Time for a sticky? "I'm not a student or recent graduate but I want to move to US"

athtrasna

This question or variations of it appear on new threads almost every day of the week - I think it's time for a sticky? People don't seem to use the search facility so it's the best way to stop us all from banging our heads off walls at the appearance of each new thread.

silja

You have a point, but I am not sure a sticky would work, as once someone is not a student/ grad, while options are limited, they also differ greatly depending on citizenship/ experience/ family connections/ education etc. So while often, the answer is "forget it...", the variations of it makes me think a sticky may not be very useful. Thoughts from others?

lil_lisa

I can work on the J-1 Superthread to be a visa superthread for all US visas (at least the main ones with links to information on very specific ones). It does make sense to have the information stickied for people but usually people will want to ask for something specific to their case (as we've seen with the J-1 visas).

athtrasna

silja wrote: »

You have a point, but I am not sure a sticky would work, as once someone is not a student/ grad, while options are limited, they also differ greatly depending on citizenship/ experience/ family connections/ education etc. So while often, the answer is "forget it...", the variations of it makes me think a sticky may not be very useful. Thoughts from others?

Surely the variations are still limited? There are only a handful of ways in which a non-student can get a working visa for the US that has residency entitlements?

• Invest $500,000 in an approved business & area
• Work in certain occupations
• Work with a company here that has a US subsidiary/office and transfer
• Be a professional sportsperson
• Have a unique skillset which is in demand in the US but where the US does not have enough qualified people

Some sweeping generalisations there I'm sure and I've probably left stuff out but it's not that long a list?

lil_lisa

If you look at the current J-1 visa sticky, for the 1 visa there is a lot of information.

Keep in mind, most people looking for a J-1 visa seem to bypass this thread and ask questions which could be asked/answered in this thread yet they don't.

If a complete non-immigrant visa thread were to be opened with information on all different types (or at least most popular types) of non-immigrant visas, how many people might skip pass it and continue to open threads based purely on their personal visa case?

We will await more response on this matter and if enough interest is warranted, the J-1 visa sticky will be considered for a non-immigrant visa sticky.

rockonollie

athtrasna wrote: »

Surely the variations are still limited? There are only a handful of ways in which a non-student can get a working visa for the US that has residency entitlements?

• Invest $500,000 in an approved business & area
• Work in certain occupations
• Work with a company here that has a US subsidiary/office and transfer
• Be a professional sportsperson
• Have a unique skillset which is in demand in the US but where the US does not have enough qualified people

Some sweeping generalisations there I'm sure and I've probably left stuff out but it's not that long a list?

Once you add spouse of a citizen, engaged to a citizen, parent of a citizen, child of a citizen, relative of a legal resident...........the list gets much much longer....a sticky would be great, but I agree with Silja, there's just too many different possible situations for it to be effective.

puddles and umbrellas

Apologies for piggybacking onto this thread - may not be the best place to field my query, but just something in your post, rockonollie, caught my eye - specifically the "relative of a legal resident" part.

My brother has lived in the states for the past 2 years - married to a U.S. citizen and has a greencard. I have always intended to follow him over someday (once I get all my education schtuff out of the way of course!). So would it be a lot easier for me to get a visa in the future considering that he lives there already. I also have aunts who live in the US and are full citizens.

Cheers

silja

puddles and umbrellas wrote: »

My brother has lived in the states for the past 2 years - married to a U.S. citizen and has a greencard. I have always intended to follow him over someday (once I get all my education schtuff out of the way of course!). So would it be a lot easier for me to get a visa in the future considering that he lives there already. I also have aunts who live in the US and are full citizens.

Cheers

The aunts can't do anything, but your brother, once a US citizen (three years after marriage to a US citizen he can naturalise), can petition you. It will take about ten years to get a visa, but you are pretty much guaranteed to be approved unless you have overstays or criminal stuff. Greencard holders can only petition for spouses and children.

puddles and umbrellas

silja wrote: »

The aunts can't do anything, but your brother, once a US citizen (three years after marriage to a US citizen he can naturalise), can petition you. It will take about ten years to get a visa, but you are pretty much guaranteed to be approved unless you have overstays or criminal stuff. Greencard holders can only petition for spouses and children.

:cool: Hi Silja! Not sure how to thank your post - so a comment will have to suffice. Thanks for this info - best news I have heard today

Ponster

silja wrote: »

Thoughts from others?

I think that either a sticky would be useful. It wouldn't have to be a sticky dedicated to just this answer but one with general information that we could link to and let people read the generic answers that we usually give.

Something directed at 90% of the posts concerning someone who generally is not married, isn't a recent graduate and who doesn't have sponsorship would help and also avoid possible nasty replies which crop up from time to time.