Discussion
Two ways are practical:
1. Marry an American
2. Become a senior manager in a UK company, work there for at least 3 years then get them to post you to the USA into a role that they couldn't fill locally. Then leave after 7 years.
Anything else is practically impossible unless you have a lot of money or you have a really specialist skill that they don't have there.
In other words it's very hard.
1. Marry an American
2. Become a senior manager in a UK company, work there for at least 3 years then get them to post you to the USA into a role that they couldn't fill locally. Then leave after 7 years.
Anything else is practically impossible unless you have a lot of money or you have a really specialist skill that they don't have there.
In other words it's very hard.
kroegen said:
Hi Guys
How easy is it to immigrate to the USA these days?
Im sure some here have done the move?
Cheers
Without sponsership from a company, very, very hard. It depends on what your job description is, and finding a company over there to take you on. Even marrying an American citizen doesn't get you automatic access.How easy is it to immigrate to the USA these days?
Im sure some here have done the move?
Cheers
ETA: If you're British by birth (Northern Ireland apart) it's very hard without a US empoloyer.
Edited by Saskia7 on Monday 11th August 16:16
siscar said:
Two ways are practical:
1. Marry an American
2. Become a senior manager in a UK company, work there for at least 3 years then get them to post you to the USA into a role that they couldn't fill locally. Then leave after 7 years.
Anything else is practically impossible unless you have a lot of money or you have a really specialist skill that they don't have there.
In other words it's very hard.
More accurately:-1. Marry an American
2. Become a senior manager in a UK company, work there for at least 3 years then get them to post you to the USA into a role that they couldn't fill locally. Then leave after 7 years.
Anything else is practically impossible unless you have a lot of money or you have a really specialist skill that they don't have there.
In other words it's very hard.
1. Marry an American
2. Work for a US company in the Uk in any possiton for at least a year, then get them to post you to the USA into a role that they couldn't fill locally. Then get them to sponsor you into permanent residency.
2a. It helps for 2 if you are a manager, as you can then escape the job certification part of the residency requirements, and saves 6 months. It also helps if you have a degree as you then fall into the '2nd preferential category' for residency, and save a couple of years. Realistically, if you're a manager with a degree, you can probably be a permanaent resident within 2 years of moving over.
jimmyjimjim said:
2. Work for a US company in the Uk in any possiton for at least a year, then get them to post you to the USA into a role that they couldn't fill locally. Then get them to sponsor you into permanent residency.
Only if you want an L1You can do it inside 12 months on an E2 if the company make a $50K 'investment' in the US office.
Mind you, that may have changed now, my E2 was issued almost 9 years ago.
The green card process is getting worse. I have a friend who is a senior VP at a large broker house and his card will take at least 4 years total. I am a manger and mine will take about 5 years. It also really depends on your nationality because a Dutch friend got his in 18 months.
As others have said getting in the country is the real issue you face and the easiest way is on L1 inter company. To get the US government to accept you are the man (or woman) for the job is effectively making them acknowledge that the US is not the geatest at everything. They don't like doing that.
As others have said getting in the country is the real issue you face and the easiest way is on L1 inter company. To get the US government to accept you are the man (or woman) for the job is effectively making them acknowledge that the US is not the geatest at everything. They don't like doing that.
Move to Ireland or Italy. Get citizenship.
Waltz in to the 'States.
Apparently a lot of Americans can trace their descendants to Irish/Italian immigrants and therefore it's very easy to get work visa's, green cars etc. Obviuosly very, very few (if any) Americans can trace their descendants to Great Britain (apparently only a couple of families in Virginia) hence why they don't speak English, none of their towns/cities are named after British ones etc.....
Waltz in to the 'States.
Apparently a lot of Americans can trace their descendants to Irish/Italian immigrants and therefore it's very easy to get work visa's, green cars etc. Obviuosly very, very few (if any) Americans can trace their descendants to Great Britain (apparently only a couple of families in Virginia) hence why they don't speak English, none of their towns/cities are named after British ones etc.....
kroegen said:
Canada sounds like a good suggestion. How hard would it be too get a work visa?
If you have completed two year's college and two-year equivalent degree or diploma, and have held down a job for a few years then you will have enough points (67) to get in. HOWEVER the waiting list for a visa is 2-3 years, so if you want to do it then apply ASAP. There was talk of fast-tracking certain occupations, but I think most of those will be in the public sector.If you then get citizenship of Canada I think there are other ways to get into the US, and I'm sure it would be easier to get a job with a US company while living in Canada.
Edited by g_attrill on Monday 11th August 17:18
Murcielago_Boy said:
How does the situation change for example, if you have a net worth of say, $100M dollars??
And what would be the reasoning employed by US immigration, that would let you in, but wouldn't if you were worth just $10 dollars.... ?
Along these lines....start a business that will employ Americans (Fifteen I think was the number). Some capital investment needed as would starting a business in UK but not close to $100 m.And what would be the reasoning employed by US immigration, that would let you in, but wouldn't if you were worth just $10 dollars.... ?
Edited by Murcielago_Boy on Monday 11th August 17:39
Alternative entry route. Learn Spanish, go to Mexico....
Plotloss said:
jimmyjimjim said:
2. Work for a US company in the Uk in any possiton for at least a year, then get them to post you to the USA into a role that they couldn't fill locally. Then get them to sponsor you into permanent residency.
Only if you want an L1You can do it inside 12 months on an E2 if the company make a $50K 'investment' in the US office.
Mind you, that may have changed now, my E2 was issued almost 9 years ago.
L1-A and B are inter-company visa and the qualification criteria have already been spelled-out by Jimmyjimjim. The only other commonly used work visa that provides a theoretical route to a green card is H1-B, which itself has serious limitations: The beneficiary has to have specific and high-demand skills and in most professions there is a 'cap'. Last year it was 62,000 visas. There were nearly 200,000 applications (mostly from India), so H1-B has become a bit of a lottery. Spouses of H1-B's are not permitted to work, either.
It isn't easy to lawfully gain entry to the US to work. Marrying a USC is the most common route for Limeys.
jeff m said:
Murcielago_Boy said:
How does the situation change for example, if you have a net worth of say, $100M dollars??
And what would be the reasoning employed by US immigration, that would let you in, but wouldn't if you were worth just $10 dollars.... ?
Along these lines....start a business that will employ Americans (Fifteen I think was the number). Some capital investment needed as would starting a business in UK but not close to $100 m.And what would be the reasoning employed by US immigration, that would let you in, but wouldn't if you were worth just $10 dollars.... ?
Edited by Murcielago_Boy on Monday 11th August 17:39
Alternative entry route. Learn Spanish, go to Mexico....
Essentially, you 'buy' a green card with the investment money, which you will most probably lose, as it's invariably poured into urban development for the socially deprived - and then stolen by the people entrusted with managing it.
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