Goodlad

Hi all
Would like your help on things. It looks like I may be offered the chance to transfer within my employer to Texas in USA. The transfer would take place in the form of a L1 visa which my employer has said they would arrange. The position is a mangers position so I think it would be the L1A visa....
I have a few question. I know most things in the USA run with the SSN....would I be given one of these with my L1 visa?
And after how long can one apply for permanent residence in the USA on a L1 visa?
I'm hearing conflicting reports of 2, 3, and even after 5 years....

Also got a question on schools....what is the process in applying for schools in the USA?

Regards

Goodlad

fozzyb

Yes you do get a SSN on an L1 visa. You just go along to the social security office near you about 10 days after arriving in the US, fill in a form, show your passport and a week or so later the card comes through the post. (Or at least that's how it was 10 years ago when I did it - I don't think its changed since).

Its your employer that needs to apply for the greencard, not you yourself. There is nothing to stop them applying the day after you arrive (or even before), but most companies like to wait a while (costs them a lot of money and effort, not worth it if you decide you hate life in the USA, plus it keeps you on the hook as you can't (easily) change employers) . The time for the greencard to be issued can be anything from under a year to many many years depends on your qualifications/ country of birth etc. Of the friends I've known that have got one its seemed to be about 18 months on average.

If you are thinking of staying out there permanently its worth getting it written into your contract that the employer will sponsor your greencard. I was in the situation that I moved to California for a temporary placement (2 years) and had a verbal agreement that it could be extended if I wanted. But at the end of the 2 years my employer wanted me back in the UK and wouldn't give me the option. In hindsight I should have insisted on a greencard clause in the contract but I never thought of it at the time.

Sorry I can't help with schools (my kid was a toddler when we moved out there, and 4 when when we moved back).

Goodlad

Hi thanks got the reply....useful info and great advice...
Still need help on the schools question....my understanding is that L1 visa holder's children are entitled to full time education up to the age of 21...

loubiblu

Where did you hear this? My son will be 18 when we move out to Chicago in January and we couldn't find a public school that would accept him. We're sending him to a private school for the rest of the academic year and then he might choose to go to a community college for a year or travel around as he's applied for uni in the UK with a 2016 deferred entry. We'll have to pay for community college too

Goodlad

May I ask on what grounds did he not get accepted for school in Chicago?
And source of info was the U.S. embassy in London

fozzyb

Yes it certainly is possible to get kids into the schools over there on an L1, I had a colleague went over at the same time as me who had older kids (9 & 11) and he didn't seem to have any problems getting them into a local school. He was the sort of guy that if there had been problems we would have all heard about it, so I think it must have been pretty straightforward.

It did complicate his housing somewhat as they had chosen a particular school they wanted the kids to go to, and that rather restricted their choice of where to live. Close to good schools and low rent are mutually exclusive.

loubiblu

His age - 18. No prob for my other 2 children, they are 16 and 12.

I'm talking about free public school here. It would be final semester of his senior year. Children of L1 (L2 for them) 'age out' at 21.

kodokan

Moved over on L1-A Oct 2011, started GC process around April/ May 2012, GC issued around 8 months later, in mid-Jan 2013. We had GC application in writing; we were moving with a kid of middle school age, and the company entirely agreed it would be unreasonable for us to run out of L visa and have to move him back in the UK at 16-18, given the wholly different education systems.

L2 visa kids are completely entitled to go to public school for free. There might be more ambiguity for post-18 education: I started looking into our local community college for me, to do a couple of courses for fun, but they were very unsure whether an L2 could get in-state, resident tuition costs or not. I found some sections deep in the online-but-internally-aimed CC admin guide about fee structure, that suggested L2 might be in-state in the same way as children of diplomats, but didn't push it in the end as I was well on the way to a GC at that point anyway.

Every state is different, but our schools give places based on your address; you can arrive mid-year at a really popular, full school, and they have to give you a place if you live in boundary. Conversely, if your districts allows open enrollment, you can apply for a place at a popular school that's not your boundary one, but you have to apply for the place each year and might get bumped if the year group gets full with newcomers. We found it easiest to choose the school, draw a boundary map, and say 'we want to live in here'. It does restrict your rental choice, but we didn't care overmuch about a house we'll only be in for a year or so anyway; it didn't have to be perfect.

SanDiegogirl

Don't quite understand what the word "entitled" means in your understanding.

Children here leave High School at age 17/18. They then move on to either community college, university etc. All are "entitled" to do this.

While up to High School there are no fees, once they enter the college world there are certainly fees to pay. Either reasonable fees for community college or higher (sometimes much higher) for full university.

L1 holders have no special benefits.

petitefrancaise

We moved with kids last september to Texas.

L1 visa to GC was done immediately due to eldest daughter nearing college age. We didn't want to risk her being an international student everywhere. We received the GC 3 months after sending in all the paperwork (that took 2/3 months to get everything done!)
Kids going to local schools - just look at the home page for the school you want to go to and they usually have all the info there. NB Bring all immunisation records with you from your GP.

Free education until age 21? I don't think so.... a friend's daughter was 18 when they moved here but hadn't finished high school in her home country - she had one year to go. Their local school was accommodating in the end but it took some persuading. Community college you pay fees for, to get resident rates :
"If you are an international student meeting one of the categories below, you are eligible to obtain Texas residency status if you meet the basic requirements by living in the state for 12 consecutive months and establishing a domicile in Texas prior to enrollment:

Parolee, holder of asylum status or refugee
A student who has applied for adjustment of status to permanent residency (must have received an I-485 notice of action for the green card application)
Holder of a visa that is eligible to domicile in the United States.
High school graduation in Texas after 36 months of residence in the state (see next FAQ)."

loubiblu

Yes, this is what we are encountering in Il. L2 can have an education, but it won't be free 18-21.

ubernathan

Apply for the SSN the day after you arrive -- there's no longer any need to wait N days. It's a vital enabling number and the longer you're without it the harder it is.

RICH

That sounds good. Where did you hear that?

ubernathan

it's what we did visited SS office on day after arrival, received SSN cards about a week later.

the i-94 entry record is available on line pretty much immediately, and the SS office has access to that data.

Oh, you need a postal address, it doesn't need to be your address.

penguinsix

I think the "age 21" figure is based on the fact schools, in some states, can admit some older students who have yet to complete the basic high school diploma by the normal age of 18.

Basically you have until you are 21 years old to complete the education requirement 99% of Americans complete when they are 18. That is 12 years of education leading to a high school diploma. For certain reasons (special needs children, English as a Second Language, hospitalization) some children don't complete all the requirements as quickly as most of their peers, so schools can continue to admit students up until age 21 to complete their high school diploma.

Here are some general bits on the process of enrolling for school:

Education: What do I need to enroll the kids in school? : British Expat Wiki

I should note if you have an older child and university is something you are considering, please note that UK-residence rules require residency for a set number of years prior to the start of university, otherwise you'll be paying quite a bit more. For some expat families, this has meant leaving older children behind "with an aunt" in the UK so they can save money on the fees. Not sure if that is relevant in your case but thought I should mention it.

Finally, a minor linguistic and cultural note: "Entitled" may be considered a dirty word in some parts of the USA and political parties, especially in a place like Texas.

Is 'entitlement' a dirty word? - The Week