jjmb

I am assuming you will be applying for GC's. Once that application is accepted, your daughter will be able to apply for a EAD and if I remember rightly (long time ago now) we applied for our kids EAD at the same time as we applied for the GC. So the sooner you can apply for the GC, the better for her.

Pulaski

Depend on the timescale that the employer agrees to for a green card application, if they agree at all, the daughter could already by at college before green cards are approved. In fact at 16 it is quite possible the daughter could age-out before many employers will commence a green card application.

Munter

Thanks all you've been really helpful

As expected the news didn't go down too well (she likes to be independent!)

We will just have to wait and see how the GC application goes (if at all)

Have a great day all xx

loubiblu

As already mentioned, as an L2 (non-spouse) dependent, your daughter can not apply for an EAD or a SSN. She may run into problems in getting a driving license. You should check the NY DMV to see if they can issue a license without a SSN.

We're in Illinois and fortunately they have a TVDL (temporary visitors driver's license) here that can be issued to non-immigrant residents who have at least a year left on their i-94, but are not eligible for a full license due to no SSN. This was essential for my daughter as in order to graduate in Illinois, you have to pass Driver's Ed and you can't take Driver's Ed without a permit requiring a SSN! Took some investigating by the school to the Secretary of State's Office, but she got her permit, passed Driver's Ed and can convert to a TVDL license in May (under 18s here in Il have to hold a permit for a min of 9 months).

My 19 yr old son has a TVDL without a SSN.

Our GC applications are being prepared at the moment so not being able to work will soon, hopefully, be a thing of the past.

MarylandNed

Yes, it has to be a bona fide volunteer position so, for example, it can't be an unpaid trial for future employment or other compensation and it can't be work that the employer would normally pay someone to do. However, there are organizations that do have bona fide volunteer positions that involve working alongside paid employees. For example, my daughter volunteered at a local animal rescue and rehabilitation group. Much of the work is done by volunteers and student interns but there are also some paid employees - this ensures some stability and continuity while the volunteer positions involve higher turnover of staff. The key thing here is that there is no budget for any more paid employees than they already have so the rest of the work has to be done by volunteers or the organization would cease to operate. So it's not like the volunteers are taking jobs that someone else could do for compensation.

Cook_County

Your daughter could of course work anywhere she likes in Europe, providing local employment law permits employment at age 16.

Pulaski

100/100 for accuracy of the information. .... 1/100 for the usefulness.

NatashaB

I would push your company to find out exactly what their plans are regarding a GC for you all. The lawyers who handled your visa application should have explained exactly what the impact of being on a visa would be for a 16-year old in terms of her ability to work, get a drivers license, work to support herself through college, and potentially remain in the US under her own steam when she turns 21. I would also check that she satisfies the residency requirements to avoid international student fees if she plans on going to college after she graduates high school.

loubiblu

This is excellent advice.

OP, I noted that you mentioned that your daughter 'had to go back to school' and that she wasn't too happy about that. Was she planning further education in the UK before you moved here? A college education in the US is seen as an essential progression. On her current status, she cannot get a job after High School so what is the plan? My 19yr old is going back to the UK this year to take up his uni place. My daughter is keeping her options open, applying to both US colleges and UCAS. We planned for this and negotiated college fees as part of the relocation package. If we didn't have this, it would be much more complicated (and expensive), because of residency requirements, access to student finance etc.

Bob

Considering the OP mentioned working during the holidays, it's a fair comment. Bugger off back to the UK over the summer is an option.

Might not be what they have in mind or be the best one, but it's certainly valid.

Pulaski

Depends if she can get "free" flights back to the UK. It seems improbable that there is much liklihood of a net economic benefit to returning to the UK just for a summer job.

MarylandNed

That depends on various factors e.g. what she earns and if she has family or friends that she can live with. It could be a viable option. The cost of a return flight to the UK could cost less than a week at a summer camp in the US. There doesn't necessarily need to be a net economic benefit. Breaking even (or even taking a net economic loss) could be worth it for the benefit of seeing friends/family and doing something productive over the summer.

petitefrancaise

OP, if your company has agreed to sponsor you for green cards you should jump at it and get it moving asap. The only downside being that your daughter will definitely be an "international" student if she decides to go back to the UK for university. On an L2, I think you can succesfully argue that her "ordinary" residence is the UK since she has a temporary visa for the USA. It does mean she can't work...... although plenty of teenagers do homework support/tutoring and babysitting.

Bob

Moneywise, probably right.

Experience on the CV though, might be worth it, especially with college applications looking for people not sitting on their arses.

Pulaski

Good points, as are MDNed's. I was going off her wanting some independence, and I was assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that bumming airline tickets and squatting with relatives wouldn't really achieve that.