Immigration into USA

carlcon

In short, I'm looking to leave Ireland for good and have a fresh start in America.

I'm 23, and for various personal/health reasons, I never finished college and was forced to quit my job.

I'm now over all health issues and looking for a fresh start in the USA. I'm just looking for info on how I can make my stay permanent and get myself whatever work/living visa I'll need to be able to settle down there and work.

There are 2 possible approaches;

1) As above says... an unqualified guy looking to earn a basic living in USA. All possiblt angles accepted.

2) I have a girlfriend living there who would be happy to go down the marriage route if it helped me gain a work visa. I will also be able to live with her and her family, so rent would be low. So any ol' job would do. But again, the issues are still the legalities behind it all and being permitted to work legally.

The marriage would have me living in the Virginia/DC area.

I'm hoping to hear from someone who was in a similar situation and managed to find a job/visa over there.

Thanks for your time,

Carl.

lil_lisa

I've been told by several people, lawyers and friends, that the easiest way to get a work visa in the US (qualified or unqualified) is through marriage. Without this, you can spend months if not years trying to get a visa through sponsorship (for which you must have specific qualifications), the diversity lottery, investments or illegal paths (not advised EVER!).

The job scene is picking up, from how it was last year and the year before. The US is making a slow slow comeback from the recession, but at least it's moving. I would suggest, if you want any hope of getting a job over here and setting up a life, to go through the marriage path.

I've been offered a few jobs over here in the past few weeks but they can't sponsor me so it's a dead end. Marriage may be my only option too :eek:

silja

You can pretty much forget the first option.

Second option (marriage, assuming girlfriend is a US citizen) is your way top go. It will not lead to a work visa, but to a spousal visa (CR-1), with immediate greencard upon entry if you marry before you apply for the visa, or you can do the fiance visa (K1), where you must marry in the states within 90 days of arrival, then adjust status. The process takes 6-8 months from start of filing.

rockonollie

wow you sound such like me......i'm 22, male, never finished college, unskilled and now i'm legally living in the US......PM me and i'll give you any help you want

InTheTrees

I married a yankee.

And yes, its the best route to a green card.

Because your american spouse is merely the "sponsor" that gives you the right to apply for a green card; when you get the green card its not dependent on staying married which is good. We married genuinely for love, but we did get divorced five years later but it didnt affect my GC.

7 years in the USA on the green card and you'll be eligible for a US passport. Careful of dual citizenship though because the US has some unique ideas about taxes and tax collection from its citizens living abroard so if you move back to the old sod you can find them coming after you for tax.

rockonollie

InTheTrees wrote: »

I married a yankee.

And yes, its the best route to a green card.

Because your american spouse is merely the "sponsor" that gives you the right to apply for a green card; when you get the green card its not dependent on staying married which is good. We married genuinely for love, but we did get divorced five years later but it didnt affect my GC.

7 years in the USA on the green card and you'll be eligible for a US passport. Careful of dual citizenship though because the US has some unique ideas about taxes and tax collection from its citizens living abroard so if you move back to the old sod you can find them coming after you for tax.

not 100% certain, but i think that you can apply for citizenship after 5 years if you remain married to a us citizen. Otherwise, ie if you're living in the us on any other visa, it's 7 years.

Rented Mule

Marriage is the easiest route .....if you have been married for more than two years. Since you won't be married that long, you will be subjected to more 'questioning' due to people marrying for green cards.

Your new spouse will also have to show that she is capable of providing for you by submitting her tax records and current pay slips.

You'll also have to go through an 'immigration physical' which runs anywhere from $350-$500.

Then there are the fees for the green card.

The paperwork is a joy to deal with as well, but once you file, you can have things sorted rather quickly provided there are no red flags. I have several friend's who married Irish men and they were sorted in four months after filing going through a local agency. In saying that, it could take up to a year to get things sorted.

rockonollie

filing fee €315
Medical €325
Interview fee €355
Postage €8

Flights €500-€1200

Bottom line........you'd want to be pretty sure that you want to move to the US......the filing, medical and interview fees are non-refundable so if you are refused a visa you are out the best part of a grand.

silja

rockonollie wrote: »

not 100% certain, but i think that you can apply for citizenship after 5 years if you remain married to a us citizen. Otherwise, ie if you're living in the us on any other visa, it's 7 years.

It's actually 5 years for normal greencards, 3 years if continuously married to a USC.

InTheTrees

silja wrote: »

It's actually 5 years for normal greencards, 3 years if continuously married to a USC.

