Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with visa

Advice about moving to Montreal for artists

cotesdurhone — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:21:39 -0800

Advice about moving to Montreal (for artists)? I've decided I want to move to Montreal. I've been doing a lot of research, including looking through old Metafilter posts, but do not have a clear sense yet of what my chances are or the best channels to pursue.

Please help me find out:
-- Whether I stand a chance (only reasonable, empirically-based responses, please)
-- And, if yes, suggestions on how to best go about it

Some pertinent information:

I am 30, a writer (of literature), live in Boston. Was educated at a 'good liberal arts college,' and had a semester at Oxford studying creative writing.

My English is excellent, and I also have a high level of fluency in Russian. I do not speak French, but if I had the opportunity to move to Montreal, would straightway try to take the French classes sponsored by the government.

(By the way, does anyone have any information about this?-- Apparently, the Quebec government, in order to 'Francify' new residents and improve their chances of finding employment, will provide them with free French classes and a living stipend while taking them. One person seemed to indicate that they could be arranged as part of the Visa process, but, as I research, the catch-22 seems to be that one needs to obtain a Visa beforehand.)

For the last five years or so, I've been working part-time at office manager-type jobs while simultaneously working on my writing. I have also made money occasionally as a freelance editor, Russian translator, and illustrator (though no official degrees to prove I have these skills).

In Montreal, my plan would be to continue working part-time, also possibly freelancing in editing and illustration, and working on my writings the rest of the time.

I was thinking that, if it would be helpful and possible-- which it probably isn't--, I could also provide a 'resume' and attachments of publications and writings as a sort of appendix to the Visa application.

For more specific information, please see a previous post.
(Yes, I realize they are similar-- but this is one is specifically about Montreal.)

Thanks!

Is the Visitor Visa as perfect as it sounds?

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:32:03 -0800

Is a Visitor Visa (B-2) as perfect as it seems? What should I expect? I am a British citizen, my wife is an American citizen. We got married in the US a couple of weeks ago, and I have since had to return to the UK, as I was there through the Visa Waiver Program. We intend to apply for the appropriate spousal visa (CR-1) as soon as we can afford to, but in the meantime, we are settling with ~90 day VWP trips. (We're aware that the CR-1 is not the best visa to seek, but it's the one that works best for us.)

That, however, is rather expensive, and is severely limiting our ability to save for the CR-1, so we've been investigating cheaper workarounds, and I stumbled across the Visitor's Visa. It seems perfect: can be issued for between 90 days and 10 years, if I've read correctly, and it seems affordable, too: preliminary investigations suggest it should cost under $300.

Is this really as great and inexpensive as it sounds? Is there anything I should be aware of?

The only difficulty I can see is proving that I intend to leave before the visa expires. I've visited twice this year under the VWP and left within 90 days each time, which I hope will look good. I can also demonstrate that I've obviously researched the CR-1 rather extensively, which I would hope works in my favour, too. Aside from that, I don't have a great deal in the way of evidence, since I don't own a home in the UK (I sleep on a couch at my Mother's place), since I'm not here enough to warrant the expense (there was only 3 months between my last trip, and I hope to spend only around a month here this time before going back to the US, depending on how long the B-2 takes to process, if we go that route). I don't have a job here, either. My only income comes from some online work I do for an American citizen, which will do nothing for my case. I saw some advice given to someone on here asking about a different visa that suggested asking a friend with some authority to set up an "interview" for a date some time after my intended return date, to give authority to my claim that I do in fact intend to leave, but I'm wary of fabricating things, given some of the immigration horror stories I've heard. Exactly how stringent are they likely to be on this?

If I did decide to apply, I think I'd seek permission to stay for somewhere between 6 months and a year, which should be plenty of time to save enough for the CR-1, since there won't be ~$800 expenses for flights every 3 months. Presumably, they're more willing to give the visas for shorter stays, so I'd aim to make it as short as possible.

I know that I can't work on this visa. That shouldn't be an issue. My wife earns enough to support us while I'm there. And, though I need to do a little research into the legalities and details, I'm fairly sure my aforementioned job should be legal while I'm in the US. (It's contract work, which as I understand it, is allowed as long as I'm paying tax on whatever I earn. But that's something I'm still researching. Any advice is welcomed, on that front.)

Thoughts?

Anonymous, just in case. A lot of the immigration talk I've seen on here seems to include advice to stay anonymous.

