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Filed: Country: Sweden
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My name is David, I live in Gothenburg, Sweden. I met an incredibly wonderful girl online, from San Antonio. I can't even describe this girl, she's amazing in every way and I feel extremely happy when I'm talking to her.

After one year of the long distance relationship, the distance is getting to her. She loves me very much and I love her, but not being able to be with me is causing her a lot of pain.


So I'm looking for ways for me to be able to travel to San Antonio.


I'm 22 years old. I got out of school(University) last year(2013) but have a couple of essays to correct before getting my diploma. I've been trying to do this for over a year now, but my teacher takes months to respond to me, so it might take a little while longer. This should get solved this year.


I have student loans, but not that much(about 17.000$) and I should be able to pay that off within one year.


Now for the part where I need help:

Would I be able to temporary move to San Antonio on any VISA? For example: Spend 1 or 2 years there while working somewhere. I graduated in 3D-Visualisation, however it's extremely hard to get work in that business. She works at Starbucks while she's in school, would I be able to work at a similar company on any VISA?


I realize that the most secure option is to marry her, but I don't think it's a good idea until we've lived together for some time. Or at least seen each other a few times. I would need to get to know her family, her friends.


The Green Card Lottery seems too far fetched.


Any information about VISAs or just general advice would be, truly, greatly appreciated. I'm just trying to find information everywhere, but it's hard.


Thank you in advance,

David

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You absolutely want to visit San Antonio. You will find it so much different than Sweden. I think it's a beautiful town, and it's one of those places my wife and I have talked about living if we ever get the chance.

I agree with you that you need to visit. You can apply for a visitor's visa to the U.S. that is good for up to 90 days. Sweden is a part of the Visa Waiver Program. Search online for the ETSA program. Remember that your visa allows you to visit, not stay. If you think she is "the one" (and you seem to think so), use the opportunity to take lots of pictures of the two of you. I agree that you want to meet her family and friends. You also want to look at job opportunities..San Antonio is not a huge IT market, but there's enough there that you may find jobs that closely match your qualifications or skills. You can't apply for any (you're a visitor, remember), but you can look and see. If you decide to marry her, the pictures and experiences will serve as evidence of your intentions.

When you get back to Sweden, take a week or two and think about it. You're talking about a huge commitment. Can you pack everything up and move to the U.S.? You really, really, really like her...but enough to take the leap?

Good luck.

Regards,

Bill

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Filed: Country: Sweden
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Hi Bill,

Yeah this is what I've been planning.

That's why I was wondering if there would be a VISA that would permit me to stay and work for a time, but it seems that was just wishful thinking.

I have a trip planned on her spring break, and while I'm staying there I had thought about talking with loads of people and see if there would be any opportunities in the city.

The commitment would be one of the biggest I'd ever take in my life, leaving friends and family behind and I will think about this a lot in the coming months/years.

Really appreciate you taking the time to answer me, cheers.

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My husband came here for 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program from the Netherlands so that we could "kick the tires" as we say here. Fortunately I make enough in salary that money wasn't an issue for that. I do recommend it if you both can afford it without you working. Hard to say...as a barista with Starbucks she's likely not making a ton of money and I have no idea how much savings you may have.

While IT isn't huge in San Antonio, it's not non-existent. I recommend looking at indeed.com and other employment sites. If you can land a job under an H1-B work visa, you don't need to leverage the Visa Waiver Program (and the 90 day restriction). There are also options for Houston companies that you can look into if she is willing to move to there at some point. Last, you might want to find work that isn't specifically 3D Visualization if they are willing to hire you :)

One thing I will say to you that I said to my husband when we first met - when you find love you don't throw it away because of distance or cost...you move whatever mountains you need to move in order to be together, even if it takes a while, costs money and the short term is painful. This problem isn't insurmountable :)

BTW, have you considered her temporarily moving to Sweden? Maybe she could go to school there?

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Filed: Country: Sweden
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Hi Temp,

I'll check out indeed.com, maybe I can find something :)

She's studying at UTSA, so everything's paid for etc. Don't think that's an option.

I will most likely be changing jobs very soon from mailman to night-shift warehouse labor, which will increase my pay immensely. I'll just need to pay off some of that loan as I go, but should I want to spend 90 days in the states I would be able to afford it, as long as I'd live with her. She's living with her parents atm, and will for another 2 years(which is the time she has left in school). After that she has a place to stay with her friends by the look of it and I would be welcome to stay temporarily.