Ah.

I've been in the usa almost 20 years and still havent done it.

Resurgam

After being over in Ireland this past summer, I have to say that I was disturbed by the pessimism of the Irish people in that they feel that they have to leave to get anywhere. There is this ingrained "the grass is greener" emigration mentality and the perception that the standard of living is so much better in the US. I take into account more than just incomes, but that is fast eroding as well. Even today, the average Irishman would be wealthier than us average folk in West Virginia. And that is from cold, hard statistics.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good will towards people from Ireland in the US, so you would be welcomed if you could make it in. I understand that Ireland has had its own financial/economic crisis as of late but things in the USA are looking very bleak looking forward into the next 10 years. The so-called "American Dream" is done and finished. Despite this truth, perhaps you may want to obtain legal residency to work here temporarily. If you find the opportunity, by all means go for it. I've always wanted to have some work experience abroad. Would love to spend a year in Australia or something. But I guarantee that in the long term, life in a dying empire will not be the most attractive option.

lil_lisa

I will say this, for many people, money is not the reason for leaving the country. There's a lot more to it. My old boss used to tell me every day that she would love to give up her current (well-paid) job, move to the Mediterranean and get a small job to live on just for the sun and weather. There are a lot of reasons Irish emigrate and have been emigrating for quite some time.

leinsterrugby

im american citizen(i was born there) and lived there for a good few years and i have to say many irish have a false impression of usa. america is a great place to live in a lot of ways but that is if your a doctor/lawyer or something like that not some unskilled guy like the op is. you'd be better living like a vagrant in the south of europe somewhere if u want better quality of life.

Resurgam

My old boss used to tell me every day that she would love to give up her current (well-paid) job, move to the Mediterranean and get a small job to live on just for the sun and weather. There are a lot of reasons Irish emigrate and have been emigrating for quite some time.

The overwhelming majority of present-day Irish-born seem to cluster in the giant Northeastern metropolises. I know of a lot of people from England who have settled in the American sunbelt for the weather, but none from Ireland.

Sounds to me a lot of times, the Irish want to escape from what they complain as a very claustrophobic society and get away from their families. Fortunately, we have very close-knit communities where I live, but in America as a whole we are beginning to see the real fruits of the extreme end of hyper-individualism. People are finding themselves unemployed then realizing that though they have some relatives, they have no family. No social support systems to fall back on. In a lot of places, society has become very unstable.

lonestargirl

You really can't generalise about immigration into the US, it's an entire continent and everybody's case is unique. In my situation my husband is a doctor, training to be a surgeon, and even though the pay in the US is about half that in Ireland the level of the training and knowing it will only take 5 years (as opposed to 8+ in Ireland) makes the US an attractive option. He has seen, and done, far more procedures that he would have done at this stage in Ireland. I'm a physicist, working in radiation therapy, and I've just started a PhD in the premier cancer centre in the US. I will have access to facilities and co-worker expertise that I could only dream of in Ireland.

Having said that I don't think the US is an attractive option for an unskilled worker, healthcare would be a major worry for me if I was in this situation. Personally, I have access to great healthcare plan and service ($100 deductible, $15 co-pay and 90/10 split of payment) and the baby I'm expecting in January (new US citizen too) will cost me less than going the private healthcare route in Ireland.

We would find it difficult to live on a resident + PhD salary in New York or Boston or California but Houston is very inexpensive and we have a lovely house that is 15 minutes drive to the Texas Medical Centre.

mickeypat

lonestargirl wrote: »

You really can't generalise about immigration into the US, it's an entire continent and everybody's case is unique. In my situation my husband is a doctor, training to be a surgeon, and even though the pay in the US is about half that in Ireland the level of the training and knowing it will only take 5 years (as opposed to 8+ in Ireland) makes the US an attractive option. He has seen, and done, far more procedures that he would have done at this stage in Ireland. I'm a physicist, working in radiation therapy, and I've just started a PhD in the premier cancer centre in the US. I will have access to facilities and co-worker expertise that I could only dream of in Ireland.

Having said that I don't think the US is an attractive option for an unskilled worker, healthcare would be a major worry for me if I was in this situation. Personally, I have access to great healthcare plan and service ($100 deductible, $15 co-pay and 90/10 split of payment) and the baby I'm expecting in January (new US citizen too) will cost me less than going the private healthcare route in Ireland.

