Question about L1A Visa

[Momys 3]

Hi there,

 

There is a possibility that we may have the opportunity to move to the US with an intra-company transfer with the company my husband works for.  It will be for a set period (probably 3 years).  

It looks like the way to go would be with an L1A visa.  The position and my husband qualify for the requirements. 

 

From research (thank you, Google! ) I know that dependents will receive L2 visas, but that only the spouse can work after receiving an EAD (Employment Authorization Document).   

Children may not work.
Does this apply to odd jobs like babysitting, yard work, snow shoveling, too?   Or would those be allowed?

We have some teenagers who would really like some part-time jobs but would be okay with odd-jobs if part-time jobs aren't an option. 

Thank you in advance

 

[Boiler 47,493]

Applies to all  jobs.

[Momys 3]

Meh!  That is what I suspected!   This really does make the decision to go a whole lot harder! 

Off to research more options. 

Thank you!

Edited March 2, 2018 by Momys

[Boiler 47,493]

Move as Permanent Residents, they you can do anything.

[Coco8 1,054]

You are not going to take a job because the kids cannot do odd jobs? 

 

No visa is going to allow kids to work. They can study and take extracurricular activities. You can send them to extra classes, they can do sports, then can be part of some club or something. Then can shovel snow in your house and do your lawn. 

 

 

[Momys 3]

Didn't say we won't take the job due to this!  But this is something we are taking into consideration.  Our older children all had part time jobs and are paying for their international travels and own university education.  We value our children having the opportunity to do this (exactly like we value them having the opportunity to do all those other things you mentioned).   We do have two teenagers who want to travel after high school and it does make it harder it they won't have jobs to be able to fund that.   Not impossible, but something to take into consideration. 

I asked about odd jobs because it was obviously clear that part-time work wouldn't be an option. 

We also value them having other opportunities, which this move could bring!

There is an option to apply for a Green Card almost immediately after arriving on an L1A (at least from my beginning-stage research).    With that, obviously, they can take part-time jobs   
We are not planning on settling in the States long term which is why we are researching, asking questions and figuring out what the best option is. 

At this point we are looking at all the options, trying to understand how it all works, what is allowed and what isn't.  

 

Thank you
 

[Boiler 47,493]

How old are they?

[Momys 3]

Will be 17 and 15 next year when this move may happen (it is still in the planning stage with the company )

 

[Boiler 47,493]

Education seems the big issue at that sort of age, switching systems.

[Momys 3]

We homeschool, so it should be a little easier for them to settle and meeting other homeschoolers.  We won't have to change education systems as such. 

[Momys 3]

Thank you so much, Boiler and Coco8!

I really appreciate all your help!

[SusieQQQ 11,588]

3 hours ago, Momys said:

Meh!  That is what I suspected!   This really does make the decision to go a whole lot harder! 

Off to research more options. 

Thank you!

That’s kind of odd to have just casual odd jobs like teenage babysitting as being a dealbreaker, but ok. 

 

If you're not planning to be in the US long term, a green card doesn’t make sense. How long you’re planning to be in the US - if it’s more than a few years - could be an issue for the dependent visas especially for the older kid.

 

PS there is no way any kid’s part time work is going to pay for university in the US...

Edited March 2, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Momys 3]

It may not be a deal breaker as much as a serious consideration because for a young person who will be 19.5 when we move back from the US, that would mean 1.5 years after high school where he won't have any job.      We need to take into consideration what he would be doing with that time.   If he would like to travel at age 18 then he would have had to save for that, even with the option of working holiday visas from other countries there is still a significant cost.   If he wants to study, fees in the US will international fees as a non-resident (which I think is fair). 
So, he can't study,
He wouldn't have been able to save for overseas travel,

He wouldn't be able to work. 
He (and we) have to consider what he would be doing with his time. 

 

I asked about about odd jobs specifically because I realized that other jobs, including part time, were obviously not an option at all.

This doesn't rule out the move, it simply means looking at various options (like him maybe moving back to Canada at 18 and finding a part time job here, saving for a bit and then seeing where he wants to go from there.  He is pretty sure he wants to travel and we strongly encourage that). 

We are Canadian and our eldest son has worked part time since he was 16, put money away and with scholarships and grants/small loans can pay for a good chunk of his first year of university.  He will work all summer to then pay for a big amount of the second year.   This may not be ideal or the goal for every family or young person, but so far it is working for him.

Our second eldest is working part time and he is putting money away to travel the world for 2-3 years.  He will probably leave around the same time we go to the States (if this works out).

I understand that these may not be considerations for everyone else, but they are for us. 

PS:  We're from South Africa, too, originally     We moved to Canada almost 10 years ago.
 

[SusieQQQ 11,588]

There are no “international” student fees in the US, it’s not like the UK. There’s in-state and out-of-state tuition for public colleges, and private college fees are flat regardless of residency, though many offer financial aid. (I’m guessing college fees are much lower in Canada than here because funding $30-50k or more a year with part time work just isn’t really achievable.)

 

so the obvious question is, at age 18 when many move out of home, what’s to stop him going back to Canada to work or study? As someone who managed to fund my entire undergraduate tuition with bursaries/scholarships and saved up for all my own traveling from part time work I totally get where you’re coming from, but it still seems a strange set up to me that a whole family’s move might be dependent on what a teenager can do for part time work.

 

 

[Momys 3]

I get that, Susie, and I respect your view.  Nothing prevents him from coming back to Canada and this is a very likely option.  We just started thinking about our options and how to balance it all.  This is not the only determining factor. 
This opportunity was presented quite suddenly and because we never previously considered a move the the US it wasn't something we knew much about.  I'm asking questions as they come up, we're adjusting possibilities/expectations/planning according to the info we get.   

Nothing has been decided.   My initial reaction to no part time work/odd jobs was a little overdramatic and premature    (Let it not be said I can't admit that).

 

We have some time to consider our options.

 

Thank you so much for your info.  I appreciate it.