Thread: Looking to you experts!!!

Hi Everyone,
This is our story. Myself and my Husband have wanted to move to Florida for a number of years but were told that it would be really difficult and that it was never going to happen. My Husband owns his own Automotive business which is very successful here in the UK. Myself well I'm a planner and have just completed my BA Honors Degree in Education and hoping to pursue a career in teaching knowing that Education is also what they consider. Anyway last year because we thought we would never get into the US we applied to move to Canada which was our second choice and we got accepted. which was all great we even booked a trip to look at houses for this Easter. But here's the problem We dont want to be in Canada we want to be in America and as of yesterday we have cancelled our trip to Canada and have rebooked for florida. You will probably all be thinking you idiots but we do not want to compromise our dream and thats in America not Canada.

This is where we turn to you guys. We have two children 12 and 8. We have looked at visas until we are blue in the face but are still not sure which one will be best for us,as we want our move if we are going to embark on it to be permanent and secure for us as a family.
We have looked at the investors visa and it says that you need to invest between $500.000 - $1000.000 does this sound right??

We have realised that Florida is the place for us and that its the only place where we feel comfortable and at home I suppose that sounds strange to alot of you but thats how we feel. So we are now really determined to turn our dream into a reality. Looking forward to your replies Chaps!!:spinny:

Hey Julie,

As I have noted elsewhere on this forum, I'm also hoping to get to Florida!

Sounds like you and your family may have an opportunity here.. what with your degree and the possibility of you and your husband investing in a business in the US. I'm not sure exactly of the amount required to invest, but your figures could well be correct.. I do know it's not cheap. If you can afford it, it'd be worth it though!

I'm assuming you have already looked at the US immigration sites for the requirements for entry? It could perhaps be worthwhile having a look at some job sites (teaching).. you having a degree could make a difference too.

There are others here (the 'experts!') who know waaaay more than me and will chip-in soon!

Wish you and your family all good wishes to realise your dream
- I know how you feel! Keep us posted how things go!

~ Hope

Thanks Hope,

I'm glad others feel like we do. I will look at job opportunities but the terminology in the US is so different to over here its mind boggling.
Ideally it would be great to get a job in education but I'm sure that it is really difficult but who knows hey. Now we are definately set on this then I know we will just keep trying. Well aware that it is not going to be easy but there again nothing ever is, is it??

All good things to those who wait!!

Julie

Hi Julie,
I'm no expert but we've been through the visa process to get here - we're in California - and if I can help I will.

We came over through my husband being sponsored by an employer - he's considered a skilled worker (he's an Engineer) and so he's third preference on the employment visa list. Like you I have a BA(Hons) as well as Specialist Teacher qualifications but he got the job offer first so he got the work visa and I'm here on a Spouse visa. If you were to secure an offer of employment my guess is you too would be third preference and would apply for a H1B visa. If you got it your husband and family could come over but your husband wouldn't be able to work. We've applied for our green cards and when that's processed I should be able to start work but it's already been over a year which can be tough if you really want to work.

As far as getting an investors Visa - you'd be fifth preference so there's fewer visas available. It's unclear from your post if that's a decimal point in the figures you've given?! You've probably already read this but just in case...

Employment-Based Visas

"Employment Creation Investors receive 7.1 percent of the yearly worldwide limit. All applicants must file a Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur with USCIS. To qualify, an alien must invest between U.S. $500,000 and $1,000,000, depending on the employment rate in the geographical area, in a commercial enterprise in the United States which creates at least 10 new full-time jobs for U.S. citizens, permanent resident aliens, or other lawful immigrants, not including the investor and his or her family."

If you're not already employed through your husband's business I'm not sure that you would be able to work so you might want to check that out. I'm also not sure how many applications there will be from people wanting to invest in the US at the moment so that might go in your favour if the numbers of applicants are down. I know when we applied there were so many applicants that it went to a lottery system - probably the most stressful part of the whole process!! It took us two years to get our visas so I would look at getting it started soon. I would also check if your application and acceptance to Canada is likely to impact on any visa application to the USA before you start the process.

With all that said it is so worth the effort especially if your whole family want to do this, so don't give up on your dream! If you have any other questions PM me and I'll happily answer them as best I can.

Originally Posted by juliewoo

We have looked at visas until we are blue in the face but are still not sure which one will be best for us,as we want our move if we are going to embark on it to be permanent and secure for us as a family.
We have looked at the investors visa and it says that you need to invest between $500.000 - $1000.000 does this sound right??

We have realised that Florida is the place for us and that its the only place where we feel comfortable and at home I suppose that sounds strange to alot of you but thats how we feel. So we are now really determined to turn our dream into a reality. Looking forward to your replies Chaps!!:spinny:

Hi Julie,
You're looking at the investors visa idea then correct?
It's going to be tough, but obviously not impossible, and I do actually know someone that has done it previously that live in Florida. You would have to comply with the rules that the US immigration set out on their list, and to be honest you would be at their mercy and it wouldn't be either easy or straightforward.
How many times have you been to the US? Do you have a great deal of experience of Florida in particular? Business here in the US is NOT good at the moment, and we're in the worst economic time in the US than we have been for 60 years, so realistically it's not a good time for investing in a business.
Having said all that, I wish you luck with your dream, and hope that you'll be able to make it become a reality.

Here in Florida, if you can speak Spanish it's a huge plus.
There are so many things to consider...the Auto Industry is in a mess right now......dealerships are going out of business.
There are no short-cuts to a Visa, it will take a while.
On the positive side, it's a great time to buy a house here, prices are very low.
If you might want to rent it out at some stage, go for Osceola, Polk or Lake Counties, or other Counties which allow short-term rentals.
In Orange County FL where I live, the shortest rental is 7 months.


Here are some teacher sites:

Educator Certification

http://www.teachinflorida.com/

Correct re the financial problems of FL state, and it's not just the auto dealerships that are going out of business either, everyone is suffering in a big way.
Florida has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country right now, which is something else to consider. Lack of jobs, lack of choice, lack of money. Even the tourists aren't heading to Florida like they were 3 years ago.