We would find it difficult to live on a resident + PhD salary in New York or Boston or California but Houston is very inexpensive and we have a lovely house that is 15 minutes drive to the Texas Medical Centre.

your dead right there i know lots of unskilled and skilled irish lads sittin at home because work {construction} is so slow in all the big cities,skilled/unskilled hispanic workers are only half the price that irish lads are so they are getting hired instead,head to oz lad thats my advice

Jim2007

carlcon wrote: »

I'm 23, and for various personal/health reasons, I never finished college and was forced to quit my job.

Before you commit to such a decision, I would strongly recommend that you take the time to realize the life style you are committing yourself to as an unskilled worker, particularly in the USA:

- The USA has a very strong hire and fire mentality and unskilled workers are first to go

- Health care is strongly related to the job, so loose the job and the health care goes too

- Competition: there are plenty of people from South America willing to do the job for less!

- Look at the average American family where the parents are unskilled and you'll find both parents are working multiple jobs just to keep their heads above water

And it gets worse as you grow older because you are basically still in the same situation, only you are now competing with younger fitter people...

You are far to young for this!!! Take the time to get some qualifications before you go - it will be far easier do this in Ireland that else where.

And when you do go - look to Europe rather than the US - the standard of living is much higher, there are no visa issues, your qualifications are fully recognized and there is plenty of work for those having skills....

Good luck with that,

Jim.

Jim2007

Resurgam wrote: »

After being over in Ireland this past summer, I have to say that I was disturbed by the pessimism of the Irish people in that they feel that they have to leave to get anywhere. There is this ingrained "the grass is greener" emigration mentality and the perception that the standard of living is so much better in the US. I take into account more than just incomes, but that is fast eroding as well. Even today, the average Irishman would be wealthier than us average folk in West Virginia. And that is from cold, hard statistics.

Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of good will towards people from Ireland in the US, so you would be welcomed if you could make it in. I understand that Ireland has had its own financial/economic crisis as of late but things in the USA are looking very bleak looking forward into the next 10 years. The so-called "American Dream" is done and finished. Despite this truth, perhaps you may want to obtain legal residency to work here temporarily. If you find the opportunity, by all means go for it. I've always wanted to have some work experience abroad. Would love to spend a year in Australia or something. But I guarantee that in the long term, life in a dying empire will not be the most attractive option.

Having just come back from holidays in Ireland, I could not agree more with you! People are paying far too much attention to the headlines, rather than looking at the hard statistics! Yes, things are not as good as they were and we will not experience a boom such as we had for a long time, but given that we are in the middle of one of the worst economic down turns in a very long time, the country is not doing too bad!!!

I don't live in the US, but even I know that American Dream is broken and it has been for a long time. I hear it everyday from the Americans I work with, they are simply amazed at the standard of living in Europe. They are quick to point out things like:

- 4 or 5 weeks holidays per year and the fact that you are actually expected to take all of them!

- Sick leave that does not come out of your holidays

- Universal health care and the high standards we have

- Good public schools and low cost University Education

- Long term unemployment benefits and retraining opportunities

And the list goes on....

There is actually plenty of good opportunities for Irish people in Europe, if they'd simply get over their hang up about foreign languages! I was useless at languages in school, but when I was dropped in the middle of it out here, I found that it was not actually so difficult!

Good luck with that,

Jim.

Marylouise10

Any advice would be hugely appreciated! I am completely torn as to what to do, my boyfriend lives illegally in the East Coast and I am in Ireland working in an office living at home with my parents because rent in the city is more than what I get paid a month. I have no children, mortgage or loans but literally spend my money on flights over to see him whenever I am off. I would love to go and live there but I couldn't face being illegal and the visa system is just impossible.
With this potentially new immigration bill there is a chance he will obtain a green card but it will not be in the near future. He could come home but he works in construction and he would have nothing here. He's been there for 3 years now. I'm broken hearted here without him and I know I could pick up work over there if I just up and left here but again, it would be down the illegal route. I adore America and love every minute when I am there. I was in Chicago for three months and New York the year after for three months and cried coming home even before I met my boyfriend.

