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US visa advice please

8 replies

Grapefruity · 19/12/2019 15:17

We are considering a move to the US. Likely to be a two year contract but these things are never certain are they?!
Anyway, my question is if the company sponsors my husband and is willing to organise the visa what are the requirements from our end? ie, is it necessary to prove qualifications for the position or is it enough that the company are sponsoring him?
Also with him having a visa how easy/difficult would it be for me to get a working visa without having a job lined up?

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Cat1nthehat · 19/12/2019 19:26

You need to make sure you get the right type of visa that allows you to work. L1A or B will mean you can work. Others may mean that you can’t.

This is useful
britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulaski%27s_Ways:_How_to_Live_and_Work_in_the_USA

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Grapefruity · 20/12/2019 01:07

Thank you @Cat1nthehat

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scotx · 20/12/2019 02:55

Will he be working for his current employer or a new employer?

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BritWifeinUSA · 20/12/2019 03:03

Is this a job he has seen advertised and decided to apply for without first checking if the company is even willing to spend all the money, go through the hassle and wait up to a year for him to even be able to accept the job? Or is he transferring with his current employer? Transferring with his current employer means you don’t have to do much. The company’s lawyers take care of everything and they know which positions qualify and which don’t so they wouldn’t even approach anyone who had no chance of being able to do it.

If it’s s job he’s seen advertised and decided to apply for, I’m sorry to burst your bubble but the chances of that actually happening are slim at best. Unless he is a very highly qualified or highly skilled person in the arts of sciences, such visas are very difficult to obtain. The H-1B for example is do over-subscribed that only 1 in 4 applicants will get one. If your husband is of the highly skilled group, again you don’t do anything with regard to the visa, the company has to petition for him and they have to demonstrate to the government that there is no suitable candidate in the USA for the job and that’s why they have to bring in someone from overseas. In a country of 350 million or so, that’s a tough one.

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Expressedways · 20/12/2019 03:50

Echoing what’s been said above.
If this is a new job and an H1B visa then IF it happens (and chances are it won’t) then you won’t be able to work.
If it’s his current employer and an L visa then it’s relatively simple on your end. Since you’ve asked I do think DH’s degree certificates were in our binder of paperwork for the application but I can’t exactly remember. Once you’re in the US then you can apply for your work authorisation which takes on average 6 months (maybe less though, mine took 4) and then you can work for the most part without restrictions.

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MonsterKidz · 20/12/2019 03:59

Echoing what others have said. Depends on the type of visa. We moved two years ago on an L visa, company sponsored, they took care of the legal stuff, we had to complete paperwork, provide information, attend the embassy etc. Sthll a lot of leg work on our part but couldn’t have done it without the support of the company.

Oncer resident I could apply for a work visa, took 8 months for me. It has to be renewed every couple of years.

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barmyarmy1 · 21/12/2019 05:18

Getting a visa is much tougher now than ever before. I moved here recently on an L1(b) and my husband is basically guaranteed work on an EAD but this can take up to 8 months to come through. I would not assume that you will be able to work unless you have a similar circumstance. As a transferee things are easier but it still requires a lot of back and forth with lawyers, waiting for appointments, visa interview practice with them etc. his company will pay for this id have thought.
Good luck thought. It's worth it - we are on the west coast and it beats a rainy English winter !

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Grapefruity · 21/12/2019 21:37

It would be with his current employer. They sorted our family visas (initially temporary and now permanent) for our move to a different country relatively straightforwardly and we've been here for 5 years (it was supposed to be a 2 year secondment).
Where we are now is very sunny most days so a move to the states would not be a trade up in weather unfortunately 😅
Thanks everyone. You've been very helpful