Discussion » A question about visas and america

This is a read-only copy. The forum ran on iamcal.com from 2000 until its database was lost in 2016, and this topic was rebuilt from copies saved by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Some replies may be missing, and its dates are approximate.
Posted by frankie_DUPE1, around 14th April 2007:
 
A friend of mine is getting married to an American girl.. she's about 1 month away from having a baby (not his) and so can't/won't move here. He's considering moving over there but he's flat broke and apparently you have to wait 4 months before getting a work visa? Also they're not getting married until february (not sure why).
Can anyone offer any advice on moving countries and work visas etc?
Oh and hello everyone *waves*
Posted by Sul_DUPE1, around 14th April 2007:
 
Hold up! I know nothing about visas and america and all that but you've jumped over a hell of alot of juicy detail here. Firstly, howd they meet and who's the father?
Posted by frankie_DUPE1, around 14th April 2007:
 
i shall release info as i get advice.. think of it as an incentive.
Posted by WarHead, around 14th April 2007:
 
Brock might have some info, although he's now based in Canadada.

Don't you have to sell your soul to get into the US these days?
Posted by Brock, around 15th April 2007:
 
Yeah, the whole marrying for a green card thing can be a bit of a minefield.

You have to prove that you have ben having a relationship for a while and all that. The film Green Card isn't all that far off. Also, I think the working delay is correct, too, but I didn't look into that one in too much detail. Most other work visas require sponsorship from a company, and that can take months anyway.

There is lots of really good info on t'internet, to be honest. It took me about 4 hours of trawling when I was looking for mine, but it's all there. Try the US embassy site.
Posted by Sul_DUPE1, around 15th April 2007:
 
Right. Now spillit.
Posted by frankie_DUPE1, around 15th April 2007:
 
hmm. well it's not a dodgy greencard type marriage, hence they're waiting until february..
so sul, he has some friends over there and has known her through them for a while. He went over to visit at christmas, they ended up getting it on, she came over in february and he proposed. The father is apparently not very nice and doesn't want anything to do with the child. This is all the info I could muster during my interrogation. Apologies if it was a little lackluster.

Ta for the info Brock, I was hoping there was something he'd overlooked but it all sounds like a massive ballache
Posted by eatmypiano_DUPE1, around 15th April 2007:
 
Is Brock in Canada? I'm moving there in July.

I found these sites useful but

a) I'm moving to Canada
b) My kids were born here to an English woman and I am the father. This makes life a lot easier.

www.british-expats.com
britishexpats.com
britishexpat.com

Yes, that is like having iamcal, i-am-cal and i_am_cal but they've all got useful info on them.
Posted by Sul_DUPE1, around 15th April 2007:
 
Thanks for the details. I cant help but think there's a more sinister thread to it all though. Can you either dig it out for me or make one up?
Posted by cal_DUPE1, around 15th April 2007:
 
for the US, you usually need an H1B visa. there's a limited out given out each year, and only in october (or thereabouts). there are other visa types, but H1B is the basic working on for brits
Posted by lechrissy, around 16th April 2007:
 
Hey Cal,
Getting an H1B visa in America is hard as hell; student visas and marriage visas are easier. If I'm not mistaken, all slots for new H1Bs were filled in one day. I'm a lez and my ex of seven years was here on a student visa for years and years, draining us of money because we wanted her here and she couldn't get a work visa and we couldn't get married. Canada is much easier, especially if you have a college degree. Even moreso if you have an advanced degree. They are also nicer to the gays (which your friend isn't..just sayin).

I hear the INS is easier on the "white" countries like Britain. My ex came from a Muslim country (Malaysia) which supposedly made things harder.
Posted by ellipse, around 16th April 2007:
 
so cal got his visa because hes not gay?
Posted by scrybl, around 18th April 2007:
 
Cal got his because Yahoo wanted him BAD. ;)
Posted by wtt, around 18th April 2007:
 
The visa problem is really bad in US...
Posted by Grim..., around 18th April 2007:
 
Who's this 'Cal' bloke?
Is he new?
Posted by WarHead, 19th April 2007:
 
Not sure. I think he has a train line named after him. Dog knows why.