So You Want to Emigrate to Live in America?

America – a brave new world and the land of the free, where you can live the American dream, where the streets are pretty much paved with gold, the standard of living is amazing and the people are really friendly and oh so welcoming right?

WRONG.  So you want to emigrate to live in America?  Are you sure?  Not only is it incredibly difficult to get a visa, if you base your move on any form of temporary visa and the next year your renewal is rejected (it often happens) then you’re out for the count and you’re potentially homeless!  Yes America can be a brave new world for those brave enough to meet the challenges of immigration and relocation head on…but you need to get your head right round the concept that it ain’t gonna be easy!  Oh, and getting your visa is only just the start.

I was compelled to write this article after a British reader wrote and told us all about her experience of relocating to America and how all the information she finds on the internet makes it sound so simple! 

Her reality and that of many of her friends is far away from the idea that just about anyone can go and live in the good old U.S of A….from the outset she advised that she was treated with suspicion, every form she filled and claim she made was treated as being an untruth until proven otherwise, and because nothing from your past is taken into consideration once you move to America such as your credit rating, you have to start your life effectively from scratch.

So – you’re still convinced you want to emigrate to live in America?  Well, the first step is getting a visa…and you may be eligible for one if you’re lucky!  The very best place to start is the website for US Citizen and Immigration Services because this is kept bang up to date with information about each and every class of visa available, who is eligible, how to apply and it also has details about the ‘diversity lottery’ for green cards which those coming from nations with low levels of immigration to the States can potentially be eligible for.

There are visas for investors, students, skilled professionals, for those with a fiancé who has US citizenship already, people being transferred by their company and then there are visas that you can apply for if you have some form of exceptional talent or skill.  You need to be very careful which type you choose as it will affect your right to work in America or do business, it will affect the length of time you can remain resident, how often you will need to reapply for renewal and what you will then have to do to get citizenship eventually.

The lady who wrote to us was advised five years ago by an attorney she appointed in America to help her with the immigration process that an E-2 type visa was best for her even though she was moving to America to retire.  According to her lawyer you cannot just get a visa that will allow you to move to America and retire, you have to be working, studying or investing.  It took her two years to get accepted and she was told that was a fast decision and it cost her USD 24,000 for the privilege of being allowed to move stateside.

Her visa was temporary and still has to be renewed every year and this is the case for the vast majority of those who relocate.  The trouble with this is the uncertainty that goes with it – so you’ve been successful getting in, but will you be successful staying in?  Should you put down roots, buy a car, a house, furniture, a dog?

Along with this uncertainty is the fact that because you are on a temporary visa nothing from your past is taken into consideration when you try and get anything from a car to car insurance, a mobile phone or a property – you have no credit rating, zero no claims bonus, no bank history and time and again you have to prove your identity and your right to be living in America.

So you want to emigrate to live in America?  Well, very good luck to you and I hope you have the strength of mind to persevere against all the odds and achieve your dream of one day living in the United States…personally I am far too impatient to wait for a visa and far too vociferous when it comes to complaining about the unfair treatment of immigrants and expatriates!