Angerona

We have looked at things from all sides and I we have discussed the relative social differences and if he lived in a more conservative area, I would have a larger problem with it. But the fact of the matter is, he is in Seattle and it is a relatively more environmentally conscious, liberal minded place than much more of the country (including the highest minimum wage in the US). I know that it won't be like home, but I also don't think it will be a bad thing. I am confident that there is a lot to do in the area, with my sorts of people and establishments and such. You should know that I plan to leave the area I live in regardless of where I end up because the jobs in my field are flooded with the students that graduate from my college and because I miss the city (I lived in Toronto for five years).

The current plan, if everything works out perfectly, is that after I graduate I will visit for as long as I can. The woman that employed me last summer is working on a full time job for me next year. It wouldn't be in my field but it would be full time for over 20 dollars an hour so it would be a great way to save money as we plan our next steps. I imagine that if things go well with the visit, we'll apply for the K-1 visa and during that time I will save as much as I can for the impending unemployment period that as I understand it will occur during the AOS waiting game. I also plan to make a lot of cupcakes. Everything here, of course, is subject to change, but after discussing all of our options, this is what it is looking like. In terms of jobs in my field, they do exist in the area, since I've checked it out a fair deal, and the spots don't fill that quickly so I imagine that even if I don't initially get a job that I want, I will within my first year there and I can do any number of part-time things while I wait it out.

In short, I'm starting to feel far less nervous and scattered about this whole thing. It's nice to have a basic plan for the future. Thanks again for all of your relative perspectives.

I do want to thank all of your for your insight and experience. The process for all of this seems quite overwhelming (I did a LOT of reading last night) and I of course want to make sure that whatever I do, I do within the rules. I have a lot to discuss with my boyfriend (clearly) but you've given me a more coherent look at things. Thanks again!

First off, do you qualify for a TN Visa? Do you have the proper skills and education required? Do you have any work experience that correlates?

This is iffy at best. I have my bachelors degree and two years of college that I am completing now to be an educational assistant (often listed as a paraprofessional in the US). These jobs aren't particularly high paying and so the fees alone associated with hiring me could easily mean being instantly declined. The school board in the area I want to work had four or five openings in mid-October whereas none of the school boards in my area have any positions open at all and it is rare that these positions are posted at all beyond the end of August so that leads me to believe there is at least *some* need (but not necessarily enough), but the number of EA's needed in a given school can change drastically from year to year so even that is pretty shaky. I do some one-on-one work now in terms of experience, and I have some volunteer experience as well, but I will also have about four months of co-op experience where we have to have met a bunch of objectives and show that we are capable of handling a spread of situations. I can make it look good on a resume, but it's pretty clear that I'm essentially straight out of school.

Maybe go visit for a couple of weeks there and then he can come to visit you.

I've been there, and he's been here a few times. We've definitely got this part covered. In fact, I'll be spending nearly a month a Christmas (and thus won't start this process until January, so as to avoid unnecessary complications).

Marriage is a serious possibility for the future but I don't know if I could EVER marry someone without first living with them. That is just my personal preference and I doubt it's of much importance, but I just think there is value in knowing a person right down to their little annoying habits before making a commitment. I understand that there may be no nice way around this and I may be needing to commit to getting my own place and such, but I've been to the area and he has been here and at the end of the day we have debated the relative benefits and drawbacks to a move in each direction. There was even a time when I had very little interest in moving to the US at all, but with time and experience, I have been swayed. The decision is all but made, I just need a coherent plan to help me understand how I can go about this without accidentally breaking any rules since there seems to be a lot of them.

Do you think that it would be frowned upon to find a job, apply for a temporary work visa, and use that time to test the waters and decide more what I want? Hanging out in the US with no job for six months just wouldn't be for me.

Hey,

My boyfriend and I have been together a year and a half. He's an American citizen and I am Canadian and I plan to move to the US once I'm done school. I'm reading through all of this information, some of it is making more sense than others, but there seems to be no clear path for me to take. I don't want to commit to marriage without first living together and going through all of the natural steps other couples go through but the TN Visa has a very specific restriction about not intending to stay in the US, though realistically of course I'm not exactly sure what I intend at this point. I graduate from my program in April but I figure with the time this could take, I should get started now.

Any advice you could offer would be great. I think I'm gonna go cross-eyed from all the reading I've been doing before the weekend ends...