How to go about immigrating from the UK to the USA?

Question

I'm a 19 year old living in London (Earl's Court) and I'm considering whether to immigrate to the USA in about 6 months time, possibly with a view to join the army or marines corps. It seems like the best option would probably be to apply for a H-3b/c permanent residence visa through employer sponsorship but I'm wondering how I would actually travel to the USA and secure a permit to work there in the first place.

Should I go under the visa waiver program (I have an Irish passport) and then submit an application - how difficult would it be to get authorisation to work in the US once I've arrived? Arranging an offer of employment beforehand probably wouldn't be an option for me.

Any advice would be much appreciated. I realise that most Americans are agitated by the volume of immigrants that the USA takes in but please don't just respond by saying something like: "stay where you are, we're full".

Answer 1

H-3B is for foreign qualified trainees who are coming to the US with the specific intent of participating in an established training program.

US based training providers initial the application by petitioning for a visa for the prospective trainee. It's not something you apply for at all, never mind while in the US. You can't adjust your status from an H-3B visa either, so you'd have to return to the UK when the training was finished.

The ways for an individual to come to the US to reside and work are:

1) Marriage to a US citizen and subsequent adjustment of status (K class Visa)

2) Sponsorship by an immediate relative who is a US citizen (IR/CR visa)

3) Sponsorship by an immediate relative who is a Lawful Permanent Resident (IR/CR visa)

4) Internal company transfer from the UK to the US (L1 dual intent visa)

5) Participate and be selected in the Diversity Visa Lottery

6) You own or buy business as a national of a qualifying Treaty country (E2 visa)

7) An investor with at least $1million in assets (EB5 visa)

8) Assist US law enforcement to investigate and prosecute crimes and terrorist activities such as money laundering and organized crime. (S visa)

9) Get a member of Congress to sponsor a private bill with legislation that applies just to you.

Those are also listed in the order of how likely they are to happen.

Edit - An E-B3 visa is a skilled worker visa, and still requires an initial petition from a US employer. This class is complicated further by the fact that the US employer must first demonstrate to the US Department of Labor that no US Citizen is available to perform the job thy are sponsoring you for. As with the H-3B visa above, it's not something you apply for, it's something you have to get a US based employer to start. Even if you went to the US, found a willing employer and they got the ball rolling, you'd have to be back in the UK for the visa interview at the US Embassy in London and to hand over your passport for the visa to be inserted if approved.

It's just not as simple as come over and look for a job when you're here I am afraid.

Answer 2

If you go under the visa waiver program then you can not have your status changed, you need to have a visa for this, you need to apply for a long stay holiday visa at the US embassy in London which is for six months, you also need to prove that you have sufficient funds to stay for that long and also that you have an address to go back to, if you say that you intend to work in the US your long stay visa will be immediately denied.

You could do it this way about five years ago, and when you get here you then could find an employer to take you on and assist you with the lawyers, the employer though still has to prove that they can not find anyone with your skills and has to advertise for this.

The requirements change all the time, but I think now you have to find an employer first and then start the application while you are still in the UK.

I am not sure about the armed forces, but for all government positions you have to be a US citizen.

Good luck!!!

Answer 3

Heres what i  would do get on the chat rooms find some American totty with a name like lindy lou rotten crotch tell her you love her marry her and take it from there!

Answer 4

wow why do so many people want to immigrate here were not exactly in the best time for immigrants with hopes and dreams to come while citizens are having a hard time with it

Answer 5

Well a ressesion was due, our economy was doing grea for last past 5 years,  what goes up must go down (and up again!) we'd love to have you , the more the merrier!

Answer 6

Get a visa and GO!

My advise stay here and get a career in the UK.

Answer 7

You have to be rich or they don't want you.

Just get a tourist visa and get lost in NYC for as long as you can cope, plug the Irish angle while there, they stick together and most Americans believe that they are part Irish.  50% of serious UK emmigrants come back year in and out because the dream is just a dream.  Even if you marry an American it still takes 6 months of filling in forms/grovelling and thousands$$ to go and work there legally, even then you'll have no rights and get paid peanuts.  Go illegal, they can't throw you in jail for long for doing what all of their ancestors did!