Immigration to the US

[Priapus]

Thanks, Bismuth. I will enter the lottery with my SO tonight. I see there are a lot of sites offering it and to be honest, I'd rather just do it directly through the US Government website.

I will also pursue other options on top of the lottery program, such as getting in from my brothers side (When he comes a US citizen) and employment opportunities. I know it will be a few years but if I don't try I will never get in.

I assume its okay to try get in from multiple angles and the US Government won't have an issue about it?

@Segg, Yeah I am not going to bother with lawyers or companies. I'll try it on my own first, thanks!

 

[waynegohl]

Just be careful with the lottery route as there might be a clause saying you must use it within a certain period of time but don't take my word for it but check the fine print out. I seem to remember someone this side saying they had friends or family that went that route and lost out when they got accepted but did not have the means of getting over here.

 

[waynegohl]

It's not cheap to do the paperwork and like some of us have said, you can do it yourself which would save you plenty of money rather then go the lawyer route.

Today I go for an interview and I reckon the only reason they called was I intentionally left out my schooling, work and reference information.

 

[Segg]

Just be careful with the lottery route as there might be a clause saying you must use it within a certain period of time but don't take my word for it but check the fine print out. I seem to remember someone this side saying they had friends or family that went that route and lost out when they got accepted but did not have the means of getting over here.

You have 6 months from Approval at the consulate to enter the US, if that's too little time you must then enter the US, and immediately apply for a reentry permit, this will take about a month before you get called to do finger prints at a local USCIS department (can only be done in the States) after that it takes a couple of months to print the document but you can have it couriered to your SA address (you'll have to have a friend do it) or request that it's dropped off at the local consulate, this will usually give you an additional two years to get your stuff together, but they can range it's validity from anything between 6 months or two years, the trick when dealing with the staff there is just to be calm and accommodating, never ever raise your voice or get irritated

 

[Bismuth]

Thanks, Bismuth. I will enter the lottery with my SO tonight. I see there are a lot of sites offering it and to be honest, I'd rather just do it directly through the US Government website.

I will also pursue other options on top of the lottery program, such as getting in from my brothers side (When he comes a US citizen) and employment opportunities. I know it will be a few years but if I don't try I will never get in.

I assume its okay to try get in from multiple angles and the US Government won't have an issue about it?

@Segg, Yeah I am not going to bother with lawyers or companies. I'll try it on my own first, thanks!

The only site to enter the lottery through is that one I posted, that is directly through the US Department of State, as it is their website, and there is NO cost involved (except, like I said, maybe a photo, you can even do that yourself, and then besides a bit of time and effort, it's free then).

B

 

[waynegohl]

You have 6 months from Approval at the consulate to enter the US, if that's too little time you must then enter the US, and immediately apply for a reentry permit, this will take about a month before you get called to do finger prints at a local USCIS department (can only be done in the States) after that it takes a couple of months to print the document but you can have it couriered to your SA address (you'll have to have a friend do it) or request that it's dropped off at the local consulate, this will usually give you an additional two years to get your stuff together, but they can range it's validity from anything between 6 months or two years, the trick when dealing with the staff there is just to be calm and accommodating, never ever raise your voice or get irritated

Thanks for that headsup, I hope the other people trying to get into the USA via those avenues read your post. The guys and girls at biometrics and the SSN offices are friendly and you can joke with them but as you say, you don't want to push them.

 

[bwana]

Pity we can't sell Citizenship - I'm thinking about renouncing my US citizenship due to their daft tax laws.

 

[Priapus]

The only site to enter the lottery through is that one I posted, that is directly through the US Department of State, as it is their website, and there is NO cost involved (except, like I said, maybe a photo, you can even do that yourself, and then besides a bit of time and effort, it's free then).

B

Thanks, i will only use that site.

You have 6 months from Approval at the consulate to enter the US, if that's too little time you must then enter the US, and immediately apply for a reentry permit, this will take about a month before you get called to do finger prints at a local USCIS department (can only be done in the States) after that it takes a couple of months to print the document but you can have it couriered to your SA address (you'll have to have a friend do it) or request that it's dropped off at the local consulate, this will usually give you an additional two years to get your stuff together, but they can range it's validity from anything between 6 months or two years, the trick when dealing with the staff there is just to be calm and accommodating, never ever raise your voice or get irritated

If I am approved I will make a plan to get there within six month or the given time limit. That is not an impossible task. Thank you for the heads up about the the staff and dealing with them. I will be as polite as humanly possible and keep all frustrations inside.

 

[ponder]

Pity we can't sell Citizenship - I'm thinking about renouncing my US citizenship due to their daft tax laws.

I find the concept of paying tax to a country which you don't live in quite weird. Wonder what their reasoning for it is.

 

[ibrb]

I have researched the various visa options for the US recently so will summarise what I know.

I did not have any relatives living in the USA able to sponsor me and as such I was looking at work-based visas and sponsorship only.

The two most well known avenues are the H1B visa and employer green card sponsorship. A J1 visa is also a possibility for some people. Others may be eligible for specialty visas such as is O Visa(extraordinary skills visa).

Employer green card sponsorship is the slowest and most expensive of the three - however the end result is the permanent right to live and work in the US. Direct green card sponsorship is unlikely (given the costs and time involved) and one would typically first enter on a 3 year h1b visa and then have ones employer petition for a green card.

