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Im now a LRP (yay) -and i love America, but i am scared i cant make 300k PA like i am in europe :(

C

c92081

Registered Users (C)
HI

I won!! finally.. 10 years or so of trying!

only now i just got a job of a life time, and the salary is 300k! USD!!!

in the US, id be lucky to make 70k (and i dont have a degree) ...

I want badly to move to the US but i want/need to make as much as i can
in this job before i go... a few reasons, im paying for a ill family members medical treatments and some i wont bore you with..

i can think of a few scenarios - give me your thots?

1. send wife and child to usa, buy a home, continue to work in europe
and ''commute'' home every 2/3 months for a week at a time (we get 5 weeks holidays a year.. (SORRY!) :D

2. i buy a place, get cable tv (i already own a usa mobile), etc (show active bills / active life is 'starting up') and continue to pay USA taxes (it will amount to a lot of money as any earners over 80k usd, pay TWO lots of tax im told (vs less than 80k, where you pay only if the country ur paying tax in, somehow wanted less than the equiv state/federal taxes..) -
= which shows
i have a purpose and intention to return
i am contributing to the system and how!

3. i wait till 11months of the first year of gc activation , we go over, buy a place, take 5 weeks annual leave, and during that time, log a request for re-entry permit (which grants a two year extention if i read that right)

((all up scenario 3 -- would buy us ''three'' years))

i would like to think that will be enough, if i save 100k a year, thats a home!
(im broke at the moment - its a new job)

(its an IT Manager job for those that are curious)

is there any scenario above you like best?

could a different scenario (or one above, last for 4-6 years?) - that would be ideal financially speaking but .....pushing it im sure...

((also, could i not remain working here, and rightly say ''id love to move to be with the family RIGHT NOW, IF ONLY i could get the same job/similar pay but with the crisis in the economy, im not even able to get interviews for 70k jobs?)) --> would that, + the fact im paying BOAT LOADS of taxes HELP my case?

i know its not a usual problem..!

its a ''high quality'' problem thats for sure..

on the other hand its NOT always about money

(I know this cuz i worked in london, uk, earning 200,000$ and got a work visa to work at a bank in NYC and accepted a salary of 70,000 - thats a 60% pay cut, because i was dying to live in the states (still am)

anyways, anyone see a way?

can hiring a fancy lawyer be the way? i hate the idea that money talks but maybe this is the only way?

or do i just need to once and for all decide, whats more important>?

ill choose America , start over, work as a waiter at the age of 40 , but my wife and family dont want to move as much as me, and it would strain them more than me to go back to that sort of lifestyle (surfboard, job, food, im good!) - im trying so hard to simply get 200/300 in savings so i can just buy a home and then give up on career, start a small business maybe, and most of all spend hours and hours with the family, surfing with them, playing with them...

maybe its a dream, maybe thats another word for 'retirement'

but By His Grace.. I have got my Greencard after 10_+ years, and I will not
rest until i acheive the dream :)

thanks for reading , peace out and bless you for your consideration!

(please forgive me for sounding anything proud/etc , the financial details are not to impress anyone, but to simply show that its not so simple to 'pack and move' right away! ((i also didnt want to hijack a similar thread))
 
dude..whats your job???Stay wherever you are my friend..I just won the lottery too and I dont know if i wanna move to America now for good...for 300 k no questions asked
 
I would not go! You are already stating your wife and family don't want to go as badly as you and you have an awesome job...this is looking for trouble if you go forward.
Giving up a job like yours and the way your family thinks is heading for a divorce and more arguments....at least that is what I think after reading your threat.

