AddyLaddy

I hope we can still achieve it before he graduates HS. My PERM (PD 7/17/12) was approved today for EB-2 category

Next I-140 and then wait for EB-2/ROW to become current again. Do we have a chance?

Mummy in the foothills

EB 2 isn't that an investment visa? How long does GC usually take with this?
If so what happens if your kids get to 21 and you all still haven't got green cards? They'll never have had a job and have to leave the country.
I don't think the US is that great to do that to my kids.

Mummy in the foothills

What visa would you all be on, that can make a difference in funding with college when they get to that age.

AddyLaddy

The EB-2 Green Card is an employment based one for Advanced degree or Exceptional ability.
Until July of this year, the EB2 GC category was current (and had been for many years I believe). It retrogressed to 1/1/2009 in July 2012, but some people believe this will change on Oct 1 2012.

I discussed this with my lawyers before accepting the relocation and they said we 'should' be able to get a GC for me and the family before our eldest hits 21.
I think we're still on track for that, but it would be nice to get him on a GC sooner, if that is his ticket to student loans.

I agree, having one or more of my kids only allowed to visit us on a 90-day tourist visa would be very bad.
But hopefully we'll all get a GC, and then we can apply for dual citizenship in the future, meaning we don't have to bother with Visas or GCs ever again!
My kids would then be allowed to work in both the EU and the USA.

Mummy in the foothills

My Dh got his student loans as a permanent resident with a green card, so hopefully that hasn't changed, we are all dual now it does take the worry out of a lot of things.

lisa67

You're getting confused with an E2 visa

Mummy in the foothills

Thanks, I can't keep all these different ones straight.

darren_uk

I guess I started a good thread with lots of interest and input from all, thanks to one and all. Certainly the whole green card issue would need to be applied for immediately on entry (if poss.), my company is multi-national and do this process all the time, so see no concern. When it comes to uni, I would imagine by then he would want to stay in the US.

Adnams

Might be an idea to post visa Q's in the immigration forum. My OH also works for large multi national and our greencards took 6 years!! Things have speeded up alot since then but dont be tricked into thinking its something that takes a matter of weeks. There are literally 100,000's of people in the greencard line and you have to wait your turn. Dont forget cost of us uni too.

Brat1

We're on an H1-B/H4's. Our GC application has been in since before 2007, in the EB3 category, and obviously, we're still waiting.

When we moved, our kids were 10, 12 and 16. It was not easy at all for the older 2, the youngest was the one that settled in to school the easiest. She had a meeting with the school, to ascertain which grade she should go in to, and she ended up with kids the same age, which I think helped a great deal. She was slotted in to 5th Grade in the Elementary school for the last few months of the school year, and it worked out great for her. Our middle daughter struggled a bit and didn't have a lot of friends for the first couple of months. After that, it seemed to get better, but it all came to a head at the beginning of this year, and the move has obviously had a greater affect on her than any of us realized. I'll not go in to details, but she has had issues. She's on the mend now and has recently started her Sophomore year in High School, and has a large circle of friends, but her grades have suffered terribly and she has a lot to make up this year. I can't help but feel that us, as her parents, are responsible for all this, since the move was our decision, but I'm hoping that we've turned a corner, and she's a good kid, so fingers crossed.

The oldest is a different story. When we attended the High School on our arrival, there was a lot of confusion as to where she should be placed. She had already finished her 4th year exams back home. After a lot of debating by the School Head, he decided to get her exams transcribed in to the US system, and the results several weeks later, came back that she had the equivalent of graduated the school system here She never went to High School here, and on hindsight, that was a big mistake on mine and her fathers part, but she was adamant she did not want to start school here at that point. Instead, we got her in to the local Paul Mitchell School for hairdressing and cosmetology, and she's done exceptionally well there. But her prospects are obviously on hold, as she can't get any work without the GC's, and it has been really tough on her, and still continues to be.

I suppose what I'm saying is, think very carefully. Every kid is different and you know your son better than anyone. I don't regret moving here, we have a decent life for the most part, but now, if I was to do it again with my kids the age they were, I'd have to think very carefully. I think the younger the kids are, the better they settle, that's just my opinion. And in saying all of the above, if you were to ask my middle daughter if she wants to move back to the UK, her answer is a definite NO, which I found quite surprising, so it's swings are roundabouts. If you decide to make the move, try and work out what the timescale would be for you to get your GC's, as the not being able to work does become a nuisance, not so much for the adults, but for the teenagers, who can't get any sort of weekend job, after school job, or anything, and can't start to earn any sort of pocket money for themselves.

Good luck with whatever you choose, and I hope I haven't put you off, because we do enjoy living here, through all the ups and downs

darren_uk

Hey, many thanks for your thoughts and words of wisdom, a very useful dialogue of your families' encounters.

Darren

Brat1

You're welcome, hope it helps you out in some way Darren

clarity1971

Darren, we are in a very similar situation.

My husband was made redundant here in the UK back in March and the only job propsects that we currently have are in the US. We have some savings from redundancy payout but these wont last long and it's getting to the point where we will have to take the first job offered. He has an interview in California next week!

Our kids are 16,16, 13 and 11

We are not too concerned about the younger 2 but are desperatley worried about our twins who have both just started their A levels here in the UK.

One option we have is for my husband to relocate to the States ahead of us (assuming he gets the job) and for me to follow with the kids once the girls complete their first year at College. They should sit exams in May and will at least come away with some AS levels which I believe can be used as some form of credit towards their High School Diploma (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

Another option is for us to leave the girls here to complete their A Levels and then go to a UK university. It breaks my heart to think about splitting up our family but I am equally as scared about screwing up the girls education.

One small crumb of comfort is that we would go over on an 01 visa (employer sponsored extraordinary ability visa) which can then be converted to a greencard fairly easily (so I'm told although I have my doubts) although we would probably have to sponsor this ourselves (EB1), a number of my husbands colleagues have sponsored their own EB1's although not via an 01.

If we do go to America, it will be through neccessity rather than choice!

Sorry for thread hijack!

darren_uk

No problem, I believe this thread certainly was a good first topic on britishexpats.com. I had had multiple options to work overseas, unfortunately, my wife has never been keen (closeness to family, her health & fear of flying). We just had a family holiday in and around NYC, and then she dropped the bombshell saying "I could live here" which is great. But now the school problem!! We moved the older son to a different school 6 months ago which caused some issues and now he has started towards his GCSEs, although he would emigrate tomorrow if he had the choice. My wife has the sensible head as most mothers! As most folks say on the thread, the younger they are, the easier to integrate. I think if we were to simply go now, and of course 'now' would take some time for all necessary arrangements, then I would suspect the easier transition for the older son would to drop back a year in school, but who knows how that would work out.

Good luck to you & family, hope it works out for your husband at his interview. California, there are worst places

clarity1971

Darren, what is the likely time frame for your relocation? If it is not until the spring then would it be better for your eldest to stay on in the UK for a while and complete his GCSE's?

He would then start High School in the US and join kids in their third year.

I have friends who homeschool their children and they also use an online classroom system (not sure what it is call, need to find out) but they have online lessons with lots of other kids, mainly Americans! They have just relocated to America too but it has been a fairly easy transition with regards to schooling.

Do you know what Visa you be going out on?