Remotely buying a computer in the UK from Canada

krunk — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:40:49 -0800

My parents (in Canada) are trying to buy a PC for their family in the UK, but they're having trouble finding a store that will take their money. Apparently they won't accept foreign credit cards, or even money orders. He's tried Dell, PC World, Curry's, and a few others. Any ideas?

How much do I need in savings for my UK Ancestry visa?

BAKERSFIELD! — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:39:30 -0800

I'm applying for an Ancestry Visa to enter the United Kingdom. How much money do I need to have in my savings account to demonstrate I can support myself? I have a job offer, my contract starts in January. I also have a cousin I can stay with when I arrive. Has any other Mefite applied for Ancestry and know approx how much I need to scrape together to improve my application?

Any other advice on this process is much appreciated.

Relocating to Brisbane, Aus.

fox_terrier_guy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:03:35 -0800

I have been shortlisted for a job in Brisbane, Aus. Obviously I am thrilled and would like to know a little about Brisbane. (Yes, Google is my friend). I would like to know from any Aussies or someone who has been in the same "boat". I have multiple questions, which branch into.... My son (who will be 18) will be with me, most likely to live.

Question 1: How hard will it be for him to obtain a visa if he is just out of high school and living with me? I don't exactly know what my visa will be, but I suspect it will be a skilled work visa (I am an engineering manager in an SOL - if that helps). He would like to work or attend college (he is a little unclear on that right now, but is also interested possibly in joining the ADF. Could that be a way in for him?

Question 2: Brisbane looks like a fabulous place. Other than touristy things to see and do, what are some of the cool, fun and non-touristy things to see and do?

Question 3: I will be working in the Acacia Ridge area. Are there any areas in Brisbane to avoid living in? Any I should look for that would be close to work? I am a left hand driver, and will have to take some lessons before attempting the roads (I almost got killed at a roundabout in Scotland - and so am a little nervous driving there without some training).

Thanks all!

Visa Problems

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:23:50 -0800

I'm supposed to be at the Spanish Consulate in Miami getting a student visa tomorrow (appt. at 9:25am), but I don't have all the paperwork I need because some of it hasn't arrived from the school that I'll be studying at next semester(as a visiting student). What do I do? What can I do? Fun complications after the jump. So, i'm studying abroad next semester through Saint Louis University's Madrid campus. They (SLU) were supposed to send me the documents I need to apply for a student visa, but they have not arrived to me in the mail. These documents are (I believe) coming from the Saint Louis campus of SLU. Because of the time difference and the fact that I have an appointment with the consulate at 9:25am tomorrow and that I live in Tampa and i'll be driving to Miami (which takes about 5 hours), there's no way I can wait and call SLU in the morning to see what's up and/or potentially get them faxed to me.
I'm going to call the Madrid office when they open in 2 or 3 hours, and see if they can do anything, but what should I do in the meantime? Is there anything I can do, realistically?
Also, as a sidenote, what do you wear when applying for a visa? Should I put on a shirt with a collar/tie/etc?

Working abroad? Sweet. LDR? Not so much.

azuresunday — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:19:47 -0800

Visafilter: I've been hitting a brick wall with the Japanese consulate regarding same-sex partners and dependent-visa eligibility. Any Mefites have experience with this sort of thing? I'm a guy in my mid-twenties with a same-sex partner about the same age, and we've been together for six years. I've just been hired to teach English in Japan this spring, which I'm really excited about, and my SO has an interview lined up with the same company this weekend. I'm fairly confident he'll be hired as well (he's got much more teaching experience) but just in case, we're applying elsewhere and researching alternatives, including visa options.
I've found several unofficial websites like this one which mention it's now possible for a married same-sex partner to sponsor their accompanying spouse.
I've tried calling the local Japanese Consulate in Seattle to confirm or deny this, but the visa officer was out, and it seemed like no matter how I phrased the question, all I got back from the woman I spoke to was "Japan doesn't have a domestic partnership visa," which felt like a canned answer and didn't actually address my question.
What I want to know is whether a married (or in Washington State, domestic-partnered) couple is eligible to apply for the already-existent dependent visa, or perhaps some other type of visa I'm not aware of.
The SO and I aren't married - we've discussed getting hitched but we've held off due to R-71, and given the general lack of information from the Consulate, we aren't sure whether becoming domestic partners in Washington would do anything for my partner's visa eligibility anyway. Maybe a state offering full-on Marriage would be better?
I'd really appreciate any advice from Mefites who have either Japan-specific experience or those who have successfully negotiated similar problems before. Anything helps, really. Please let me know if you need more information, and thanks in advance.

