Saru

Hi.

This is a fantastic website, and i'm really happy to have stumbled across it. I'd like to get it out of the way and say that I am a total layman when it comes to migration issues. I'm not clued up at all about the different kinds of Visas required to stay/live/work in the United States , but i'm trying to ammend this by reading through the forum here and the website itself. I've some basic knowledge about H2B Visas and of course the Visa Wavier program, but not all that much else. In the meantime i thought i'd post my situation and ask for any advice or suggestions that you guys might be able to give me. I'd be immensely grateful for a kick in the right direction!

I'm from England, and i've been in a relationship with an American girl for several years now. We've been going back and forth to see each other for 3 months at a time, but as you can imagine, neither of us want to be doing it like this forever. I'll spare you the soppyness, I want to move out to Los Angeles to start a new life, find work there and be closer to her. Marriage is not an option at this point in our lives, so we've started to look into other ways I can potentially get over there on a more permanent basis. It's very daunting and I have absolutely no idea where to start looking. I'm a sound engineer by trade in England, I work at concerts and events and my initial thought was perhaps I could find a music venue in LA that is willing to hire/sponsor me, but I have no clue how realistic something like that is. I've read from various sources that being sponsored will only really happen for you if you have a skill that is in short supply or very specialist (Sciences/Medical etc). Obviously, there is no shortage of sound engineers in LA, being the melting pot of the entertainment industry and all. Besides, if I enter the country under the Visa Waiver program, is it even legal for me to try to do things like that? Everything just seems to create more questions rather than give any answers.

So, if there is any advice you good people can give me I would be most grateful. I am not expecting the truth to be sugar coated at all so please by all means go wild!

Thanks!

tonrob

Your options are:

• Employment-based visa - but you say that you don't think that your services are specialized enough
• Marriage - but you don't want to do that.
• Keep visiting (for as long as it takes before they stop letting you in).
• Do you have enough money and relevent accumen to start a business?

sir_eccles

What are your reasons for not getting married? Re-examine them then change your mind and just do it, it's the easiest solution.

Egon

I'm also going to say marriage - and I suspect I won't be the last.

To put in bluntly, you'll probably find it next to impossible to get a visa sponsor through work (and I say that as someone in a similar industry who knows the same is true of me).

It is a harsh reality, but then the blow is massively softened by the fact marriage will cover that - and most importantly you get to be with your partner.

MarylandNed

I would never advocate getting married simply for immigration purposes but if you are serious about this girl then marriage is a real option that you should consider. Life is too short.

This is probably a long shot but if you or one of your parents was born in an eligible country, you might be able to apply to the visa lottery. The UK (with the exception of Northern Ireland) is not an eligible country.

http://travel.state.gov/pdf/DV_2013_instructions.pdf

The 2013 application process is closed but there will be other lotteries in future years.

caleyjag

I fourth marriage.

On another note, I live in Hollywood and it really isn't all that. It's chock full of young hopefuls stuggling to find any work they can. Broken dreams are common. You're going to have a hard time establishing yourself, unless you already have connections. Without the security of marriage and the associated permission to work in a real job to pay your way while you pursue your dream, you are going to struggle. Living cash-in-hand in Hollywood will be very difficult indeed.

Nutmegger

One word where venues are concerned: union! The wrong guy hauls an amp and it's slow-down time! You would be far better off trying to find work with a UK band that spends a lot of time in the US; though that would not give you any residency rights, it might help you to spend some time in the country.

Bob

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulask...ork_in_the_USA

Check out.

No, you can't work on the VWP, you don't even want to consider it.

Unless you've got some serious experience and have had big line ups, you are unlikely to get a O1 visa...so basically, marriage or study.

Simples.

Good luck and welcome to BE

Chrisdc

If you are willing to branch out from the concert/live world - Hollywood is a pretty huge job market. There are on-set sound mixers, boom ops, post-production audio engineers etc.. etc..

My guess is that the H1b might possibly work if you have someone willing to sponsor you, and have a degree in the subject (or equivalent experience - I think it is three years for every missing year of education, but don't quote me.)
Finding a sponsor is tough, and no-one really wants to spend money on immigration costs for a foreigner when there are plenty of people desperate to get into the industry here.

Unions are a big deal in the entertainment biz - though there are plenty of non-union productions around. The problem is they can be awfully badly paid. Most people work for next to nothing as a PA and work their way up into the job they want. Getting a visa for that approach is beyond tough.


You could start an audio company with an american and then the company could sponsor your H1b.

Don't discount marriage - it solves a lot of problems, fast!

Bob

That is correct, so without any uni under your belt, you would need 12 years of provable, career progressing experience, which is harder to get in industries where companies go under at the drop of a hat and/or are just set up per project for tax reasons.

Isner

No doubt it would be bit a tough !

Englishman43

How are you off finanically ? Why not get a 6 month tourist visa and come over on that.

I acquired one fairly easily ( paperwork, visit to Embassy in London for interview ) once here you can extend it for another 6 months quite easily ( I've also done that - bit more paperwork). That'll give you a year to spend here with your girlfriend to get a real feel for life in this country with her - if you can afford it.

I would absolutely advise against marriage purely for the sake of a greencard.

Noorah101

I agree with not marrying for the sake of a green card...that's illegal. However, if they are on the course to marriage anyway, moving up the wedding date isn't a bad idea, so that they can live together as a married couple on one continent.

However, it's not as easy as you say to get a B-2 visa, if one is eligible to travel on the VWP.

It's also not that easy to get an extension, you have to have solid grounds as to why you cannot leave at the designated time, and why you need to stay longer (from what I can tell, "I want to spend more time with my girlfriend" is not acceptable).

When did you get your B-2 and extension? Was it a long time ago?

Rene

Englishman43

Rene
I got my B-2 about 4-5 years ago and was eligible for a waiver at the time, actually got 2 extensions on it with ease - just explained with paperwork to back it up that I'd not had enough time to see everything I wanted to.

penguinsix

Not sure if the OP is still reading the thread but I'll also say "marriage" is probably your best (and most likely) course of action. Others have explained it pretty well.

One other option, if you have cold feet about marriage at the moment or want it to come more "naturally" is to consider getting some sort of degree over here. Come over on a student visa for a 1-year or 2-year program if you can find one at a university. This means, unfortunately, that you basically have to pay your way for a year without working, but it will get you "in country" for an extended period of time with your girlfriend where you can have more of a day-by-day relationship with her (and the USA). You might discover you don't like one or the other or both, or you may fall totally in love with one or the other, or both and want to take it to the next level.