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lindacarl
27-08-2003, 21:48
[brown]Hi All
I wonder if any of you have experience of this?
My husband of nearly 5 years has been resident here for 41/2 years.
We are now wondering if we might be better off trying to spend 6 months here & 6 months in USA (Florida of course!)
We run our own business - which entails going to health shows throughout the country - which we could also do in the USA.
Most of our work here is March-June & September-November with little in between. (Feast or famine!)
Would a green card be automatic for me, even though we are living in the UK?
Also does anyone know if hubby could get a UK passport now or after another year or so over here?
Would there be any likely repercussions (ie. Could he be refused re-entry if we spent too long in US?
Haven't done any homework yet - it shows I know!
We have to sell a property over here before we can think of doing this, we were hoping to have this settled by December so we can come over to see what is available.
Any help anyone can offer would be appreciated
LInda

chrizzy100
27-08-2003, 22:45
quote:Originally posted by lindacarl

[brown]Hi All
I wonder if any of you have experience of this?
My husband of nearly 5 years has been resident here for 41/2 years.
We are now wondering if we might be better off trying to spend 6 months here & 6 months in USA (Florida of course!)
We run our own business - which entails going to health shows throughout the country - which we could also do in the USA.
Most of our work here is March-June & September-November with little in between. (Feast or famine!)
Would a green card be automatic for me, even though we are living in the UK?
Also does anyone know if hubby could get a UK passport now or after another year or so over here?
Would there be any likely repercussions (ie. Could he be refused re-entry if we spent too long in US?
Haven't done any homework yet - it shows I know!
We have to sell a property over here before we can think of doing this, we were hoping to have this settled by December so we can come over to see what is available.
Any help anyone can offer would be appreciated
LInda


You have to spend most of the year in the USA to keep a greencard...maybe you just need a long stay visa seeing as your husband is American..my parents can stay here for 9 months of the year..but I'm not sure if they still give out those visas my dad got theirs 30 years ago..my daughter also has one...but that was 15 years ago....I don't think you could split staying in each country like that.....it does seem easier to be an American moving to the UK then to be a Brit and move over here..even if you marry an American.... very unfair I think.....there are lots of expat groups online with visa help pages.....I'll see if I can find the one I used again....the info there was great.....:)

chrizzy100
27-08-2003, 22:52
quote:Originally posted by lindacarl

[brown]Hi All
I wonder if any of you have experience of this?
My husband of nearly 5 years has been resident here for 41/2 years.
We are now wondering if we might be better off trying to spend 6 months here & 6 months in USA (Florida of course!)
We run our own business - which entails going to health shows throughout the country - which we could also do in the USA.
Most of our work here is March-June & September-November with little in between. (Feast or famine!)
Would a green card be automatic for me, even though we are living in the UK?
Also does anyone know if hubby could get a UK passport now or after another year or so over here?
Would there be any likely repercussions (ie. Could he be refused re-entry if we spent too long in US?
Haven't done any homework yet - it shows I know!
We have to sell a property over here before we can think of doing this, we were hoping to have this settled by December so we can come over to see what is available.
Any help anyone can offer would be appreciated
LInda



http://www.americanexpats.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

http://www.britishinamerica.com/index.html

Try those two places.....that should give you some idea what links you're looking for.....

I can't find the one I used.....if I come across it.... I'll leave the link here......

lindacarl
27-08-2003, 23:11
Thanks Chrizzy,
Why can't it be simple to flit between the 2 countries? :)
Personally I think we'd be better off living in US but hubby loves it over here. He also likes the fact that we can get to foreign places - Spain, Greece etc. so reasonably. I'm a whiz at getting us cheap, cheap holidays.
However he misses his daughters (both in twenties) & knows we could have a very nice place there & keep a small place here.
I think we could pick up enough work to fund our living expenses out there & maybe rent the property out when we aren't using it. I just wonder if we could get out there & work without my getting a special visa - as I could just travel with him & help him?
Anybody else have any thoughts?
Linda

chrizzy100
27-08-2003, 23:36
quote:Originally posted by lindacarl

Thanks Chrizzy,
Why can't it be simple to flit between the 2 countries? :)
Personally I think we'd be better off living in US but hubby loves it over here. He also likes the fact that we can get to foreign places - Spain, Greece etc. so reasonably. I'm a whiz at getting us cheap, cheap holidays.
However he misses his daughters (both in twenties) & knows we could have a very nice place there & keep a small place here.
I think we could pick up enough work to fund our living expenses out there & maybe rent the property out when we aren't using it. I just wonder if we could get out there & work without my getting a special visa - as I could just travel with him & help him?
Anybody else have any thoughts?
Linda


I'm not sure how good the links will be.....but its a start....and most of the people have been through everything so could point you the right way.......

