Details on obtaining a green card

[jademckinon]

Hello. I am currently living in South Africa, but want to relocate to the States within the next year or two.
Besides having a one in a billion chance with the Green card Lottery, is there any other way that I can go about registering/applying for residency to be able to live and work there?

I am aware that the system is pretty strict when it comes to allowing foreigners into the country for longer than a holiday basis. Also, getting hired by a company who can provide me with a working visa, is a little tricky, as I am in the Show Business Industry.

If anyone knows anything or is able to assist me with this, please, please, please let me know.

Thank you!

JADE*

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum! I've moved your message to the America section, where it should be seen by more folks who may be able to help.

By now you've probably already studied the official State Department pages on Green Cards and other forms of visas. Yes, it's tough and getting tougher.

Most categories of visas require some form of "sponsorship" (the term in the US is having a "petitioner" to support your visa application). A petitioner is either a family member or an employer who is willing to employ you and has gone through the necessary steps to assure the government you aren't taking a job from an American.

That said, your chances can rise and fall based on your training and job experience. Show Business isn't an automatic "out" - but you may want to consider what distinct experience you can bring to an employer in the US: language, access to performers who might be of interest, whatever else you can think of. Finding a job in the US is a matter of marketing yourself to a large extent.
Cheers,
Bev

[synthia]

What, exactly, do you do in Show Business? Performers can usually get work permits for at least the duration of a movie or play or TV series, I think. Mainly because there is no way for a director to go out and hire someone with a performer's qualifications. There just aren't any duplicate Nicole Kidman's running around.

[jademckinon]

I am an actress, model and drummer. I know I have something to offer "Hollywood" so to say, just need to be given the opportunity.....

I can try for the work permit, but I want to actually move there permanently, so I'm needing something more along the lines of permanent documentation? I'm not sure if that is possible?

[jademckinon]

Thank you so much Bev.

I don't have any family members, only lots of friends, which I'm sure won't really count when it comes to the legalities of sponsorship.

I suppose what I could do for now is continue researching companies and submitting my cv around?

Also, I do have a British Passport. As far as I am aware, that gets you an automatic 3-4 month access into The States? So it's a start, but does having this passport add more advantages?

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by jademckinon

Also, I do have a British Passport. As far as I am aware, that gets you an automatic 3-4 month access into The States? So it's a start, but does having this passport add more advantages?

Having a British passport means that you are probably eligible for the Visa Waiver Program - and you can visit the US for a 90 day period without a visa. (And they do mean 90 days - NOT three months... they count the days literally.) You are supposed to have a return ticket back to your home country (or somewhere else) to prove your good faith - and you can't just duck out to Canada for a few days and then re-enter for another 90 days. Even if you get away with that, you could be jeopardizing your chances for a legit long-stay visa should they discover you've cheated on the visa waiver thing.

The one catch to all this is that, technically, if you come into the US on a visa waiver, you aren't supposed to be looking for work while you're here. Now, there's no way they can effectively enforce that - but I have heard of a few cases where, on checking someone's luggage they have denied entry based on finding a cache of CV's and other obvious job hunting material.

Other than for the VWP, your British passport doesn't actually give you any advantages - well, other than the fact that most Americans think British accents are "cool."

But breaking into Show Biz is difficult. You could do better by making yourself very visible where you are - stage, theater groups, etc. Look how well "foreign" actors did this year in the Academy Awards. That's where Hollywood will be going now for its talent.
Cheers,
Bev

[jademckinon]

Thank you again for taking the time to assist me on this.
However, I am generally looking at moving out of this country permanently, for personal reasons, not just occupational.

I'll just keep praying, for some kind of sign

I really appreciate your time!

[Bevdeforges]

One off the wall approach is to consider going for a student visa. There is a graduate program in some universities for what is called "arts management." Basically, they teach you how to run a gallery, a theater or theater troupe, an orchestra, etc. from the management point of view.

It's not a bad skill to have alongside acting and some of the other stuff. And I think there's a provision for converting a student visa into a working visa if you can get a job on graduation.

Like I said, that's the long way around, but it you can swing it, it could be worth a try.
Cheers,
Bev

[synthia]

One advantage of doing a graduate program is that you can then get a one year visa to work in your field in the US. It's designed to allow a sort of internship to go with your degree. Once you are working, it is supposedly easier for an employer to sponsor you.

I'm not sure how it works long term, but it seems there are a lot of actors and models who move here permanently, so there must be a way to go from temporary to permanent.

Try googling 'actor US work permit' and you will find some articles and forums to look at. It looks as if the process is very different for actors.