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Farrell
27th May 2004, 08:14
Hello Folks

I've been bouncing in and out of the forum for a few months and have learned a lot - thanks in advance for that!

I'm in a bit of a bind as my girlfriend is American, we've been going out for about six months and it is going very well.

I have been doing as much groundschool work as I can on my own, but now I have to start training for real. We both live in France at the moment, but now that my girlfriend is finished her college module here, she has to go back to Wisconsin - and we'd like to keep our relationship going, which would mean my moving to the US.

I have managed to get all the training information and conversion requirements from Adam Penner at Harvsair in Canada (Thanks for answering all my questions - even the dumb ones!)

......but I need advice on how to organise a working visa for the USA. The embassy seems to be uncontactable here in France and their website is worse than the CAA's for long-winded explanations.

I am thirty years old, have a European passport (Irish) and no criminal record.
My only option seems to be a K-3 fiancee visa, but if I get that, I have to marry within 90 days! That'd be a bit crazy, I think.

Sorry about the big post, but if anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it very much.

Thank you

Wayne

FlyingForFun
27th May 2004, 09:17
Wayne,

Sorry, can't help with any direct answers to your questions. But if the website of the US Embassy in France isn't up to much, then try the US Embassy in Britain's website (http://www.usembassy.org.uk/) - I've found this site very helpful when I've been researching Visa issues in the past. Obviously the staff at the Embassy in London won't be able to help you, but that doesn't mean you can't use their website to find out what options you have ;)

Good luck,

FFF
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Hufty
27th May 2004, 11:23
You might find it a struggle to get a flying job in the US unless you're a citizen.

I have no experience but I know people who have, and there have been several threads on Pprune about this. The North America forum might be useful for questions about opportunities for Europeans.

Good luck!

Hufty.

Farrell
27th May 2004, 13:28
Thanks everyone!

I'll keep digging and put the post in the North American Section too.

Wayne :ok:

LAX
29th May 2004, 07:25
Hi all

I have been living in the US for the last few years and have sponsership here with a company. My comments would be first of all think about all the bad things that the CAA do and then multiply them by 10, thats dealing with the INS or now The Department of Homeland Security. I have been waiting for my Green Card for 3 years so far and since Sept 11th everything has really ground to a halt.

My advice would be 1, get your student Visa 2, hire a really good Immigration Lawyer when you get here 3, Marry your girlfriend and you would be pretty much sorted.

Great Country and lifestyle. Best of Luck!

You could also try going to Mexico and sneaking over the border like thousands of others do every day!

:cool:

Farrell
29th May 2004, 09:34
That sounds like good advice LAX

Thank you for your help

Regards

Wayne

BritishGuy
30th May 2004, 04:15
Hey, just my 2 pence worth. I have my Green Card....have had one for about 10-15 yrs. I'm 25 FAA Commercial, CFI, CFII all that funky stuff, etc.....believe me, they won't touch you with a barge pole! Having a Green Card, is just as good as not having one in this industry in the US. Believe me. Having a Green Card, will let you work anywhere else and do anything else almost in the US, but a career flying.....trust me, you'll be hard pressed! Especially now post Sept 11th and all that, I think these guys need to get over it!!

The reason I'm telling you this is that, if you think that once you get one you'll be right up there - you'll be nowhere near. I don't mean to Pi$$ on your bonfire, but thought I'd just let you know.

You'll get on as a CFI/CFII etc, maybe even a Part 135 operation (flying something less that 12,500lbs or 5,700kg) but anything else?? HAHA! Forget it. I'm riding the motions as we speak and back to good ol' Blighty soon I guess!

Farrell
30th May 2004, 15:44
Jaysus!

The ups and downs of it all!

Just made a pun in relation to my career, too!

Wayne :E

mtnflyer
4th Jun 2004, 14:52
hi wayne,a fellow irishman working for an airline here in colorado.YES,you can get a job!.things are definately tight,and the road may be long,but they are there if you persist.what licences/experience do you have?the system works quite differently here,in that you will very rarely get an airline job with the bare minimums,if that is the path you are pursuing.a 1/3 of the world's flying happens here though,so there's something for everyone.you could have some more difficulties with the visa requirements however,as the licence conversions to faa will be relatively painless.pm me if you get a chance,colm

Long Beach CFII
11th Jun 2004, 16:43
I'm 24, from Belfast (kind of Irish I guess!), CFI CFII, living in the US, and this is how I did it...

I came out to visit an American Girl & Family in 2000, that I had known for about 3 years -penpal, email, IM, etc. - for about 10 days prior to an interview with the Royal Marines. When I got back, I decided to cancel my interview, as I got cold feet about the career soldier thing, so I came back out for 3 months, on a Tourist Visa Waiver - this is only good for 90 days. During which I checked out a few local flight schools, picked one that could issue Student Visas (M-1) (although I really wanted to go to a different one that couldn't) and arranged for one to be issued for my return, to start flight training, I also started dating the Pen Friend.

M-1 was originally good for one year, but could be extended for another 12 months, if requested, while in the US. I requested an extension, and was told that it would take 350 days to determine whether I could stay for the year (basically another 15/16 days), meanwhile I was good to stay in the US while they made their minds up.

By this time I've been dating the same chick for almost 2 years, so I asked her parents if I could marry her. We made arrangements to have a quickie wedding in Las Vegas once my Visa ran out or if it was rejected, and a formal wedding for Family and Friends to attend - the proper wedding.

Once I received the letter of rejection from the INS, they gave me another 90 days to leave the country, during which we got married in Vegas, and started going through the necessary hoops to get me work authorization (very important), and a Green Card (to me not important). I had been working at the same place that issued my M-1 as a CFII, so it wasn't really illegal, but certainly fell into a grey area. I did my research online, and didn't hire an expensive lawyer / attorney as I felt it was only US government paperwork, and I knew that I would have an interview coming up soon, and a lawyer was a luxury I couldn't afford. I have heard that an attorney draws suspicion from the INS from someone whose lifestyle can't really afford one.

I got my Green Card issued in July 03, and I'm waiting until August to file a removal of conditional status. And I'm still happily married...

The moral of the story is to find ways to buy as much time as possible before marrying someone, be careful which state you live in, and or get married in (alimony - sometimes called vaginomony etc.) Or, just get married, in the first place as this will probably save a lot of hassle.