An appendix to the 'tomato' thread

[kickassangel]

The thread keeps crashing my laptop, so if people don't mind, could you just pop over here & answer some Qs?

How do you apply for the green card? I'm a UK subject, living in US on residency only visa, valid for as long as DH's HB1 visa continues. It would be great if I could start earning, but I managed to read someone say they applied for green card & got it in 8 weeks, then every time i tried going on the thread it froze & I had to reboot the lapotop to even get it to go.

I'd heard that it took at least a year for green cards to come through, and that you had to have a specific skill/lots of money to even bother applying. How true is this? I'm a teacher with 12 years' experience, so fairly employable, but not highly specialised, do I have a hope? Would be so great if I could start thinking about a job. I'm enjoying being a SAHM for now - dd is in morning kindergarten so quite useful, but would love to have some kind of life outside the house.

Many thanks to anyone who reads & responds

The green card takes longer unless you are sponsored as my Ex and I were. I got the work permit part of the Green Card process in 8 weeks. We applied in the April of 2007, you have to have full-blown medicals with blood test for Syphilis (sp??) and HIV loads of shots if you're not up-to-date and then fill in loads of forms. Have biometrics done, all fingerprints and photos and then you wait.

We got confirmation in the June that we'd been approved and then you wait again to see how long it takes. I got my official Green Card in the October of that year.

The best way is to see if you DH's firm will sponsor him for the Green Card since I'm guessing as he's on a HB1 that he's already sponsored. You can email me offline at alisonsmits at gmail dot com.

I'm about to start this process but don't know what it involves. Other than lawyers and $$$

Check what your state requires for teaching - I am a teacher (or was) yet had to retrain in Illinois and CT to become certified. I was too miffed to take classes to do a Masters that would qualify me to the same job I had already done, and done well, for years. Private schools usually have different criteria (i.e. don't require certification) so that may be an easier option.

Good Luck!

I should add, my understanding is that ou need to have been a resident in the US for a certain amount of time before you can apply. And you need to be sponsored by someone? Did I make that up? Ali knows more about this than I do and probably more than most of us since she has been through it recently.

there's a shortage of teachers here, and a friend of mine (who qualified in canada, worked in uk, now living in N Virgia) paid an agency to inspect her degree notes & course, then 'verify' her qualifications. it also appears that round here, you can start doing supply without any qualifications. i was hoping to worm my way in through that route!

i'm kind of interested in doing an MA anyway, so would consider doing that, and can do so with my current visa, i just have to pay full tuition fees !! (ouch)

i also thought you needed a sponsor, so again, i may volunteer at local school & hope they like me enough.

does anyone know if dh getting a card would enable me to work? he's applied for the lottery, i'm not eligible.

We have a teacher shortage here too. I am certified to do supply - you don't need any teaching qualifications to do that, just a degree. I got my qualifications evaluated too but it didn't help. Good luck though!

Don't know about working if DH gets a green card. I think that does make a difference.

thanks for all the replies. sorry i can't get on the 'main' thread, but the whole laptop freezes every time i try (can't complain - laptop seems to have meandered into our house from dh's work &it likes staying here)

i know it can take ages, it's kind of my new year's resolution, to start the process, just want to start the RIGHT process, not apply for one thing to find I'm not eligible.

methinks i need a lawyer, am hoping to be able to apply for jobs by fall 2009.