Has anyone on here Migrated the US permanently

[Grindelwaldswand]

Tried to find an Expats topic board but there isn't one
Me and DP are considering a move to the USA permanently but we don't have any idea where to start, we both work for companies that will transfer us there but apart from that what kind of visa do you apply for and how do you apply for housing from another country ?

There is a Living Overseas board so you might find so useful threads there:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/living_overseas

You might want to go into the living overseas category. Plenty of people in the US there. DH and I lived there for a while. Renting in the USA is really easy. We had H1 visas.

Some not so

Thanks i looked all over and didn't see that board

It took our friend's 12 years to get clearance to work and live in the US. It can be a very long drawn out process. They love their life over there but they do have family and a great support network out there.

We live here in the NYC area. We moved over with our employers but the plan wasn't to stay here forever. DH did it the right way. He came over on an intercompany visa, L1 visa and they have L2 visa's for the spouse.

The L1/L2 visa is known for being one the visa's where it is easier to switch over to a greencard, which is a great place to be at in terms of US immigration. After 5 years with a greencard you can apply for naturalization.

I would suggest you look to do an intercompany transfer with the L1 visa and negotiate upfront when they would support your application for a greencard. Just know that you can't apply for your visa, it is your employer who applies.

Finding housing is easy once you know you are moving over. Get your visa first then worry about something as simple as housing.

Hi my family moved to the US from the UK when I was five and my mother is now an American citizen . Everyone in my family with two exceptions including myself now reside permanently in the US . Finding housing is easier than it is in the UK as you do not need a guarantor for example .

I have worked in southeast Asia for the past decade and my organization is based in Florida so I have also looked at moving back to the states since my mother is now a citizen . In my case getting a new green card might take some time as I am an unmarried woman over 21 years old . I do have a registered incorporation though so would look at getting a visa through that . Since I have a disability and no family in the UK that I can rely on I was offered a chance to be paroled into the US but my work is extremely important to me and had I chosen this route I would not have been able to leave the US until I met with an immigration judge . I do charity work in developing countries so this was not an option I wanted

Ok great response so far
Do the type of visas depend on your qualifications or job status ? Me and DP don't have any major qualifications and our jobs are ordinary "blue collar" jobs would that effect us getting residency ? We want the move to be permanent and we know that if we left our Jobs while we were there for any reason there are other jobs we'd easily be able to do in our line of work

Me and DP don't have any major qualifications and our jobs are ordinary "blue collar" jobs would that effect us getting residency ? We want the move to be permanent and we know that if we left our Jobs while we were there for any reason there are other jobs we'd easily be able to do in our line of work.

Are you absolutely sure your company is able AND willing to transfer you? They have to apply for the visa and bear the costs. L1 is typically used to transfer staff with 'managerial, executive or specialized knowledge'.

Bear in mind that if the principal visa holder leaves their job before you have green cards (and how long this takes depends on many factos, including what you've negotiated with your company), you will need to find a new employer to sponsor your visa, or leave the US. In this scenario, you wouldn't be able to stay on an L1 visa, which is for transfers; as a new-hire, you'd probably be on an H1 visa, which requires degree-level qualifications or 12 years' provable experience.

It's all about the visa. Emigrating to the States is very difficult, because you really have to fit in the right niche to get a working visa and there's a strong emphasis on jobs going to American citizens first (and under Trump that'll probably get stronger). I also found that having degree-level-and-above qualifications was seen as more important professionally than it was in the UK, but I'm sure that varies by field.