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28 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

I'd suggest visiting off and on for a few years to see what America is like. America is a big place and honestly, it will still not give you the big picture of what truly this country is like, but it is a start. You're young and have a life ahead of you. Make connections here by finding friends and who knows, there might be a special someone out there eventually. To be able to visit, visa free, is a special privilege not many get, so it's wise to never do anything to jeopardize that.

 

I know someone that grew up absolutely loving the US, but as an adult he certainly kept on with his education and job in the UK. Chance would have it he met an American lady in a pub one day, and the rest was history.

 

I'll likely do that, thank you for the advice.

1 hour ago, appleblossom said:

 

OK, so I'm struggling to understand why you've wanted to move here for years to be honest if you've never been here. Don't get me wrong, America is a great place, but you need to look at the practicalities i.e. healthcare, high cost of living, lack of vacation time etc. Don't build it up to be like you see it on the tv because it really isn't! As with everywhere, there are downsides so I'd ask yourself what you want out of a country - you may find you would be better suited to somewhere else that is easier to move to, or even somewhere else in the UK.

 

Best of luck to you. 

I completely understand why you'd be struggling to understand why I'd want to move but I guess, it's just the change of climate and culture which I have found a great interest in, and by talking to a few friends from America it made me look at the practicalities and made me understand them and accept them. However, I'll have to re-evaluate them. 

Thank you for all the help. 

22 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

As a UK citizen, don't apply for a B visa. You have the VWP available to you so it's not worth risking. If your B visa application is refused then you'll always have to declare that on any other visa or ESTA application, and you may find it scuppers your chances of visiting for a while as any ESTA app is also likely to be refused as a consequence. 

 

I have to ask, have you visited the US before? 

Not yet, but I am planning to do so later this year, I'm not sure if I want to visit as a tourist or try get a job on a H2B visa just to see what life in America would be like before completely committing to attempting to move.

22 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

 

Can You Work Remotely from the US Without a Visa? | NNU Immigration

"However, a visitor cannot do any paid work during their US stay, even if they also plan to undertake any one of the permitted activities, such as visiting a relative and using their address to work remotely from. This is because the B-1 or B-2 visitor visas do not grant US work authorization. The visitor visa categories also do not permit a foreign national to earn any US source income."

22 hours ago, appleblossom said:

You need to tell your friend that his plan won't work! Remote/online work in the US is absolutely not permitted on a B visa, he'll be working illegally and runs the risk of being refused entry/being banned if he tries.

22 hours ago, SalishSea said:

What your friend is planning is immigration fraud.   No work is authorized on a B visa, even remote/online work.  nor can you “move” to the U.S. on a B visa.

Hopefully he will be turned around at the airport and his visa revoked.

20 hours ago, Crazy Cat said:

But it is illegal to work inside the US after entering via a B2 or VWP.

I have let him know about this, I hope he doesn't go through with it.

19 hours ago, Boiler said:

Do you have a B Visa

 

Being eligible for the Lottery may have been a one off, no way of knowing now.

 

Further education in the US for example a Degree in IT or Medicine may open doors.

 

There is the Investment option if you have lots of money

I have not applied for the B visa as I am simply weighing my options at the moment.

21 hours ago, SalishSea said:

It's very expensive for employers to petition overseas workers for employment visas.  It is a long process, and generally handled through the company's lawyer.

 

No one is going to interview you for an unskilled position while you're visiting on a B visa, and then petition you for an employment visa.

 

If you want to live and work in the US, you will need to get a degree in a field that has a labor shortage in the US:  STEM, medicine, nursing etc.

And incidentally, why a B visa?  Why not visit on the VWP?

I was looking at the B visa as my friend is “moving” to Miami in July and he’s going on the B visa and he won’t have to work in the US as he runs a fairly successful online business and I was wondering if I’d be able to do something similar but work part-time or full-time.

2 hours ago, appleblossom said:

 

What do you actually do? You've not said and without that info it's impossible for anybody to know if you would be eligible or not. 

 

In my experience, both as an employee (headhunted from the US) and employer, if you need to apply for jobs then generally speaking you would be out of luck. No employer is going to go to the cost and hassle (not to mention waiting months or even years for you to be able to start work) of hiring you, when they'll have other US citizen applicants that can start tomorrow at no cost. 

 

To be in with a chance, you need to have specialist skills, and ideally a degree as a minimum (masters preferred), and then the job offers will find you. Headhunters will be tasked with finding people with skills they need on LinkedIn, and will often search outside the US. I would only consider somebody that needs visa sponsorship for a fairly senior role, or one that requires skills I can't find locally. 

 

Plus if you are headhunted, you'll likely be in a very strong position to negotiate a seriously good expat package (house, car, cost of living,  etc all paid for by the company, it can be very lucrative). 

 

So ideally you'll look at this as a long term plan, figure 10 years or more. Get yourself in a good industry where your chances are high, get a degree, work your way up (ideally in a multi-national company to increase your chances, a transfer is much easier than a brand new job). It's absolutely possible if you want it badly enough. 

 

Or if you're happy to just do a short stint, and don't mind what job, then have a look at H2B jobs i.e. ski seasons, Disney etc. 

 

Best of luck to you. 

I am currently doing a gap year after finishing sixth form, I have looked into university and such and just wanted to see what I could potentially do to move to the US. 
 

Thank you for all the help here.

3 hours ago, Boiler said:

Unlikely the OP qualifies but we are seeing more and more VJ members going the EB2 NIW route.

What is the EB2 NIW route?

2 minutes ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

You cannot work with B2 visa, full stop.

 

You can attend a seminar or convention on a B1 visa if you are already employed and your employer has one scheduled in the US.  You cannot perform regular work on a B1.

 

Best option for work related immigration is to be a high skilled/educated person in a STEM related field.  But this would take many years to gain the knowledge/experience and then some more seeking a company willing to sponsor you.

 

You can start searching and preparing this year, but you will not be able to immigrate in 2024.

Would it be possible to apply for jobs on both B1 and B2 visas? Hypothetically speaking if I got a job offer from any company that I applied for and interviewed for, would I be eligible to be sponsored for a work visa?

2 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

1.  Routes for immigration:

     Family Unification

     Work Visa

     Diversity Lottery

 

For the work visa part of it, would that cover all job fields whether it be unskilled or skilled labour? 

Also for the Diversity Lottery, the registration for this year is closed, when do they usually open up for the next year?

Hello, I hope I'm posting this in the right topic.

I have a few general questions about potential immigration to the US. I have wanted to move to the US for the last few years and have decided this year to attempt.

My questions are - 

What would be the best route for me to take? I don't have a university degree however I am considering getting one if it improves my chances of immigrating.

Would I be able to work in the US on a B2 visa? I have seen on Google that you can only apply and interview for jobs on that visa and nothing about working on the B2 visa.

Would the Green Card Diversity lottery be a viable option? I am a British citizen, I have lived in England all my life and currently hold a British and Polish passport.

Any help would be appreciated, thank you.