E2 Visa

[RICHNTRISH]

Originally Posted by twostep

Let's be realistic - why would an employer sponsor a paralegal. With mortgage companies and law firms closing due to the current real estate market paralegals are swarming all over job boards.

Work up a budget on today's costs for family and business. Do not forget medical insurance and tuition for your kids. What does your business have to net to break even. What to have a comfortable life?

To be honest i think she would rather retrain in a totally differant field anyhow , new life and all that stuff .We dont need a massive income as we should be mortgage free , the main reason for her to work would be towards getting a green card as we are worried about the kids when they turn 21 ,15 years away i know but you got to think ahead .
What do you mean tuition for kids ???? Don't pay for schooling do you ??

[twostep]

Originally Posted by RICHNTRISH

To be honest i think she would rather retrain in a totally differant field anyhow , new life and all that stuff .We dont need a massive income as we should be mortgage free , the main reason for her to work would be towards getting a green card as we are worried about the kids when they turn 21 ,15 years away i know but you got to think ahead .
What do you mean tuition for kids ???? Don't pay for schooling do you ??

Oh yes! You cannot pick your public school. You have to live in its assigned district. Even public does not mean free. School supplies have to be purchased according to a given list, extra curricular activities such as day trips are normal, after school care, lunches, teachers' appreciation, school donations, closed days on short notice, summer camp. When they get older it gets more. Let's not discuss college yet. Some of the big ones announced increased tuition as of 2008 fall semester today.

A friend of mine has a 7 year old in public school, no frilly extra programs and about 350/mo in fees.

As these frills from boy/girl scouts to swim camp are part of college entrance points - you will like most parents - spend a lot of time as cab driver.

You say you do not need much. Check out health insurance for self employed. Check out bonding and insurance for your business.

Who will take care of the kids when your wife is in school and you will be working 12/7?

Let's assume she makes it through 4 years of college with flying colors and then wants to join the ranks of job seekers - which employer will sponsor a starter? I see them coming through with two MBAs, most with something else such as CPA - and no visa problem and still no job.

Good luck! You will need to do a lot of research before making a move. Your business fails or it not profitable - you and your family have to leave within a very short period of time. Are you prepared for that?

[RICHNTRISH]

Originally Posted by twostep

Oh yes! You cannot pick your public school. You have to live in its assigned district. Even public does not mean free. School supplies have to be purchased according to a given list, extra curricular activities such as day trips are normal, after school care, lunches, teachers' appreciation, school donations, closed days on short notice, summer camp. When they get older it gets more. Let's not discuss college yet. Some of the big ones announced increased tuition as of 2008 fall semester today.

A friend of mine has a 7 year old in public school, no frilly extra programs and about 350/mo in fees.

As these frills from boy/girl scouts to swim camp are part of college entrance points - you will like most parents - spend a lot of time as cab driver.

You say you do not need much. Check out health insurance for self employed. Check out bonding and insurance for your business.

Who will take care of the kids when your wife is in school and you will be working 12/7?

Let's assume she makes it through 4 years of college with flying colors and then wants to join the ranks of job seekers - which employer will sponsor a starter? I see them coming through with two MBAs, most with something else such as CPA - and no visa problem and still no job.

Good luck! You will need to do a lot of research before making a move. Your business fails or it not profitable - you and your family have to leave within a very short period of time. Are you prepared for that?

Yes our schools are pretty much the same for extras and you have to live in the right catchments here to , so we have checked out schools and found some areas to live in .
Business failing is exactly one of the reasons we dont wont to stay on an E2 visa.
So are you saying employers aren't normally interested in sponsoring for a visa ? and would rather save the hassle and employ a native ?

[Bevdeforges]

Take a good look at the State Dept. site on E2 visas here: Treaty Traders and Treaty Investors

The two sections that you may run afoul of include the bit about the investment must be "substantial" - which leads me to believe that $100K pool route isn't going to cut it. There's no threshold figure, but I've heard that they expect something in the vicinity of $500K to $1 million as a minimum investment.

The other one is "The investment may not be marginal. It must generate significantly more income than just to provide a living to the investor and family, or it must have a significant economic impact in the United States;"

The sense I get from all the websites promoting the "ease" of getting an E2 visa for the US is that they're happy to take your money, but I wouldn't count on them being able to "guarantee" a visa at the end of it.
Cheers,
Bev

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by RICHNTRISH

So are you saying employers aren't normally interested in sponsoring for a visa ? and would rather save the hassle and employ a native ?

Sponsoring a foreigner for a job visa costs quite a bit of money over and above any hassle involved in getting the work authorization to hire a foreigner (i.e. proving that there is no qualified local native who can do the job). It varies by the type of visa and job, but the figure I've heard is $1.5K to $2.0K in "petitioning fees." And it is illegal to reclaim these fees in any way from the employee being sponsored.
Cheers,
Bev

[RICHNTRISH]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Take a good look at the State Dept. site on E2 visas here: Treaty Traders and Treaty Investors

The two sections that you may run afoul of include the bit about the investment must be "substantial" - which leads me to believe that $100K pool route isn't going to cut it. There's no threshold figure, but I've heard that they expect something in the vicinity of $500K to $1 million as a minimum investment.

The other one is "The investment may not be marginal. It must generate significantly more income than just to provide a living to the investor and family, or it must have a significant economic impact in the United States;"

The sense I get from all the websites promoting the "ease" of getting an E2 visa for the US is that they're happy to take your money, but I wouldn't count on them being able to "guarantee" a visa at the end of it.
Cheers,
Bev

Thanks , yes ive read through alot of these visa sites and boy does it make your brain hurt . The general concensus seems to be $100,000 minimum although they dont actually say this , just "substantial " but if you invest as low as this you have to be investing 100% yourself .
The amount of sites wanting to sell you help with visas is just amazing and most seem fraudulant .

[Fatbrit]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Sponsoring a foreigner for a job visa costs quite a bit of money over and above any hassle involved in getting the work authorization to hire a foreigner (i.e. proving that there is no qualified local native who can do the job). It varies by the type of visa and job, but the figure I've heard is $1.5K to $2.0K in "petitioning fees." And it is illegal to reclaim these fees in any way from the employee being sponsored.
Cheers,
Bev

In this case, the wife's initial employment would cost no more than anyone else -- she will have an EAD. Company sponsorship with USCIS and legal fees (you'd never get the perm through otherwise) I'd guesstimate at 10k to 20k over a time frame of a decade. All this time, the E2 must be producing sufficiently for renewal.

It is a hell of a long shot.

[twostep]

Originally Posted by RICHNTRISH

Yes our schools are pretty much the same for extras and you have to live in the right catchments here to , so we have checked out schools and found some areas to live in .
Business failing is exactly one of the reasons we dont wont to stay on an E2 visa.
So are you saying employers aren't normally interested in sponsoring for a visa ? and would rather save the hassle and employ a native ?

You are a business man?
An employer has to jump through the hoops of the application process, incurr the costs, hope the applicant will qualify AND get a visa and then wait for six months for his employee.

US college graduates are facing their challenges. A saturated job market unless you are extremely good. First your wife would have to make it through four to six years of school, find a job AND an employer willing to sponsor her. On what grounds would he do that?

You do not want to stay on an E2 and run a business. How do you expect to make a living aside from the visa issue?