contention for me which I have to resolve before taking the leap!

MidAtlantic

You need to be much clearer. If you have had a green card for about a year, but are still living in the UK, then you may have some serious issues about entering the US.

It is impossible to even begin to consider career options with no knowledge about your interests, qualifications etc

ian-mstm

You don't get it, do you? You have a green card. The actual title on the card says: Permanent Resident. By definition, it means that you are already permanently residing in the US. You call yourself a lawyer and yet you fail to understand the implication of what you've written.


How on earth can people help you make a career choice when you can't even answer a simple question such as: Why aren't you already living in the US?

If you don't want to answer, that's your choice... but if you aren't going to answer, then your entire thread is simply a waste of time for everyone. No one here knows your education, skills, or experience... and, perhaps most importantly, your interests.

Ian

Rete

While your Header was explicit, your post was not and that is what caused confusion to readers. Being an American who lived her entire life in the Northeast, I've never heard of the Delaware, Maryland, Virginia area called DMV. Like Lansbury, I thought Department of Motor Vehicle So thanks for the bit of levity.

You state that you have a green card and have had it for a year. Do you mind telling us how you obtained that green card and is it a green card or just a visa in your passport? Are you aware that once you have activated the visa by entering and presenting it at the POE in the US, that you are obligated to make the US your principal place of residence in order to keep the status of Permanent Resident valid? After being outside of the US for a year without obtaining a returning resident permit (via I-131), the agent at the POE could deem your residency abandoned and you will be placed before an immigration judge who will make the final decision. Or you could be one of the lucky ones who will sail through the POE without question and be able to set up your home here in the US. You might want to consult with an immigration attorney before re-entering the US.

As for career options, that depends on you, your needs, your desires, your skills, etc. You have a law degree in the UK and practice your chosen field. Being in your 30's is not prohibitive to seeking a new field to pursue as a career. You can return to school and take the required courses needed to take the Bar Association test in whatever state you plan to live in and continue practicing law.

If you don't want to pursue a law career, then what would you like to do? You are entering a new country with a clean slate and can make your life exactly the way you want it to be. Not many people can do that. Enjoy the adventure if you want.

Pulaski

To be clear, if you have not made any concrete steps to relocate to the US (buy/rent a home, buy a car, open a bank account, look for work, etc.), after one year living outside the US, your green card may already be in jeopardy, subject to a ruling from an immigration judge.

I believe I am correct in saying that if you are allowed to enter the US with a "stale" green card you may be required to attend an immigrant court, and will be required to remain in the US until the hearing, or you will be deemed to have abandoned your green card. At an immigration court you will be asked to demonstrate what you have done to move your life to the US, which in your case appears to be "nothing". ..... The court will have no interest in hearing explanations/ excuses as to why you haven't moved your life to the US.