How do I help my amateur non-American singer get a U.S. visa?

malocchio — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:41:32 -0800

I've been working with a Finnish singer who hopes to come to the U.S. next spring. Ideally, we'd like to play some shows in the U.S., but it looks like obtaining a visa may be very challenging... She has contacted the U.S. Embassy, who informed her:

Even as an amateur musician you must have a work permit approved by the US immigration. The US-contact needs to file the work petition, Form I-129 (www.uscis.gov under ‘Forms’) with the USCIS.

I reviewed the I-129, and it looks like our best bet is to file as a P-3: "an alien coming temporarily to perform, teach, or coach, individually, or as part of a group, in the arts or entertainment fields in a program that is culturally unique."

In order to file as a P-3, we must submit

1) A written consultation from an appopriate labor organization

2) Evidence that all performances will be culturally unique and documentation that the performance of the alien or group is culturally unique as evidenced by actual reviews in newspapers, journals, or other published materials.

So, we are lacking in these items. And I suspect that a demo CD isn't really enough to get reviews in any type of publication that will be good enough for the DHS. She probably has until the end of January to file, so we have a couple of months to scrounge something up.

Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions?

An American in Berlin, legally

minicloud — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:22:53 -0800

I'm a cartoonist working on a book for an American publisher and getting paid by them. Is there some sort of visa I can apply for to stay in Europe (specifically Germany) for longer than the 3 month tourist visa and still be legal? Basically, I just want to be able to stay here for 3 to 5 months without being "illegal". I dont plan on working for any German companies or using any of their social services (I have US healthcare). So what could I do to be official?

How can I convert prepaid reward cards to cash?

SuperCoolZane — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:42:01 -0800

What is the best way to convert prepaid reward credit cards to cash? I have a reward card from American Express and a rebate card through Visa that I would like to convert to cash because spending the precise amount the cards are worth is difficult.

nanny Visa

jasondigitized — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:16:16 -0800

My wife and I live outside the United States. We are both U.S. citizens. We currently employee a full-time nanny for our daughter. Our nanny is from the Philippines and she is awesome. She is not a U.S. citizen. Eventually we will be moving back to the U.S. What is the likelihood that we could take our nanny with us when we move back? What would we have to do to make this possible?

Kayaking the Mediterranean?

twirlypen — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:54:22 -0800

Kayaking the Mediterranean- is it possible? I'm especially curious about visa issues when entering new countries along the coast, and the legality (or not) of camping on beaches along the way. I'm idly thinking that with a kayak and a tent, a lovely little extended trip could be had around the Mediterranean Sea. What I'm not so sure about are how people go through customs and get visas and that when they're not entering at an airport or border, and how possible it would be to camp on beaches for much of the way.

Any experience on any of the relevant places would be great. Thanks!

Heading off trouble at the Peace Bridge

randomination — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 10:57:28 -0800

My I-94W visa waiver, given to me at the US border, was not collected when I crossed back into Canada. Will this be a problem if I want to come back? I am a British citizen and permanent resident of Canada. On a weekend trip to northern New York state in early July, I was given an I-94W at the Buffalo/Fort Erie border, for which I had to pay $6. The US border official told me that I could keep the form in my passport if I wanted to make any more short trips in the following 90 days.

On the way back two days later, I was waved on through into Canada, and the I-94W was not removed from my passport.

I thought nothing more of this, but idly Googling around this morning, I saw this and it alarmed me.

The waiver expires in 48 hours, and understandably I don't want anybody at the US border next time I cross to conclude I stayed longer than 90 days when I only stayed a weekend. Am I worrying about nothing, or do I need to send them a bunch of proof to show I came back?

Help my American girlfriend become a Mrs. McCluskey (UK teacher)!

almostwitty — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:52:36 -0800

My (American) girlfriend is looking to come over to London to study to become a teacher. She already has a certificate substitute teacher licence ... but that's not much use in the UK. Or is it ... ?

Anyway, are there any recommendations for good/cheap universities that offer a teacher training course? Or any way of doing it?

just trying to get to school

Eumachia L F — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 05:16:51 -0800

I'm applying for a student visa to the UK. Do I have to mail my passport with my application? This is all a lot more confusing than it should be. The form I was given when I submitted my biometric details says I need to include my "travel document" along with my application. Is this my passport? I can't find the answer to this on the visa4uk website.

