charlie86

Hello All,

My partner has been offered a great job with our company based in the states. To begin, it would be a 2 year secondment. We are very excited about the opportunity but I wanted to know my chances of getting a working visa as we are unmarried? My partner is willing to support me until I find work

If this is not possible, is there a non working visa that will allow me to stay in the country? Are there opportunities for voluntary work without a working visa?

Any advice would be gratefully received.

lisa67

Whether you can work or not depends on which visa your husband will be coming over on.

Sorry, just re read your post and you said partner not spouse/ husband.
That puts a completely different slant on it.

Duncan Roberts

You might be able to get a B-2 cohabiting visa but it wouldn't allow you to stay for the full amount of time or work. The only volunteer work you could do without a work authorized visa would be 'proper' volunteer work, for instance working in a soup kitchen, and not something like helping out in your husbands office for free.

If 'partner' means same sex partner then your options become severely limited.

ian-mstm

As the others have noted, whether or not you'll be allowed to work will depend on the visa your partner gets, and whether or not you're married. If you're unmarried, you can try for a B-2 cohabiting visa. It's not a given that you'll get it, but it'll allow you to enter the US and remain while your partner completes his secondment. You will not be allowed to work at all or go to school, but you can volunteer. Oh... you also can't "work for free".

Note: The B-2 cohabiting visa is different from a B-2 visitor visa.

If you're married, your options increase tenfold unless your spouse gets an H-1B visa. In that case, you still won't be allowed to work.

First up though... find out what visa his company is sponsoring.

Ian

Eric S

Untrue. The B-2 cohabitating visa allows the partner to accompany the visa holder during the entire stay. You generally get a stay of 6 months when you first enter, but you can keep extending it.

See here for more info: http://travel.state.gov/visa/laws/te...rams_1414.html

Well, it limits you as far as getting a spousal visa. But same-sex partners are also able to get the B-2 cohabitating visa.

- Eric S.

Duncan Roberts

Right, but it's not guaranteed to be renewed so it's not issued for the entire length of the other visa holders stay. Maybe I should have worded it differently.