I don't mind moving. I'm not too fond of my family, the only thing I'll miss is my friends. But we're mostly playing games so I could still spend time with them. And although I'm hopeless when it comes to fairytales, I won't jump into something big like this right away. But if I could a company that would support me with the H-1 VISA I'd jump for it, at least for a time. Hopefully her issues with the distance she's feeling right now won't change her feelings about me while I try to fix our issue.

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Filed: Timeline

Here are your options:

i. Move to the US for 90 days and see if you can get a job that is willing to sponsor you a H1.

ii. Get her to move to Sweden because there are a lot of scholarship opportunities for her. http://studyinsweden.se/scholarship/bicentennial-swedish-american-exchange-fund/

iii. Become a student in the US. There are some scholarship opportunities available:

http://sweamfo.se/

http://mwp.org/

http://www.schoolsoup.com/scholarship-directory/race-minority/swedish-descent/

http://fulbright.se/Grants/index.html

http://www.swedishcouncil.org/sca-scholarships/

Here is a detailed list of other options: http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/C1en.pdf

I believe the university option is your best bet.

If you have a lot of money to invest in then try this route:

http://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-through-job/green-card-through-investment

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Scotland
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Greetings!

Our story is about the same...

I started dating my fiance at age 20. I was in college at UNT and he was in Scotland.

We did very well for two poor kids. Saw each other about 4 times a year, I would go there winter and summer break. He would come over March (Spring Break) and August or Sept (Beginning of school year so it wasn't to busy for me).

We both had sh*t jobs, therefore we lived with our parents. AFTER 3 years of doing this, we got engaged (total of 4 years now). So each trip was about 2K each. Not including little fun trips (Rome, Spain, San Antonio, etc.) or gifts.

JOB: While your looking for jobs to sponsor you (which is hard, sorry). Since you do IT stuff... you can do jobs that pay cash in hand while you are over. I have a few friends that do this around the DFW area. College kids always need help getting viruses off.

Yes, it's hard but also not to bad in a weird way. You do crazy things for the ppl you love. Well Good Luck!

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Filed: Other Country: United Kingdom
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Greetings!

While your looking for jobs to sponsor you (which is hard, sorry). Since you do IT stuff... you can do jobs that pay cash in hand while you are over. I have a few friends that do this around the DFW area. College kids always need help getting viruses off.

Advising the OP to do something illegal which could result in a ban from the US?

Not very helpful.

August 2000: We start e-mailing. I'm in Bosnia, she's in Florida

October 29th 2000: She sends me e-mail asking if I would marry her

October 29th 2000(5 seconds later): I say yes

November 2000: She sends me tickets to Orlando for when I get back

December 6th 2000: Return from Bos

December 11th 2000: Fly to Orlando, she meets me at airport

December 22nd 2000: I fly back to UK

January 3rd 2001: She flies to UK (Good times)

Mid February 2001: Pregnancy test Positive

Mid February 2001: She flies back to US

March 2001: Miscarriage, I fly to US on first flight I can get

May 2001: I leave US before my 90 days are up

June 2001: I fly back to US, stopped at airport for questioning as I had only just left

September 2001: Pregnancy test Positive again

September 2001: She falls sick, I make decision to stay to look after her as I am afraid I may have problems getting back in.

April 16th 2002: Our son is born, we start getting stuff together for his passport

March 6th 2003: We leave US for UK as family

Early April 2003: Family troubles make her return to US, I ask Embassy in London about possibilities of returning to US

April 16th 2003: London Embassy informs me that I will be banned from the Visa Waiver Program for 10 years, my little boys first birthday

June 13th 2006: I-129f sent

August 11th 2006: NOA1 Recieved

After our relationship breaks down she admits to me that she had never bothered to start the application process

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Scotland
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Advising the OP to do something illegal which could result in a ban from the US?

Not very helpful.

You are right. Sorry. I was thinking he could help her friends, family, college roommate, put flyers around the university etc. But all in all, it's still illegal. Thank you.

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Filed: Country: Sweden
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I do appreciate the thought though, Alex. Glad it worked out for you!

Pho: Yeah, I was thinking of UNI, but it's expensive. And since I already have a student-debt I'm thinking it might be a bad move. I am looking into this as well though, just in case.

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Sweden
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Eeken,

Since you have a degree in such a niche business, you might want to explore if there is any H-1B visa opportunities. The pot for H-1B usually runs out quickly and the employer have to pay loads out of pocket to bring you over, however, since it is such a small field, this might be possible. $17,000 in student debt from Sweden? That is roughly 119 000:-, the last time I checked mine it was closer to $58,000 for four and a half years of studies. This means that you have plenty of room to accumulate debt and fund graduate school in the US. Since the interest rate, the last time I checked, was 1.2% this might not be such a bad idea. Compare this to the 6.9% that my wife has on her $200,000 student loan debt.