The h1b is the most well known work permit. This visa is valid for 3 years and is renewable once with some possibility for extension beyond that. The primary problem with this visa is a yearly issuance cap of around 70k new h1b visas. The visa application cycle opens in April and typically fills up within 1 week. Thus one would need a job offer and employer willing to sponsor one in place well before April. Unless one has some unique skill, it can be difficult to find and employer willing to do this for one. The minimum requirement for an h1b is a four year degree or equivalent.
[Universities and not for profit research organisations are exempt from this cap and face lower filing fees - which makes them good candidates]

The J1 visa is typically used for short term exchanges and internships however a J1 category (Research Scholar or Professor) exists which is valid for a maximum of five years. The minimum requirement here is a US bachelors or equivalent (4 years). Visa sponsors for this category are almost exclusively Universities and not for profit research organizations. The advantage for this Visa is that it can be sponsored without any delay and there are no associated issuance fees. This is a non-immigrant visa - therefore entering the Green Card lottery could jeopardise ones chances of having the visa granted as ones entry may be construed as immigrant intent.

My employer gave me the choice between an h1b Visa and a J1 visa. I ended up going with the J1 as it involved less delay and exempts one from FICA taxes in the US for the first couple of years.

All in all, the process was fairly straight forward. If one meets the educational requirements and can find a potential employer the visa is easy to get. And this was for my first real job - so its not that I had any sort of exceptional skills.

 

[cguy]

Pity we can't sell Citizenship - I'm thinking about renouncing my US citizenship due to their daft tax laws.

It is a little disconcerting, but AFAICT it should only affect South Africans residents who earn more than ~$200k (~$100k exemption + ~$100k tax credit), unless I am missing something? (I am assuming there is a tax treaty for what I mentioned)

 

[cguy]

I have researched the various visa options for the US recently so will summarise what I know.

I did not have any relatives living in the USA able to sponsor me and as such I was looking at work-based visas and sponsorship only.

The two most well known avenues are the H1B visa and employer green card sponsorship. A J1 visa is also a possibility for some people. Others may be eligible for specialty visas such as is O Visa(extraordinary skills visa).

Employer green card sponsorship is the slowest and most expensive of the three - however the end result is the permanent right to live and work in the US. Direct green card sponsorship is unlikely (given the costs and time involved) and one would typically first enter on a 3 year h1b visa and then have ones employer petition for a green card.

The h1b is the most well known work permit. This visa is valid for 3 years and is renewable once with some possibility for extension beyond that. The primary problem with this visa is a yearly issuance cap of around 70k new h1b visas. The visa application cycle opens in April and typically fills up within 1 week. Thus one would need a job offer and employer willing to sponsor one in place well before April. Unless one has some unique skill, it can be difficult to find and employer willing to do this for one. The minimum requirement for an h1b is a four year degree or equivalent.
[Universities and not for profit research organisations are exempt from this cap and face lower filing fees - which makes them good candidates]

The J1 visa is typically used for short term exchanges and internships however a J1 category (Research Scholar or Professor) exists which is valid for a maximum of five years. The minimum requirement here is a US bachelors or equivalent (4 years). Visa sponsors for this category are almost exclusively Universities and not for profit research organizations. The advantage for this Visa is that it can be sponsored without any delay and there are no associated issuance fees. This is a non-immigrant visa - therefore entering the Green Card lottery could jeopardise ones chances of having the visa granted as ones entry may be construed as immigrant intent.

My employer gave me the choice between an h1b Visa and a J1 visa. I ended up going with the J1 as it involved less delay and exempts one from FICA taxes in the US for the first couple of years.

All in all, the process was fairly straight forward. If one meets the educational requirements and can find a potential employer the visa is easy to get. And this was for my first real job - so its not that I had any sort of exceptional skills.

Good info. One bit of additional info is that H1B allocations are prioritized based on educational/experience category. There are 3 categories and the unused allocations in the higher categories fall through to the lower categories if you have a post-grad degree you can apply to higher categories. Also for H1B purposes, they also treat 3 years exp as 1 year of education, so you can apply if you have no degree and 12+ years of well documented (very tricky for self employed/contractors), or a 3 year degree and 3+ years exp. Also if you have a degree and 6+ years exp, you can apply in a higher category.

 

[Priapus]

Thanks for the information much appreciated. I don't have an exceptional skills nor do I have a degree of any kind. So I guess a H1B or J1 visa are not an option for me?

 

[HavocXphere]

Thanks for the information much appreciated. I don't have an exceptional skills nor do I have a degree of any kind. So I guess a H1B or J1 visa are not an option for me?

And your partner? Does she/he have a degree?

Generally these applications are made with whoever has the stronger case - though lack of marriage can make that tricky.

 

[Priapus]

Unfortunately not. She doesn't have a degree. Also we are not married. So I guess this is going to be extra tough / impossible?

 

[Rickster]

Trucky-Trailer

 

[HavocXphere]

Unfortunately not. She doesn't have a degree. Also we are not married. So I guess this is going to be extra tough / impossible?

I wouldn't say impossible but probably long range. As per info above lots of experience seems like a viable option too - or you could try and do a degree via part time study whilst scoring experience too.

Also have a look at the Canada website equivalent...they've got a points calculator there (for their immigration). Won't help directly but its interesting to see what is valued how much.

 

[Segg]

Unfortunately not. She doesn't have a degree. Also we are not married. So I guess this is going to be extra tough / impossible?

I'd arrange a marriage, even if it's just on paper in the court, I don't think they issue immigration visas to common law couples, they'd probably require you to apply separately, however if I recall on the forms there is a section to describe the relationship between applicants...

Go check the forms you need to fill in to make sure

 

[ponder]

I'd arrange a marriage, even if it's just on paper in the court,

That's what was reccommend to me during the interview, they told me if I wanted someone to come along that you should get married before you sign the contract and they start the paperwork going.

 

[waynegohl]

Oh yes, arranged marriages can be organized and I think the price i heard was like $20 000. Not sure on your ages but have a look at workaway as they employ south africans and pay for everything except your visa or passport or something and you get to come work in the usa and earn $$$$$$ and use that maybe as a stepping stone into the country come in as luchador through mexico.