Hi,

This is my first post to this board although I have been reading it for many months, so hello to everyone.

I'm a UK male living in Kettering, UK with my American wife of seven years and our three dual nationality children.

We are planning to move to America in around 2 years time to Gilbertsville or Benton in Kentucky.

My recent trades are a computer telephone technical support person and now for the last 18 months as a Web Developer for a major UK computer company. I know the area I'm wanting to move to isn't very hi-tec so may have to find a job in another field which I am not adverse to.

As I understand it my wife needs to sponsor me for an I-130 petition via DCF in London. Do any of you have a link to anywhere that would have a step by step of what needs to be done and in what order, my time scale isn't rigid so can afford to take my time.

I shall be after permanent residency only for myself as my wife and kids as USC's can move there without any issues.

Also on the house issue, I could either rent my house out (I have a short mortgage remaining) or sell and buy a property outright in the US. Any opinions on the best way to go?

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Rjac.

Have a look here for a rundown of the process and also here for information from the US Embassy in London on filing the I-130.

And welcome to the board.

Thank you for the links. Just the sort of information I was looking for.

In the Netherlands we have the DCF process too. There is a forum where you might be able to get some questions answered......

DCF via Holland is different to the UK though...different rules...

Hi !
Flyergirl has given you the links you need, but just wanted to say that I got my visa via the DCF route (London Embassy) last year. If you need any further help, at any time, I'd be glad to try and assist. The process is relatively pain-free compared to some other routes, I think. The instructions contained in the forms are reasonably clear, but occasionally ambiguous, that's where the Immigration/Marriage section here is such a godsend.
Hope all goes well.

So how is sunny Ket'rin? I was born there, then lived in Rothwell and Desborough after I got married, then we moved to Colorado in 2000.

There are lots of computer software & high tech companies here in Colorado, and it's very pretty here - but there must be some reason you want to move to Kentucky right?

Have they still got that ridiculous one-way system going around Montague Street, that once you get on it, you can't get off - or have the council finally come to their senses LOL!

P.S. you don't happen to work for Pegasus do you? My husband used to work there....

P.P.S: RENT, do NOT sell your house. That was the biggest mistake we made - the house in Desborough that we sold for 125,000 pounds, was up for sale for 250,000 pounds 5 years later.... We kicked ourselves until our shins were black & blue over that one

Best wishes,
Paint.

Thank you for the offer, any help will always be appreciated. This board is really friendly and I think it's great that so many people are happy to help others that are just starting out on there plans for a new and hopefully more fullfilling life.

Regards,

Rjac

Oooh, I used to go to Wicksteed Park in Kettering on day trips with the Sunday school when I was little! I actually took my little 3-year old nephew when I was in England last Summer and they still had the same rides (water chute, swan boats on the lake, steam train - that they had when I was a small girl! Back then, all our local parks had slides with 'Wicksteed' lettering cast into all the steps.

Happy memories.

Do, however, take both US and UK tax considerations into account. You can be facing a huge capital gains tax bill if you don't. You can add to that management of a property is difficult when you are so far away. Also, I think the UK property market -- even with the most optimistic outlook -- has topped out, so you really aren't going to be expecting such spectacular gains over the next 5 years.

OK, I'll answer your comments one by one.

Kettering is as exciting as it never was (I actually live in Burton Latimer but most people have never heard of it, so I mention Kettering which is only 3 miles away). If you ever want a little insight into Kettering check out the local papers website at http://www.ketteringtoday.co.uk

Colorado from what I have heard is a very nice place, however our reason for wanting to move to the Marshall County area of Kentucky is because my wife's grandparents, and step father live there together with some slightly more distant relatives and then 5 hours over to Winchester, Kentucky is her father and step mother, aunty, cousins etc and then 5 hours to Oxford, Mississippi is where my wife's close (US) friends live (She was living in Mississippi when we met). I know that the area I want to move isn't exactly hi-tech so job wise would probably either look for a different type of job all together or possible consider working for myself (I will then have better control over vacation time) but I will of course need to look into what's needed as far as work permits etc etc.

Yes the one way system is still in place, a couple of years ago they looked at changing it back but decided that it was better the way it was, especially as they have now extended the area the buses park.

I don't and have never worked at Pegasus but I did go for a job there about 12 - 13 years ago but as it was a financial type role requiring some accounting procedure experience it wasn't really for me.

Rent or sell, this is the hardest thing to decide on. The plus side to selling is that I could pay off the small amount of mortgage I have outstanding and with the money left over I could buy a house the size I would like outright in Kentucky. House prices are in decline here at the moment, for example my house was valued at £135,000 in September 04 but my neighbour who re-mortgaged an identical house just two weeks ago had it valued at £115,000. The negitive side to selling would be that should the need arise it could be quite difficult to get back into the housing market in the UK. I would be moving to the US with my three youngest children but I do have three older children who will still be in the UK. If I sold and then found I just couldn't be away from the eldest children for a prolonged period of time I would have knowhere to move back into. If I was to rent, the rent wouldn't cover the mortgage payments so I would have to subsidise that from whatever employment I get in the US plus I would also be liable for capital gains tax and US takes because it would likely be classed as earning.

Sorry for the rather long reply.

Regards,

Rjac.

I often look in on the Evening Telegraph website to see what's going on. I also like the Northamptonshire website, I download their free calendar wallpaper every month so I have a little bit of 'home' to look at on my computer. It's Geddington Bridge at the moment.

Well, best of luck with your plans,
Paint.

I thought I'd add a suggestion that I found I should have done after moving over to the States (I'm the American wife) I could have become a British citizen and should have. With all the big stresses of moving (we sold our house and it was a very good idea that we did!) I just ran out of time to do this. Its unfortunate, because shall we want to go back and we might very well do this some day....we'd have to apply for a visa for me. If you have the time, why not have your wife do her British citizenship? Whether you're going to stay here, or not (you may find that you don't like it here) then it won't be such a hassle to take your wife back.

Best of luck.

Didn't know that. In Holland it's a two-month process..... Not bad for me just in case.....

Hi,
Just to reassure you, if you get your Immigrant Visa the way you describe, you will become a Permanent Resident (Green Card) when you arrive. Work and travel permission are built-in to that status, so you will not need a work permit beyond your residency permit (Green Card).
If you'll be self-employed, check into what local business license requirements are. In my city, for example, you need a license to do *any* work, even office-only work from your home.

Here's the page on Permanent Residency that explains your rights and responsibilities. Rule of thumb suggestion is to apply for your visa about 6 months before you want to move, but as your USC has been abroad for awhile, pay close attention to "domicile"-- she will need to show some active ties to the US to sponsor you (living arrangements, schools for kids, employment)

http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/PermRes.htm
Now That You Are A Permanent Resident