Totally broke hearted and confused as to what to do. I've flights booked out to see him in August and I'm already upset thinking about the last day saying goodbye to him and America again.
What are my options?? x

rockonollie

Marylouise10 wrote: »

Any advice would be hugely appreciated! I am completely torn as to what to do, my boyfriend lives illegally in the East Coast and I am in Ireland working in an office living at home with my parents because rent in the city is more than what I get paid a month. I have no children, mortgage or loans but literally spend my money on flights over to see him whenever I am off. I would love to go and live there but I couldn't face being illegal and the visa system is just impossible.
With this potentially new immigration bill there is a chance he will obtain a green card but it will not be in the near future. He could come home but he works in construction and he would have nothing here. He's been there for 3 years now. I'm broken hearted here without him and I know I could pick up work over there if I just up and left here but again, it would be down the illegal route. I adore America and love every minute when I am there. I was in Chicago for three months and New York the year after for three months and cried coming home even before I met my boyfriend.

Totally broke hearted and confused as to what to do. I've flights booked out to see him in August and I'm already upset thinking about the last day saying goodbye to him and America again.
What are my options?? x

I understand your pain, my wife and I had to do the long distance thing for a couple of years.

As per board rules, you won't be able to get any advice on entering the US illegally. As for legal immigration, without an immediate relative who is a US citizen or being qualified to do highly skilled work (I don't know if either applies to you) the only real option is the diversity lottery which is, as always, a long shot.

I also wouldn't be holding your breath with the new immigration bill, it passed the senate but is expected to meet much more opposition in the house of representatives.

I'm sorry I can't give you a more positive answer.

Marylouise10

rockonollie wrote: »

I understand your pain, my wife and I had to do the long distance thing for a couple of years.

As per board rules, you won't be able to get any advice on entering the US illegally. As for legal immigration, without an immediate relative who is a US citizen or being qualified to do highly skilled work (I don't know if either applies to you) the only real option is the diversity lottery which is, as always, a long shot.

I also wouldn't be holding your breath with the new immigration bill, it passed the senate but is expected to meet much more opposition in the house of representatives.

I'm sorry I can't give you a more positive answer.

Thank you so much for such a quick response!
It is very tough living separate lives isn't it?
I have a double honors degree in Arts (Sociology and Anthropology) but unfortunately they are not exactly the types of degrees that are favorable in a country wading through an economic downturn. I had started my Masters in Sociology but had to quit because both my parents lost their jobs and i was the only one with a part time job so had to pick up extra shifts.
Its such a tough call. I think you're right with the immigration bill, i cannot see it happening anytime soon.
Maybe i could coax him to come home and try Canada instead. I wonder because he stayed illegally in the U.S would that affect his chances of a working visa in Canada??

rockonollie

Marylouise10 wrote: »

Maybe i could coax him to come home and try Canada instead. I wonder because he stayed illegally in the U.S would that affect his chances of a working visa in Canada??

Unfortunately that's where most illegal immigrants get trapped. Once you've been in the US illegally, it's almost impossible to leave because of the fear of not being able to get back again....especially after you've established a way of life here. And it would most likely effect visa applications everywhere else.

Marylouise10

rockonollie wrote: »

Unfortunately that's where most illegal immigrants get trapped. Once you've been in the US illegally, it's almost impossible to leave because of the fear of not being able to get back again....especially after you've established a way of life here. And it would most likely effect visa applications everywhere else.

Thank you so much for your advice. Looks like he may just have to come home sooner than he thought. I seriously could never live in a country that did not want me there. What a burden to bear. I don't know how those 11 million + illegals are doing it. I suppose the American population is built on people leaving for a better life but, what a risk.

ProudDUB

The Irish make up a very small fraction of the 11 millions illegal aliens in the US. Most of them would be from Central and South America. I worked in the restaurant/catering industry in the US for years, so I got to know a lot of them. The poverty and deprivation that they left behind them is pretty staggering. It is on a whole other scale than anyone who is born in Western Europe would ever have to live through for a year, never mind for their entire lives. Being an illegal alien in the US is not easy, but it's all relative to what you are leaving behind really.

There are also massive, massive Hispanic communities in most US cities, who are willing to help out recent illegals arrivals find jobs, accommodation, transport etc etc. We Irish really don't have that. We may have the odd auntie and uncle in Chicago or Boston, or a local GAA club or an Irish pub full of expats that we can network thru, but it's not the same thing really.

Marylouise10

ProudDUB wrote: »

The Irish make up a very small fraction of the 11 millions illegal aliens in the US. Most of them would be from Central and South America. I worked in the restaurant/catering industry in the US for years, so I got to know a lot of them. The poverty and deprivation that they left behind them is pretty staggering. It is on a whole other scale than anyone who is born in Western Europe would ever have to live through for a year, never mind for their entire lives. Being an illegal alien in the US is not easy, but it's all relative to what you are leaving behind really.