How do I get hired in the UK?

theraflu — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:51:58 -0800

My favorite site is hiring developers and I'm qualified. I'm American and they're in the UK. Possibly assuming they're willing to sponsor me for a work visa, what do I need to know? Information on differences in the application/hiring process, any business-related etiquette quirks an American might miss out on, and how to present myself as an employee worthy of sponsorship are all helpful.

A little background: I am young, married, no kids and have a very small amount (just enough for maintenance) in the bank. I've been professionally working in Web dev for about two years - the position I'm looking at is entry/associate level. The company has fewer than 100 employees but is an internationally-known site. I'd be going from a very rural to a very metropolitan style of living.

I'm pretty sure that getting what would be my dream job is a (very) long shot, but I'll be more disappointed if I didn't give it a go. I want to give it my best shot. Any advice and input is more than welcome and I'd like most to hear from Americans working abroad in the UK.

Passport to nowhere

prufrock — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:18:38 -0800

UnitedStatesIDfilter: I've damaged my passport which was my only means of identification. Replacement takes around 6 weeks. Is there any state-approved ID I can get(for domestic travel, immediately) that will not involve using this passport as a required document. I'm a non-resident alien on an H1B visa. I'm in Massachusetts.

I have an old passport that is expired but in perfect condition. Can I use them in conjunction somehow to make one valid document? The extent of the damage, by the way, is such that every bit of text is legible, the cover is a bit frayed...but the photo is totally obscured.

Are there any programs for a 30yr old English guy to work in the USA for a year or so?

Not Supplied — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:24:32 -0800

Are there any programs for a 30yr old English guy to work in the USA for a year or so? I like the look of somewhere like Austen, but pretty open minded really.

Similarly with the type of work...I have a lot of interests and feel that I could turn my hand to most things. Would be nice if it was involving, but if it has to be bar work then it has to be!

relocation freakout

ElmerFishpaw — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:37:48 -0800

Got a job in London. Great! My start date was two weeks ago and Im still in Oakland. Not so great. My 'tentative start date' was Monday 8/17. I gave my notice to the old job and set it up so my last day was the previous thursday. All I wanted in between was a three day weekend. I filled out some Visa papers sent by my future employer and thought I was all done with paperwork before my last day of the old job. During my 3 day weekend they email me with a lot more Visa paperwork. Then an appointment for biometrics test (the following week!) and instructions to mail my passport and biometrics results to the British Consulate in LA. (Shouldnt they have had me do this 2 months ago when I landed the job?) So currently my passport and other materials are down in LA awaiting approval so they can be shipped back to me. And I wait...

All the while Im living out of my suitcase, sleeping on a friend's floor because I moved out of my apartment, going stir crazy and my bank account is emptying and I have no idea when I'll get my passport back. I dont want to start off on the wrong foot, demanding compensation from these people but I mean, what the hell?

So the questions are:
1) Had experience with this sort of situation? Is this typical? Is it just my boredom from unemployment making the weeks seem longer and I should just take a chill pill?
2) Would I be out of line asking for money due to the delay if it continues?
3) How exactly should I word such a request?

Peruvian tourist visa

mateuslee — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 05:55:00 -0800

I forgot to get a tourist visa before applying for my 4 month visit to Peru and the airline made me buy a return ticket which falls within those 90 days of the visa-less visit. If I leave the country and return, can I still use my original return ticket? (better to read the extended explanation) So, I stupidly arrived at the airport with my return ticket to Peru -- 4 months there, all things told. However, it turns out that for stays of over 3 months, a visa is necessary. "No problem", I told the check-in clerk, I was planning on entering Chile anyway. She said that since she cannot prove my intent to enter those countries, I must buy another ticket to the US for a period within those initial 90 days. To make a long story short, she sold me a ticket I don't want from Lima to Boston. Well, at least I don't risk deportation.

My question: Is it ok if I forget about that new ticket I had to buy, use the original one (i.e. stay 4 months), but leave and re-enter Peru in those initial three months? As far as I understand it, that would be fine because I wouldn't have broken any laws regarding the need for a visa (not having stayed three consecutive months).

Or should I just play it safe and waste a few days in Lima and apply for a 4 months visa?

FWIW I also have German citizenship and could get my German passport FEDEX'd here, but I don't think that matters...

Sure would appreciate your thoughts on this!
Thanks--

Gotta get back.

