Questions about US immigration and Green card...

[Masquerouge]

Okay so my girlfriend is about to get a job in the US (she works currently for eBay.fr and will work for eBay.com in San Jose, CA). Since I don't want to leave her because I like her quite a lot , I'll move too.

The question is, do you know what I need to do in order to get a green card and be able to work there ? I figured out it's best if we're married, so I guess it'll be the fastest wedding ever , but do you automatically get a green card if your spouse work in the US ? Do you know how long the delay can be ? Do I have to make a formal request ?
Have you had similar experiences that could help me ?

We'll check also with the US embassy in France, but maybe you can point me to some other places where I can get good advice ?

Thanks in advance !

 

[Drewcifer]

I am not sure if you have any advantage if your girlfriend/wife is not a US citizen. If she was it would be automatic. You can always buy a passable copy with a social security card in somebody elses name on the street in any major city for a few hundred dollars. Can you pass for Latin American? If not you could always say that you are from Argentina or Brazil. It has worked for about 15 million others.

 

[Masquerouge]

I am not sure if you have any advantage if your girlfriend/wife is not a US citizen. If she was it would be automatic. You can always buy a passable copy with a social security card in somebody elses name on the street in any major city for a few hundred dollars. Can you pass for Latin American? If not you could always say that you are from Argentina or Brazil. It has worked for about 15 million others.

Well, I'm not exactly the typical south-american. Though I could always say I'm from german origin, with my flemish last name

But you're scaring me about the part where I don't have any advantages because my GF is not an US citizen... Do they actually split families when one member get a job in the US ? That would be sad...

 

[Drewcifer]

But you're scaring me about the part where I don't have any advantages because my GF is not an US citizen... Do they actually split families when one member get a job in the US ? That would be sad...

I am not entirely sure but I think it is mostly the case, if it were otherwise it would triple or quadruple the immigration rate, 10% of the population is foreign born as it is. IIRC family gives you some advantages and you may be able to jump the queue to a degree but there is quite a backlog. The whole US immigration thing has been a mess since 9/11.

 

[joacqin]

Isnt there some special treaty between the "western" countries? Enabling people from countries like France and Denmark for example to easier get green cards and work permits in the US and the other way around? Kinda like the visa treaty where you dont need to apply for a visa when you go to the states if you are from a list of priviliged countries? You could just follow her and try to work things out from within or something, you have a six months visa automatically.

 

[Drewcifer]

Isnt there some special treaty between the "western" countries? Enabling people from countries like France and Denmark for example to easier get green cards and work permits in the US and the other way around? Kinda like the visa treaty where you dont need to apply for a visa when you go to the states if you are from a list of priviliged countries? You could just follow her and try to work things out from within or something, you have a six months visa automatically.

Unfortunately no at least between the US and the EU or the US and Canada or Australia, though there probably should be, I would love to live in Europe for a few years.

 

[Masquerouge]

Actually I've found some infos on the embassy site, and apparently if my spouse gets a green card, type L, then I'm allowed to have one.
California here I come !

 

[luiz]

When my father was invited to work in the USA in 1992, we all got 10 year Visas automatically(that is: my father, my mother, myself and my brother). We only stayed there for a year, but the Visas lasted untill 2002.

10 years is probably enough for your case, but anyway it doesn´t seemed too hard to extend it.

BTW: I´m brazilian with a flemish last-name as well, so yes, you could pass a south-american

 

[stormbind]

Okay so my girlfriend is about to get a job in the US (she works currently for eBay.fr and will work for eBay.com in San Jose, CA). Since I don't want to leave her because I like her quite a lot , I'll move too.

The question is, do you know what I need to do in order to get a green card and be able to work there ? I figured out it's best if we're married, so I guess it'll be the fastest wedding ever , but do you automatically get a green card if your spouse work in the US ? Do you know how long the delay can be ? Do I have to make a formal request ?
Have you had similar experiences that could help me ?

We'll check also with the US embassy in France, but maybe you can point me to some other places where I can get good advice ?

Thanks in advance !

Green Card is Residential Status. There are several ways to get a Green Card.

#1 Marry a US citizen
#2 Legally work in the USA for four years
#3 Have $1 million USD invested in the USA

Visa is temporary permission to exist in the USA. There are different types. A visiting visa is no good because...

#1 You must leave within 6 months
#2 You're not allowed to work (or study?)

You want a visa with Worker Permit. At least that's how it was when I was last in the USA.

I think, for you, the easiest solution would be to get a visa that is connected to your girlfriend's who presumably has a work permit on hers. This way you can stay for as long as she has a job, but you should really try to get a work permit for yourself.

 

[Masquerouge]

I think, for you, the easiest solution would be to get a visa that is connected to your girlfriend's who presumably has a work permit on hers. This way you can stay for as long as she has a job, but you should really try to get a work permit for yourself.

MMmh, interesting point. But since right now I don't intend to stay in the US longer than my GF, if she looses her job off we BOTH go

 

[De Lorimier]

For once my experience at work would have been usefull to help a fellow poster but stormbird beat me to it...oh well.
What he said is right. You should get a visa of temporary residence with a work permit.
There's some good sites on the subject such as this one: Immigration Agency
And there's also this nice site for foreigners like you.