I don't think you can stay out of the country for 2 yrs after having waited almost a year to activate your GC...you are showing signs of not wanting to be here and they aren't stupid. It will also delay your time to become a citizen and you are risking to loose yur GC, so why would you go through this if you have a great life....just make more trips to the US and enjoy the trips....JMO!
 
you not gonna make that kind of money in the US for shure so better stay where you are -I had problem to sustain myself with 85 000 a year in the US (had some medical bills wich virtualy destroyed me for good);go there on holiday
 
It would be interesting to see the statistics involved in people who abandon settling for good despite getting a green card. I have always thought the only reason the DV programme has sustained for as long as it has is because there is a large fall-out along the way. Long term, the actual numbers who become a permanent part of the US population is probably quite low. I think you only need look at this board to see that a lot of the winners rarely speak and write English well. Sure they may have degrees but can you imagine a fresh graduate from, say, Bangladesh with no work experience. What is he going to do when he gets to the US? No way is he going to even get a sniff at top corporate jobs, or the type of career you would want for yourself having gone through how many years of education. So DV winners are like long term tourists. They are revenue generators. They pay DV fees, come into the economy and spend money, buy houses, pay taxes, etc....

The reality therefore of the DV programme is likely to be that you see a very high take-up rate and people who do go through the interview stage and enter the US, but the numbers who actually do stay far and beyond the initial years is not that great. I personally think the US government ought to charge a fee for entering the DV application. For every person who wins the DV and decides not to live in the US afterall, just think of the lost opportunity for others who are well able but have not been selected. Just my 2p.
 
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Do this:
  1. Keep the job.
  2. Fly with your family to activate your Green Card.
  3. Have your wife and child move to US.
  4. While you are working in Europe with your $300 000 salary, visit them on weekends.
  5. Once the family becomes US Citizen, they can sponsor you even when you have abandoned it.
  6. You should keep the option open with GC and you can always abandoned it later.

Also remember, if you force your wife and family to move to US with you and you can't support them with <70K US Salary, then you definitely will have family problems.

$300 000 may not be a 100% guaranteed job and you may be laid off in the future or the bank you work for goes bankrupt. You can always find another job. It all depends on you and if you think $300 000 is good money or can you realistically think you can make more than that?

My note:
I am young and not married. I am waiting get GC so I can make whatever I want to. Best decision is to take a long term view than tempted to go for short term gain. Economic Recession all that will pass. Just make the best long term decision. US is for making MONEY. ;)
 
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With $300 000 salary job, you can definitely promise your wife she will have HER house in America. This will motivate her to move to USA. Which woman will refuse this offer?

But if you are real man, then you must keep the promise :D

no_trying said:
Do this:
  1. Keep the job.
  2. Fly with your family to activate your Green Card.
  3. Have your wife and child move to US.
  4. While you are working in Europe with your $300 000 salary, visit them on weekends.
  5. Once the family becomes US Citizen, they can sponsor you even when you have abandoned it.
  6. You should keep the option open with GC and you can always abandoned it later.

Also remember, if you force your wife and family to move to US with you and you can't support them with <70K US Salary, then you definitely will have family problems.

$300 000 may not be a 100% guaranteed job and you may be laid off in the future or the bank you work for goes bankrupt. You can always find another job. It all depends on you and if you think $300 000 is good money or can you realistically think you can make more than that?

My note:
I am young and not married. I am waiting get GC so I can make whatever I want to. Best decision is to take a long term view than tempted to go for short term gain. Economic Recession all that will pass. Just make the best long term decision. US is for making MONEY. ;)
Click to expand...
 
no_trying said:
Do this:
  1. Keep the job.
  2. Fly with your family to activate your Green Card.
  3. Have your wife and child move to US.
  4. While you are working in Europe with your $300 000 salary, visit them on weekends.
  5. Once the family becomes US Citizen, they can sponsor you even when you have abandoned it.
  6. You should keep the option open with GC and you can always abandoned it later.

Also remember, if you force your wife and family to move to US with you and you can't support them with <70K US Salary, then you definitely will have family problems.

$300 000 may not be a 100% guaranteed job and you may be laid off in the future or the bank you work for goes bankrupt. You can always find another job. It all depends on you and if you think $300 000 is good money or can you realistically think you can make more than that?

My note:
I am young and not married. I am waiting get GC so I can make whatever I want to. Best decision is to take a long term view than tempted to go for short term gain. Economic Recession all that will pass. Just make the best long term decision. US is for making MONEY. ;)
Click to expand...

go visit your wife while on week ends...thats not a very sound statement.Also,time flies by and this period of adjustment that one has to endure when settling down abroad could be fatal to a marriage.
MY FRIEND,STICK TO YOUR 300K A YEAR JOB
 
no_trying said:
US is for making MONEY. ;)
Click to expand...