I would advise you to:

1. Visit her on for a maximum time of 90 days. Get the feel, get to know each other, and fool around for three months.

2. Fly home. Thing things over. Analyze your options and make your decision about the F-1 track or the H-1B track.

Attending graduate school here in the US, and trust me on this, is the best thing you can possible do for yourself and your future. Once in a lifetime opportunity that not many people get to experience or have the opportunity to pursue.

I can say that I met my wife during my first semester abroad (here in the US), flew back and forth for two years before we tied the knot and settled here. Three times did I stay 80+ days here to get the feel, she probably spent less than 50 days total in Sweden (She had the opportunity to study here for 8 weeks) before we got married.

Edited by plasthandske

ROC Packet delivered 2/24/2017 - GC Expiration 5/20/2017.

NOA - 2/27

Bio - Walk-in 3/10

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Filed: Country: Sweden
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First of all, great name.

The problem right now is that I can't visit her for 90 days. She lives with her parents, which means I can only visit for short periods, if they allow it(If I don't live in a motel or something, which might be an idea). She might move out in two years, but who knows if the distance is too much for her by then. We've said that I'll visit her on her spring break, no matter what happens.

I have a diploma in the field, but I didn't even manage to find an internship here in Sweden. So, I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to make a company file for a H-1. Will try to look this up though.

I'll have to look into schools. The only problem I've seen it that, from what I've seen, it's very expensive. Of course I could take more loans, and there's barely any interest, but I'd have to be very sure to take that step.

Edited by Eeken
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First of all, great name.

The problem right now is that I can't visit her for 90 days. She lives with her parents, which means I can only visit for short periods, if they allow it(If I don't live in a motel or something, which might be an idea). She might move out in two years, but who knows if the distance is too much for her by then. We've said that I'll visit her on her spring break, no matter what happens.

I have a diploma in the field, but I didn't even manage to find an internship here in Sweden. So, I'm not sure I'm skilled enough to make a company file for a H-1. Will try to look this up though.

I'll have to look into schools. The only problem I've seen it that, from what I've seen, it's very expensive. Of course I could take more loans, and there's barely any interest, but I'd have to be very sure to take that step.

Without sounding weird, how old is your girlfriend? Would her parents not let her stay in the motel with you for 90 days? I was 21 when I first met my hubby and my parents weren't keen on a strange man staying at the house, but they were happy for me to stay in a hotel with him.

ROC from CR-1 visa (Green Card expiration date was Nov 24th 2016)

 

Link to the evidence I submitted. Be sure to send evidence spanning your entire marriage (especially for K-1) or as far back as you can. Just one or two bank statements will not cut it. I primarily focused on the two years of living here since I came in on a CR-1. If you don't have the fundamentals (i.e. joint accounts/policies), you can explain why in the covering letter. E.g. "While we do not have joint utilities, we both contribute to them from our joint bank account".

 

September 26th 2016: I-751 package sent to CSC

September 28th 2016: Package delivered
September 30th 2016: Check cashed
October 3rd 2016: NOA1 received with receipt date of 09/28/16
November 3rd 2016: Biometrics received with appointment date of 11/14/16.
November 14th 2016: Attended biometrics appointment
October 30th 2017: Infopass appointment to get I-551 stamp
February 26th 2018: I-751 case number (aka the NOA1 receipt number) becomes trackable
March 14th 2018: Submitted service request due to being outside of processing time.

March 15th 2018: ROC approved. 535 days (1 year, 5 months and 17 days)

March 29th 2018: Card being produced

April 4th 2018: Card mailed out

April 6th 2018: Card in hand. Has incorrect "resident since" date. Submitted service request on I-751 case (typographical error on permanent resident card) and an I-90 online.

April 2018 - August 7th 2018: Tons of service requests, emails and now senator involvement to get my corrected green card back because what the heck, USCIS. Also some time in May I sent a letter to Potomac telling them I want to withdraw my I-90 since CSC were handling it.

August 8th 2018: Card in production thanks to the direct involvement of Senator Sherrod Brown's team

August 13th 2018: Card mailed

August 15th 2018: Card in hand with correct date. :joy:

October 31st 2018: Potomac sends out a notice stating they have closed out my I-90 per my request. Yay for no duplicate card drama.

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