I am a permanent resident (9years) and am living with my partner for 4 years now in France. She is French. I have recently accepted a position at Yale and am going over in June. We are not yet married but are more then prepared to do so. We looked at the websites and found that this is a very complex problem. Would greatly appreciate some advice...

Thank you, Dan and Armelle

First question are you sure you are a PR, not impossible but you said you have been in France for the last 4 years.

Your partner should be able to obtain a B2 to accompany you, visitors visa but a valid use for one.

Marriage would actually make the position more complicated, 5 or 6 year wait as spouse of a PR.

Or give up PR status and get the Uni to apply for a Visa for you and your spouse, H1b would be normal, that way they get a H4, still no work visa if thats an issue.

Or your partner seeks her own way in.

Think thats it.

Yes if you have been out of the country for more than a year you may have lost LPR status.

Also If you are LPR and marry the time to bring spouse over is not 5 or 6. it is more like 2-3 years. 2 years to get a visa number, then the length of time for it to make it through the system at NVC, and the Embassy in France.

https://egov.immigration.gov/cris/jsps/Proc...eviceCenter=CSC Which is a little more than 2 years for the visa number.

Thank you very much for answering.

I think I am still PR (i came back every few months..). I am somewhat reluctant to lose the PR status +not sure the Uni will be very happy about it.

A B2 visa is essentially a tourist visa? how long can you stay on that? no work? what documentations do you need to show for that? do you have to have a return ticket? how is it better then the waiver program?

no options for a work visa (a non immigrant one)?

Thanks again, Dan.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/bulletin...letin_3143.html

Processing 22 March 2002, which by my calculations is 5 years.

I thought there was some problem with French Passports that required them to get a B2 and could not use the VWP, perhaps it has been solved?

But still going to be a problem if your partner wants to stay any length of time.

As for visa's of their own, work is the most common, H1B or L for a Multinational transfer, numerical limitation and you might be too late already for this year, except for University's, they have no numerical limitation.

Dan,

Coming back every few months may not be sufficient to maintain your LPR status. Your circumstances may not be examined very closely for entry at a POE, but if you start submitting paperwork with the intention of getting someone else LPR status on the basis of your LPR status, your circumstances will be looked at a lot more closely.

Yodrak