Delusional if you think this and very misleading to people. The streets of America are NOT paved with gold. Employers prefer people with local experience so an immigrant will never be able to match peer level. A large proportion of immigrants probably end up worse off economically. People just want to go over for reasons other than money.
 
c92081 said:
I want badly to move to the US but i want/need to make as much as i can in this job before i go... a few reasons, im paying for a ill family members medical treatments and some i wont bore you with..
Click to expand...
Do what you want, especially if you want it that badly... No money is worth living in a place which you do not like. What makes more sense - live to make money, or make money to live? I would not go back to my home country for a 10 times salary.
 
RUFGH said:
Delusional if you think this and very misleading to people. The streets of America are NOT paved with gold. Employers prefer people with local experience so an immigrant will never be able to match peer level. A large proportion of immigrants probably end up worse off economically. People just want to go over for reasons other than money.
Click to expand...

Me and my parents are Immigrants, I know how hard it is for Immigrant to live and adjust to another country. Life is even harder if you can't speak the language. America is not suitable if you are looking for steady job. America wasn't founded on that basis. Sometimes you don't get a second chance.
 
This thread deals with an issue that is quite related to what a friend of mine is facing.

He will soon finish his PHD at one European University, and also won DV2010. he is in a dilemma of whether to go on to the process, pay the fees (for two persons) and end up by abandoning the possibility of being an assistant professor even in a university where he currently studying and above all putting down the drain all his sweat of about 22 years.
 
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Thank you everyone for your posts and encouragement and wisdom

I am speaking with an immigration lawyer tomorrow and will post an update shortly

similar to a few folks who have said effectively 'move, and drag out the final stage' yeah, it seems like i can get 2, possibly three years that way, and honestly that ought to be enough if i can save 100 per year

consider that i pay now, 70,000 in RENT , and cant buy without 20% deposit (buy starts at 1.5 to 2 million for anything reasonable)

should we immediately buy in the usa, thats 3 years worth of RENT-=-> 3 x 70k effectively saved' -210k bish bash boshed, on top is the typical 30% of salary that we should save normally

with a capital base/equity base like that in 3 years, it ought to be enough to start a small business>? (I wont hope for any realestate equity gain hahahahha)

(but lets face it, the savers of the earth will now pay for the folly of the credit market, once the house mkt bottoms, get ready to leverage yourself to the hilt because interest rates will spiral and thats the only way to make money my traders say , in the same credit market which crushed the world - ie Leverage!)

...another thot was:

If you work outside the US but for a government agency, you are un-affected by the time limits, I have worked for a US Embassy (even got to meet President Bush :) in the past and wonder, 'maybe if i somehow' managed to get a part time job (1/hr?) as a tutor even to Embassy Children, I could keep my full time job and do that for the benefit of the kids with a 'perk ...?

...or Volunteer Armed Forces (technical devision) something in the Goverment's purview at any rate?

im encouraged that one has won DV07 and again DV10 - i suppose another way
is to form a plan as we are talking.. stick to it, and each and every year, re-apply
for each new DV lottery on the off chance that THAT year is both the year that I win again / and simultaneously be 'stripped' at a border crossing of my LPR status thru a deemed notion of my 'abandonment'


and a final thot for today -

say you do the following:
1. pay LOTS of taxes
2. buy a house
3. do the normal cable/phone/electricity thing
4. friends across the country
5. several trips per year (ok lets not focus on the ''number of days present'')

would not any regular Imm Officer see that and say, ''doesnt LOOK like abandonment to me''

(ie i get the notion that there may be people who 'win' fly over / leave - and seek to return 6 or 8 years later like it was a birthright' -- > I get that these scenarios are clear cut... would the above really raise the ire that badly? (tax dollars are...tax dollars)

--as for earning power.. the desire to move to the usa is based on broader goals (spiritually, friendlier nation, lifestyle, weather,) i would be happy to work odd jobs for the lifestyle alone, but being an Atype person, ill probably start a consultancy, grow it to a thriving business and sell it (lol) as seems to be the way of the IT Man's progression :)

peace out
 
c92081 said:
Thank you everyone for your posts and encouragement and wisdom

I am speaking with an immigration lawyer tomorrow and will post an update shortly
Click to expand...

