emmajanemac

Looks like we are moving to LA from England, UK in January 2013, my husband will initially be employed on a business Visa as a contractor until October 2013 when he will be sponsored by his company for a H1B.
Until then, can we send our kids to school? Read various things, we will be renting a house, but not have resident status until October so how can i get my kids into school (aged 5 and 4 yrs)...any advice most welcome??!! Thank you

Weeze

Hello and welcome to BE!
Sorry, I'm possibly being silly, but what is a business visa?

MarylandNed

You can't stay as tourists to live in the US and attend school. You need some sort of non-immigrant visa if you're going to do that. What type of visa will your husband have? What will your status and the status of your kids be in the US?

MarylandNed

I'm guessing B1/B2

emmajanemac

sorry ... its a tourist visa, ie B1 (Visitor for business).

sir_eccles

One would hope it's a "B1 in lieu of H1B".

Weeze

I thought you couldn't be a contractor on a B1? (Sorry OP, this is me trying to increase my visa knowledge).

christmasoompa

Isn't B1 in lieu of HB1 for short term stuff? Not sure 9 months counts as short term?!

md95065

Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

I don't know what visa your husband hopes to get in the interim before he (hopefully) gets an H1-B, but you need to be aware that if he is really just admitted for "business" purposes whether under the VWP or, perhaps, a B visa he is not allowed to work while in the US.

While it is possible for your husband to visit the US for business purposes, planning on living there for 9 months with his wife and kids is a really bad idea and could go very badly wrong for all of you.

Also you need to be aware that, if he doesn't already have a B visa he is extremely unlikely to get one for the purposes that you describe.

md95065

Also, trying to use a "B1 in lieu of H1B" to circumvent the wait for the H1B is pretty much doomed to failure because it will be immediately be recognized for what it is - an attempt to do an end run around the system ...

Noorah101

My advice is for you and the kids to stay in the UK until you have your H4 visas in hand. THEN move to the USA and get settled in school and home.

If your husband needs to VISIT the USA before the time he gets his H1B in hand, he MIGHT be able to use a B-1 visa for business visits only. Not to work for 9 months at a stretch. I think that's asking for trouble. Does he already have the B-1 in hand?

Rene

MarylandNed

Rethink your plans. You can't simply move to live in the US as tourists. You will have to wait for H1B (husband) and H4 visas (you and the kids).

Sally Redux

The school will ask for the children's visa information.

sir_eccles

See http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...0&postcount=61 for a first hand experience of B1 in lieu of H1B

GeoffM

All other (more pressing) issues aside, the 4-year old probably won't be old enough to attend school anyway, maybe not even the 5yo depending on the birth date. The cut-off dates are moving backwards over the next few years and our son will be 5 years and 9 months old by the time he starts first grade - though he will be one of the older boys!

There is preschool or kindergarten or whatever it's called but around here not everybody gets that - limited spaces. There's private of course, at a price.