US Visa/Citizenship - Howto + Advice please?
 

I have a girlfriend who lives in the US. I'm Canadian and would like to get a Visa or apply for American citizenship eventually... possibly with the next year if that's feasible. Attending college or university down therein the next one or two years will most likely happen as well. (Student visa?)

I really have no clue on how to even go about doing this. I've looked at the American website for immigration, but it just seems like a massive jumble of information with no actual instruction.

Is there anyone here who has done this or could offer some insight?

Is there anything in America for you OTHER than some goofy broad? Seriously, this is a ridiculous time to be jonesing to be an American, unless you're into the whole bread/circus/flashing lights deal.

The possibility of schooling. I've been wanting to get out and get a real education from a decent university, if that counts.

This is probably the guide you're looking for. Don't say nobody warned you! <3

So why did you bother mentioning the girlfriend who lives in the US?

PS - have fun. The paperwork you need to go through is totally lol

Because they are both good reasons to move... :p (we're talking in the future... not like TOMORROW) Also, don't they look at that kind of stuff when reviewing a visa application? The possibility of marriage, work and education seem to be the biggest concerns from what I've read.

Despite "lol gurlfrend" and etc., I'm actually quite serious about this. If there's anything that could help increase my chances of getting accepted, I'd be down with doing that. (And no, I'm not getting married just for a green card. :rolleyes:)

SYW is awesome.

Are you in school now? If highschool, talk to your guidance counsellor about studying abroad. If university, then go to your career center, or whoever is in charge of inter-school crap, and look at it that way. Maybe you can get a year's internship in the States.

If none of that pans out, call on your favourite colleges or check their websites for some help. Or check your local library, which'll have books on emigration.

If you can wait until you graduate, it is possible to get an employer to sponsor you to come over. But I think they have to file some papers saying that you're the only person they found who can do your job, or some dumb shit like that...probably a pain in the ass if your employer's not a multinational.

There's also a short-list of professions that can get easy access Visas to the US through some NAFTA provisions for 1 or 2 years at a time. I think journalists, doctors, engineers, accountants, lawyers, things like that. Maybe businessmen. (Some of those jobs may require after-school polishing to join the profession, so you might be waiting 6-10 years).


Lastly, I wouldn't move just for a woman, totally not worth the hassle/loneliness just for that. Plus, American schools are so much more expensive. At most take a job internship through school.

lol did you pick a bad time to try to emigrate to the US. Anyway a school visa of some kind would be your best bet, but don't expect any favors once you're over. non-citizen tuition payments will leave you bleeding and dazed on the floor.

Guardian, if you are really interested about schooling in the US, there is nothing wrong with hitching an education at a community college for however long it takes for you to become a US citizen. Once that happens, you will find tuition to be much more manageable.

You can save a TON of money and take all the basic classes needed, which almost always transfer to 4 year institutions and its a fraction of the price of a university.

Just something to keep in mind. :)

Yeah, but I imagine he won't be able to get a student visa in order to attend a community college in the US.

I am going through this process myself for various reasons so I know a bit about it.

Citizenship != Visa. You can get a Visa to go to the States. You can get a Green Card to work in the States. You are not a citizen though. That requires taking a test on a variety of subjects. Don't confuse the two.

You can get a student visa although the steps involved in that are a bit muddy in my mind. Ultimately, you get acceptance into a college in the States, get an invitation letter, and then let a consulate or whatnot process stuff. They will probably want to interview you to check your English and make sure things check out.

There are other Visas(in your particular case, the fiancee Visa), but I seriously could not see you getting them at this stage in your relationship. The time frame is anywhere from 6 months to 2 years at least. It depends on the type of the relationship and Visa you are going for. Of course, making mistakes in the paperwork slows things down (or stops them altogether).

As someone said, you didn't pick the greatst of times because things are bogged down and more expensive. I am still setting up the initial forms myself and the costs jumped up since the end of July. Of course, you also need to get your own passport.

With that said, I echo the setiments of the other posters. I am positive there are good colleges in Canada. Coming to the States to go to college but with the primary reason being to find a suitable mate is ill-advised, time-consuming, frustrating, and costly. Maybe you should ask this other person to apply/transfer to a university in Canada instead?