Great, let us know how it goes!

c92081 said:
(but lets face it, the savers of the earth will now pay for the folly of the credit market, once the house mkt bottoms, get ready to leverage yourself to the hilt because interest rates will spiral and thats the only way to make money my traders say , in the same credit market which crushed the world - ie Leverage!)
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Huuh, can you explain more for those of us who dont live in the Finance capital of the world?

c92081 said:
...another thot was:

If you work outside the US but for a government agency, you are un-affected by the time limits, I have worked for a US Embassy (even got to meet President Bush :) in the past and wonder, 'maybe if i somehow' managed to get a part time job (1/hr?) as a tutor even to Embassy Children, I could keep my full time job and do that for the benefit of the kids with a 'perk ...?

...or Volunteer Armed Forces (technical devision) something in the Goverment's purview at any rate?
Click to expand...

I dont think that would work. The job would need to be full time...

c92081 said:
would not any regular Imm Officer see that and say, ''doesnt LOOK like abandonment to me''
Click to expand...

Immigration officers at the border look for specific flags, like spending six months in a row outside the states or too many trips with most time spent outside US. I dont think they care if you pay phone / cable bills. Seems from other posts here that they have a very strict definition of residency in the US, i.e. you need to actually live there to maintain residency, or have an approved reentry permit to return as LPR. ;)
 
Hokay!

at a cost of , lol, more than i make, $400 for 30 minutes ahhaha here is the wisdom of the Masters....


American Law regarding immigration/retaining LPR status is ambiguous - therefore it requires constant interpretation at each border crossing

this is good apparently. Compared to Canadian law which simply states 'if you are outside the country for greater than eg 186 days you forfeit your status' (or whatever the number is..)

The crux of the issue in regards to my situation (i seek 3-5 years, not more) is merely the answer of attainment of the Re-Entry Permit.

where i have read that the re-entry permit is only good for a maximum of two years, its correct however, the wrinkle (to the upside ;) is that I simply return before the 2 years expires, re-apply for a second new re-entry permit!

the caveat (catch) is that the subsequent issuance is predicated by the previous duration - should one be abroad for four of the last 5 years , then the max length of the Permit is one year, so the process allows for
1 2 year permit, return for
a 2nd 2 year permit, return for
a 3rd permit but of 1 year
total = 5 years

after that, permits are possible, however it becomes a creative exercise according to ..

and each Re-entry visa submission requires being in the US to lodge it, and return to the US xx weeks later to get fingerprints checked.. (so two visits plus the permit process) (he quotes 2,000$ to do mine, or 3,000$ for the 'family')

leveraging up on the American Lifestyle
indeed, with each boarder crossing the chances of questioning are vague, and could be determined by the ''Wheat Toast Phenomenon'' - this when the guy at the gate, didnt get his white toast that day, and everyone in his path that day gets a grilling..

his advice is that because i will be holding a re-entry permit, I will go pretty much unhindered

should any questions arise the various suggestions so far in this thread would
work in 'concert' to demonstrate 'yeah, this guy is in the process of leaving europe for his adopted country'

at the same time, taking similar steps in europe to DE-Leverage

1 if i get a house in US - DONT keep a house in europe / rent on a short term lease
2 if i get a phone in the US - document that i have cancelled my europe number
etc

I should ensure my european work visa is of a temporary nature or change it for a temporary (renewing) kind

the topic of my non-usa job came up, but apparently its again, part of a overall picture you are painting for the 'inspector'

bot a house, got bills, got phones, reduced overseas commitments, but couldnt fully wrap up overseas affairs and needed the re-entry permit to enable u to do that? should do the trick

the example of it NOT working was the case of WONG
- she travelled to US 3/4 times a year, stayed in HER home, paid US Taxes
but after 5 years, they asked 'but Mrs Wong, your husband's job is a Dean at Japan University?' --> that seemed to undo the intentions of the rest of her 'total story'

as long as i am not trying to live two lives like that, and can SHOW im connected to the states and not looking to simply 'pop over once a year to renew status' - he thinks
its a no brainer to go 3-5 years