There are also massive, massive Hispanic communities in most US cities, who are willing to help out recent illegals arrivals find jobs, accommodation, transport etc etc. We Irish really don't have that. We may have the odd auntie and uncle in Chicago or Boston, or a local GAA club or an Irish pub full of expats that we can network thru, but it's not the same thing really.

You're exactly right! I have actually found that the Irish community in the states are hugely supportive and are much more connected than even we are here at home. It's fantastic. That is what is so attractive about over there it's a home from home in so many respects. It's literally just the not being able to come home if anyone was ill or if anyone passed away. It's such a huge sacrifice.

Marylouise10

I wrote that response earlier while on my phone on the bus, reading it back i know where you are coming from. We (Irish) go abroad to gain a wider experience of life in a different country, whereas people from the likes of South America emigrate because the standards of living in their country is extremely low. They want a better future for them and their children. I leave stability and security behind for uncertainty and without a green card, a low standard of living compared to where i am now....all for a new experience, not to mention love.

Palmy

I wouldn't even contemplate going illegally.

Yeah your boyfriend or you might be fine now, but that off chance he gets pulled over for a traffic stop that is where he is going to regret everything he has just done.
Some countries just give you a slap on the wrists, fine and ban and will deport you as soon as possible.
In the States they take this very seriously and will put you in an immigration holding camp.(kind of like Jail)I know an Italian guy who was stuck there for 6 months and every time he asked how long he was going to be held they just replied we don't no and you we find out when we do. Not a nice situation to be in plus its going to screw you over if you ever want to emigrate to another country like O.Z o Canada in the future.

swimming in a sea

A lot here seem to go on about Health Care, Americans seem to be obsessed by it, the best investment in health care most of them should make is in a gym membership. They could pay for it with all the money they would save if they stopped eating so much rubbish.

I have a lot of relatives in usa(all legal) I just can't figure why they live in the north east even one of them lives in Alaska, southern California that's where I would be, I was lucky enough to have spent a week there once and it was sweet.

rockonollie

swimming in a sea wrote: »

A lot here seem to go on about Health Care, Americans seem to be obsessed by it, the best investment in health care most of them should make is in a gym membership. They could pay for it with all the money they would save if they stopped eating so much rubbish.

I have a lot of relatives in usa(all legal) I just can't figure why they live in the north east even one of them lives in Alaska, southern California that's where I would be, I was lucky enough to have spent a week there once and it was sweet.

Way to make a crazy generalization about an entire country......you wouldn't last long here if you did move. There's more to the US than the 2 coasts.......there's about 2000 miles there in the middle.

swimming in a sea

rockonollie wrote: »

Way to make a crazy generalization about an entire country......you wouldn't last long here if you did move. There's more to the US than the 2 coasts.......there's about 2000 miles there in the middle.

yes you're right I'm generalising, always like the thought of living in America but getting hassle of border guards and all the hoops you have to go through to get to stay I don't think its worth it.
My new plan is work a few more years(I have a good job) and then move to the south of France. No visa needed.

ProudDUB

swimming in a sea wrote: »

A lot here seem to go on about Health Care, Americans seem to be obsessed by it, the best investment in health care most of them should make is in a gym membership. They could pay for it with all the money they would save if they stopped eating so much rubbish.

I have a lot of relatives in usa(all legal) I just can't figure why they live in the north east even one of them lives in Alaska, southern California that's where I would be, I was lucky enough to have spent a week there once and it was sweet.

What if you are going to do if you get cancer, or you are in a car crash, or you fall down a flight of stairs or you want to do something REALLY adventurous like have a baby? I don't think that flashing your gym membership card is going to be of much help there.

In the US, health care and hospitals are not subsidized by the government to the degree that that they are here, so costs for health care and hospital visits are sky high. It is a business over there, just like any other. A week long stay in a hospital for something as mundane as a broken leg would probably set you back the guts of $50,000 to $100,000. If you have insurance, that's great. If you don't, you will be pursued for it relentlessly, and you can't just tell them to feck off the way that you can here. Medical bills are the reason for 60% of personal bankruptcies in the US. As individual insurance policies are very, very expensive to buy, most people look to getting good health insurance thru their jobs. It can actually be a factor in people deciding to stay in crap jobs. Crazy, I know, but there you go.

Re living in California, it's not for everyone. The cost of living there is very, very high and there are lots of other factors there too. Living there all year around is very, very different to living to visiting for a week long hollier.