Wife and kids are US citizens, can I get residence if I dont work in US?

C

chris999uk

New Member
hi, My wife is a US citizen and I am British. We have been married for over 10 years and raised a family. We are relocating to the USA but here is the confusing bit.....I work for a UK consultancy and I work in Europe, USA & Asia.

While living in UK, it has been easy for me to travel in and out of the US because I LIVE in the UK, have a family and home there. That means US immigration never gets too interested as I come and go.

I will look for a US job but I have a contract fixed for the next 6 months that means I have to continue working for UK company but spending time in US and Asia on multinational project.

I'm guessing I can apply for a family based green card, but I wont be actually working in the US for a few months and I want to be able to come and go as I need. I am guessing I will need to seek legal advice but I really dont even know where to start so any help would be much appreciated.

thanks
 
You don't need to have any employment to get a family-based green card.

However, after you get the green card, if you're employed outside the US for a non-US employer that could be a problem for keeping your green card. And even if you keep your green card, the non-US employment is more problematic when it comes to eligibility for US citizenship, for which the requirements are more strict than for keeping your green card.
 
thanks, that is helpful. I plan to get US employment within a few months. Should I apply from abroad or within the US? Do you know if there are restrictions on entering or leaving the US during the application process?
 
chris999uk said:
thanks, that is helpful. I plan to get US employment within a few months. Should I apply from abroad or within the US? Do you know if there are restrictions on entering or leaving the US during the application process?
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Within a few months from when? It will take 6-12 months to be approved for a green card at the US consulate in the UK. Maybe half of that if your wife uses DCF (Direct Consular Filing), if the consulate will allow it.

Once your wife initiates the green card process, your marriage and her plan to sponsor you for a green card becomes registered in the system and you'll be risking refusal of entry if you attempt to visit the US. It won't be very productive to do much active searching for US employment until you're close to completing the green card process.
 
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