Visas and Administrative Procedures for Moving to the United States
Visas
The immigration policy is stringent when moving to the United States. Your co-worker told you about his girlfriend’s cousin’s visa application problems, a horror story! Indeed, it is crucial to be well informed on this subject. We will give you some basic information to guide you in your research later on.
There are different types of visas:
– The student visa (types F, M, or J) allows students to study in the territory. Be careful! This visa does not allow you to work.
– You can extend the tourist or business visa to 6 months, it does not allow you to work in the country, but it does allow business stays.
– Work visas (types H, L, or Q) require a job offer from an employer and are valid for 3 years. After that, your employer can extend the visa for 6 years.
The ESTA form (Electronic System For Travel Authorization)
If you are moving to the United States for less than 90 days, you must fill out this form on the ETSA website.
It is straightforward; the ESTA form is a pre-authorization to enter the United States. You must do it at least 72 hours before your departure and pay 14$.
Please note that the ESTA form is not a visa.
Permanent residence
Ah, this famous Green Card, the key to permanent residence in the United States!
Several options are available to you:
– Marriage to an American citizen,
– Sponsorship by an American employer,
– Sponsorship by a family member who is an American citizen,
– Investing in the United States
– And for the lucky ones…the lottery! The U.S. government distributes 50,000 Green Cards to foreign nationals who participate in the lottery each year. Don’t wait any longer; try your luck!
NB: If you are an expert in a field and your skills are recognized nationally and internationally, you can also apply for the Green Card. Note the process of obtaining a Green Card is quite long.
Finding a mover for the United States
How to find a reliable mover to move your (valuable) belongings to the other side of the world?
It would help if you consider several criteria:
– Reviews and experiences of previous customers
– Services offered by the mover
– The movers’ associations to which they belong to
Importing your vehicle to the United States
Are you planning to move to the United States and import your vehicle? You should know that it is often more interesting to sell your car in the country where you currently reside and buy one locally. Indeed, the prices are more attractive, and you will gain with the exchange.
In addition, you should know that American standards and habits are quite different from yours. For example, Americans drive more gasoline and automatic cars.
But if you want to take your car with you, you will have to present to the American customs:
– A certificate of non-pledge is requested via the Ministry of the Interior website.
– A certificate of value: This is a document to fill out, it is usually provided by the mover, or the mover will tell you where to download it.
Our subsequent publication on moving to the United States will cover:
– Bringing your pet;
– Cost of Living;
– Living in the USA;
– Getting 5 free quotes for moving to the USA.
Do not forget to leave your comments below, as your experience might help our readers.
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