Has anyone emmigraed to America?

[lorne]

Have just come back from 2 week holiday in South Carolina, America and really loved it.. Has anyone emigrated to America and how easy it is to be able to do that? Have a sister who lives there, but she hasn't got her green card yet so know it would be easier if she had this. Any information would be much appreciated

TIA

Lorne

[Frizbe]

Mmmm have a friend who married an American and lives over there now, couldn't work for 1st year until got his green card, but not much beyond that info, sorry.
You need Kateandthegirls, but I've not seen her around lately?

[JanH]

US immigration.com .

Lots of bumf. Don't know how useful it is though.

[feebie]

I moved to US in 1990 but I had a job and the required Visa. I "won" my Green Card in one of the many lotteries in the early nineties and became a citizen about 6 years later. I wouldn't advise moving here without the proper visa/paperwork - unless you're independently wealthy !! It would be nearly impossible to get any sort of decent job without the right paperwork, particularly since 9/11 - most companies are very diligent about background checks/eligibility to work etc.

If you have any specific skillls you could do some job searches online, however, before a US company can hire you and arrange a visa, they have to prove that you are more qualified for the job at hand than a US citizen.

It's a great place to live and I love my life here, however.. most companies give very little vacation time, starting off at 10 days per year, it starts to improve after 5 - 10 years!!! That took a lot of getting used to on my part!! On the other hand, most companies are family friendly and allow telecommuting, flexible hours etc. HTH, if you have any questions, post and I'll answer as best I can. I live in NY btw. Good Luck!

[colinsmommy]

Hi lorne. Not to be rude, but have you ever been there in the summertime? The heat and humidity are unbearable, even quite a few of the people who have lived there all their lives don't go out much past 10 am if they don't have to. I lived there for 6 months one year (not by choice, I must admit), and only a few weeks were actually pleasant between the heat, hurricane warnings, often freak hailstorms and fire ants. Not to bring you down or anything, I'm sorry if I did. I guess I'm just inflicting my personal opinion of the place on you.

[lorne]

Hi There,

Thanks for your replies. I know it is probably just a dream and I know there would probaby be lots of negatives but we really did like it. My sister has been out there for over 5 years now and would never come back to this country. Colinsmommy, no I haven't been there in the summer so yes I agree that I don't know about the heat etc but as I said my sister lives there and if she can put up with it then I am sure I can but again I don't know as I haven't been there in high season. We live in a small village so as my sister lives in a small town also I just felt we could settle there no bother. The people were so polite and friendly as well, never mind I will dream!! Thanks again for your replies..

Lorne

[Ameriscot2005]

I have emigrated to the USA twice, but now back in the UK.

The easiest way to move to the US is to marry a US citizen - not a choice that everyone has.

Then there moving there as a student...

Or for work - if you have skills that are highly sought after in the US, and you can find someone to hire you.

Or a work transfer, if your current employer has a facility in the US and you can transfer there either as management or a key worker.

Or as an investor - if you have money to put down to open a business and you employ US citizens.

Your sister cannot sponsor you until she is a US citizen (she can apply 5 years after getting her green card and processing takes about a year), and then you'd have about a 10 year wait to be called up for a visa interview.

Look at the US Embassy website (the visa section, both immigrant and non-immigrant - and then forget about the whole thing. But enjoy your holidays there .

If you like the North American lifestyle, Canada's a bit easier to get into - but you still need to be highly skilled.