Moving to the USA

[Nixx101]

Hi, hope this is the right place to post this. Anyway, my partner has been offered a job in the US, starting in 2yrs time for 1-2yrs all being well. The plan is to move with him, with our 2 children. Would the kids and i be able to move out there with him, i have no job lined up and don't really need to work once out there. Any ideas what visa we would need and what the chances are of us all being granted a visa? Also would us not being married cause problems? TIA

bump

Aren't these the sort of things you're dh's company HR department should be answering/helping with?

Check the US Embassy website for info as a starting place for info:

london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/index.html

Generally speaking you need to be married to get a visa. The only thing that might work in your favour is that you have children, but I know of non-married couples who have had to marry for both of them to go over there. Regarding you working - if your DP gets a J1 (you would need to check this) then if you are married, you can apply for a J2, which will allow you to work (if you jump through a few hoops). If you want to go on your own visa (ie through your own job), that could be more tricky, as the USA tends only to allow specialists to go over on a work visa.
You really need help from the HR department of the company that your DP will work for though. The US visa system is not easy to work with.

Not being married may very well be a problem, depending on the type of Visa your husband is given and his company apply for. A frinend of mine had to get married to her partnerof 14 yrs to ensure they could stay out in Chicago beyond 6 months -

If you don't have an HR dept to ask questions of ( and its a bit early yet to be thinking of these things - although the marriage one clearly needs clarifying soon)then earlybirds link is the best one as ime smaller firms need to be told what needs to be done.

I have just come back after a 2 yr assignemnt with my dh whose company didnt have an expereince really of doing these types of assignment. If you search the living overseas thread there are quite a few posts giving checklists of stuff to think about.
I used to work for a large bank and they had expat sepcialists who would be able to answer these sorts of questions, so that may be a route to take
But it is a bit ealry yet to be getting into the nitty gritty....

However feel free to CAT me if you have any specific questions. (I also used to work in HR so have a lot of extra knowledge outside of my own expat expereince)

apologies for appalling spelling

Partner? You need to be married.

As for visa, it depends on the nature of his job. If it's an intercompay transfer, you would get an L2 visa; of it's skilled worker, you would get an H4.

If you are not married, you will either have to get your own Visa (ie be offered a job in the US and be sponsored by them) or come and go every 3 months on a toursit visa. You HAVE to be married to go on your DP's visa.

What kind of job is it? The HR dept should deal with any visa issues.

sorry for slow reply, he's in the Navy and will working for a civilian company doing the job he already does for the military. The company is relatively new, so hoping they will be more help nearer the time once theyve sorted HR depts out etc. Glad i found out we need to get married though!