He should be able to work here ok....I'm just wondering about re-entering the UK for him.....

you could do it without getting a greencard.....you'll not be able to work etc..unless it was paperwork helping him from home..can you split the time up in three-four month blocks......just come here in the famine months.....not a straight off 6 month block.....

bellaepovera
28-08-2003, 02:40
I am an American citizen and my husband Italian. When he went to get a visa his expired when his passport did. If one of you is a citizen you should have no problem staying in the states.

lindacarl
28-08-2003, 03:35
Chrizzy
Looking at it I think we would have to split the visits up anyway as we need to work in our 'feast' times. :D
Presumably as he is an American there should be no problem in him working & I suppose I could just tag along & hold his hand & speak to people as long as it was just him who took any money? [?]
Just looked at the one website you gave - I am amazed to see that he might have been able to have a british passport last year, had we known we could apply for him to stay here. They don't tell you those things at Immigration. He was really upset that we didn't know this as it might have solved quite a few problems.
If anyone else has any input I'd be grateful. I have never applied for a US Visa as the day after we got married he got made redundant
:D - What a thing to have to tell your new bride! LOL
The US papers came, all 2" of them & then the papers came for him to come to UK - all 3 sheets :D
As I already had the start of a business in UK then we decided we'd come here & both work at it. He loves it here but there are things he misses in US - mostly his daughters & friends, Louisiana restaurants - nearly put in catfish - but you wouldn't know that [}:)]
Hopefully soon - once the property is sold - we might get best of both worlds. I also have lots of questions to ask on the villa side - another forum. Maybe we might wait for a green card for me.
What do others think?
Linda

chrizzy100
28-08-2003, 04:11
quote:Originally posted by bellaepovera

I am an American citizen and my husband Italian. When he went to get a visa his expired when his passport did. If one of you is a citizen you should have no problem staying in the states.

I was talking on a yahoo board to an American lady who married an Englishman....and he was deported.....for not having the money for his work visa.....even though she had a job.......it was a real mix up....that needed sorting out before he left England......I'd get all info in writing.....and carry tons of copies....:D

chrizzy100
28-08-2003, 04:19
quote:Originally posted by lindacarl

Chrizzy
Looking at it I think we would have to split the visits up anyway as we need to work in our 'feast' times. :D
Presumably as he is an American there should be no problem in him working & I suppose I could just tag along & hold his hand & speak to people as long as it was just him who took any money? [?]
Just looked at the one website you gave - I am amazed to see that he might have been able to have a british passport last year, had we known we could apply for him to stay here. They don't tell you those things at Immigration. He was really upset that we didn't know this as it might have solved quite a few problems.
If anyone else has any input I'd be grateful. I have never applied for a US Visa as the day after we got married he got made redundant
:D - What a thing to have to tell your new bride! LOL
The US papers came, all 2" of them & then the papers came for him to come to UK - all 3 sheets :D
As I already had the start of a business in UK then we decided we'd come here & both work at it. He loves it here but there are things he misses in US - mostly his daughters & friends, Louisiana restaurants - nearly put in catfish - but you wouldn't know that [}:)]
Hopefully soon - once the property is sold - we might get best of both worlds. I also have lots of questions to ask on the villa side - another forum. Maybe we might wait for a green card for me.
What do others think?
Linda


I think you'll be OK coming over for a few months at a time....my friend used to come over for a few months a few times a year before she married her Brit husband who works here....she was pulled over a few times.....but never stopped from coming in.....but I'd not take anyones word for it that it'll be OK.....I'd really look into it....get all your paperwork up to date.....the INS loves paperwork.....hehehehehehe....

Kevin Michael burke
22-09-2003, 16:20
Like yourselves, I am an American living in the UK with an English wife. We were married two years ago. There is no automatic green card for you (or for my wife should we decide to move to Florida). If you wish to move to the US, your husband and you would on your behalf apply to the US embassy for a immigrant visa as the spouse of an American citizen. Once confirmation of receipt has come back from BCIS, you could apply for a K3 non-immigrant visa as a back-up in the event the immigrant petition takes too long. It would probably take 6 - 9 months while the K3 could take weeks and allow you to go to the US sooner and await the approval of the immigrant visa.

Your husband could easily apply to become a UK citizen, making return to the UK no problem for UK purposes. The requirements for a person applying as the husband or wife of a British citizen are that he or she must be be 18 or over, not be of unsound mind, be of good character, be married to a British citizen on the date the application is received; and reside in the UK for 3 years prior to the application and he or she has no time limit to their right to reside in the UK. There are some other alternate grounds which are probably inapplicable. The address for general enquiries and to obtain leaflets and application forms is:

Home Office IND
Immigration and Nationality Policy Directorate
3rd Floor
India Buildings
Liverpool
L2 0QN

The second requirement is that you not abandon the United States as your permanent residence. Residence, for immigration purposes, is a question of your intent when you depart the country. As long as you are not planning to make your home somewhere else, then legally you are still a resident of the United States. Problems arise, however, because the INS will try to judge your intention by the way you act.

As to the US situation, as a general rule, if you have a green card and leave the United States for more than one year, you may have a difficult time re-entering the country. That is because the BCIS feels an absence of longer than one year indicates a possible abandonment of U.S. residence. Even if you do return before one year is up, you may run into trouble. To avoid a full-scale inspection, you should really return within six months.

I hope this information is helpful