and regarding working for non-usa firm, i should apply for US Jobs of a similar payscale - with documentation

in the total story of my presentation is shows Hey, im in the process of moving,
got the family moved, got the house, got schools, etc etc the job well no one expects u (apparently) ((in a re-entry permit world view)) to drop ur life in a heart beat and board a plane

apparently if you dont 'take the piss' out of the system, there is some latitude for ...'interpretation'


regarding tax structure

hes not a CPA but sounds generally that the 80k threshold means
USA wont tax you on the first 80k if you are outside the country
and for the rest, they then first look to how tax u already paid on that and award
you credits - he didnt (but dont quote me) think i would materially be paying more tax
- ie double taxation

regarding sending wife ahead
the notion that we separate the family and I ''commute'' every xx months would be down more to the dynamic of our marriage (ha) - ie, he thinks re-entry permit and above steps would be enough, the only time I may want to go that hardcore in showing ties to the country (But Officer, how can you say i have abandoned my status when i have my family, house, life and wife there??) at the other side of the 5 year marker


re credit markets commentary

the crisis in the financial markets started in the credit market, this is the part of the markets where bank a, lends 'over night' funding to bank b, to affect transactions, sort of a slush transaction to cover the zillions of actual transactions in play...

with all the fear about banks going bust, banks start to not trust eachother will be around by the end of the week!!!, hence no 'interbank lending' , hence no security transaction to cover the zilions of day actual transactions. no day to transactions = crash.

no credit. no markets.

no markets. no stock market. no stock market, no wall street. no wall street no jobs.

the savers will pay for the disaster

what the government did to fix this was to 'print more money' - and lend it themselves to the banks, this , and guarantees (tarp loans) that banks wouldnt fail, was supposed cure the FEAR in banks of one another and restore credit (crucial day to day transaction flow)

when the government adds money to the system what do u get?

answer: inflation

with inflation you get rapid price hikes

therefore, the guy who as 100,000 in his bank account and leaves it there - gets robbed.

his 100,000 , in a land of spiraling inflation will be worth 90,000 or worse when adjusted

but inflation is there and prices are gonna rise

a house worth 100,000 will start to climb again and be worth 120,000

thus -- the way to make money in the next round is to keep plenty of cash for now, and get as big a wack of CREDIT margin as you can (dont USE the credit cards with their new 30,000 limit!!!) but build as much credit approval as u can

then ... as the market bottoms and interest rates begin to show they are climbing steadily, LEVERAGE yourself to 'oblivion' as my friend says

if you only buy a 100,000 home, and it sells for 120,000 , thats nice
if you manage to borrow into a 1 million dollar home and it sells for 1.2 million
u just made 200,000 with the same 'change'

its a risk of course. but the traders argues. 'hey.. if the markets go to pot a second time the world will end anyways so do u really care at that point?'

....well thats not sound financial planning from a professional, but from an IT guy who listens and thinks he got it (could well be wrong) - so its at your own risk!! :)


bottom line for me
this is encouraging as i dont want to live in europe long term, i merely want to "manage my transition as advantageously as possible'' - if i can save 3-400k in 2/3 years, i really dont 'need' to delay finalizing the move beyond that - once i get a house, the cost of living in the US really IS cheaper

(I went to macdonalds in europe today, bot 2 bigmacs and med fries and coke -
(we shared the fries/coke) -cost? == $19 , bot a movie ticket cost = $19


ps
they CAN NOT take your card away from you at the boarder.

You can simply refuse to relinquish it. they can only 'counsel you' into acknowledging u should 'surrender it'
- dont. refuse if you get backed into a corner (dont raise their ire prematurely but if the conversation turns to this sort of grilling. .refuse to surrender it. you must be allowed entry. then the courts decide the matter


later,

c92081
 
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They will not take the card, just refuse the entry, and there is nothing you can do to stop it. You will have to go back to your country and make an appeal, which takes years, even if you are right...
 
hey im just passing on the Immigration Lawyers knowledge - i figure if anyone is qualified to make those sorts of statements its him

either way, i hope not to test it!

peace out
 
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