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:40:57 -0800

I need to return to Poland, but I don't know if I can. Visa issues. I moved to Poland in April, because I wanted to learn the language and I had a good friend I wanted to visit. I'm a US citizen, so I didn't need a visa.

I stayed in Poland for four months. At the time, someone had told me if I leave Schengen before three months I could return and stay another three months. (I now understand this to be incorrect.) So I went to the Ukraine for a weekend and came back.

I flew back to the States last week to spend three weeks with my family. When I went through passport control in Zurich, the agent was furious, and said I had stayed too long. I told her I went to the Ukraine. She said I had no stamps of my time there - it was true.

It turns out that the border guards in the Ukraine neglected to stamp my passport, although I did have the exist and entry stamps from the Polish side of the border from that visit. The agent in Zurich called a higher-up and decided to let me continue on my journey, and said next time to make sure I've been stamped. I don't know if this has a permanent effect on my ability to enter Schengen again, or not.

Two months ago I bought a ticket to return to Poland from the States. I arrive on September 5th and fly out on December 15th, which is 101 days.

Only now have I realized that this is illegal, even if I hop over to Russia in November. I'm in a bit of a panic now, because I have a life in Poland - I have a girlfriend, close friends, and an apartment. When I arrive in Zurich again (I'm flying through the same airport again!) I worry that they will deport me, fine me, and maybe ban me from the Schengen zone.

I realize now that I should have gone for a visa while I was there; a residency, student, or some sort of visa. I am studying Polish, so it's possible I could attempt some kind of student visa.

Is there anything I can do? Is there an additional visa I can pay for? I want to be back there legally. I could wait a couple more months but I need to be back there as soon as possible, as my life is there. Do I have any options besides waiting?

I'm trying to contact the embassy but I thought I would ask the hivemind as well, since I'm starting to really get worried.

I need a visa for China asap...am I screwed?

dawson — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:56 -0800

I messed up big time here...I have my passport and ticket ready to fly to China on September 15th. I do not have a visa. I am confounded by all the websites and busy lines and non-returned calls.
Apparently my reading comprehension is slipping because I can make no sense of the information I do find.
Making things even more pathetic, I have been to China many times before and handled it with relative ease.
So. I am now in Southern California. But my residency is, I suppose, in SC. Or Maryland. I get mail at three locations. My driver license is a CA one. I have lived in SoCal about 2 months. I do not consider myself a resident. How do I find out what embassy I am even supposed to go to? Is it remotely possible to get the visa in 3 weeks from tomorrow? Would you recommend I pay a third party to do this?
I'm a deer in the headlights here, frozen by my own ineptness. Can you help?
I will be going out shortly, but will return to answer any question that I may not have addressed.

Visa waiver to US - can I visit Canada

A189Nut — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:39:15 -0800

If I (a UK citizen) visit the US on a visa waiver, can I cross into Canada and back?

Online romance makeing me feel nervous, advice please?

audio — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 01:10:02 -0800

I'm involved in an internet romance that is takeing a major toll on my direction in life and frankly makeing me feel nervous. I need advice in regards to how to be realistic with this relationship. I am 21 and this boy I am involved with is 22. We met on MySpace through a mutual friend nearly two years ago. Since then we have kept up alot of correspondence by talking on a skype video chat nearly daily.

He lives in California, USA. I live in Alberta, Canada. He is proposeing that I make a trip after I graduate college to see him this fall.

Since I will be fresh out of school, this will require all my remaining funds leaveing me broke. I'd probably only be able to stay maxium two weeks then I'd have to return back to Canada and look for work and save up to return again (if I choose to).

We have been talking about me trying to move there instead of just visiting, since that amount of time probably wont be long enough for us. We're talked about trying to find me a job while I'm there so that I can actually stay. I will be a certified Network Administrator, and though I have a decent resume I predict that it will be somewhat of a hell to find a job and get a work visa.

Just a couple random facts:

- I'm pretty much in love with the guy but I have never physically met him in real life.
- We have always got along and my r/l friends are mutal friends with him and know him as a decent person.
- I never wanted to live in California, I'm not much of a city type person.
- He's never offered me a place to stay/move in with him because he just crashes at friends places as hes currently "homeless".
- He's never offered to support me in any way, as he makes an income but it isn't sufficient to support two people.
- He is a musician that is signed to a major record label and making his way in the industry. There is no way he can move from California without giving up his entire career.
- My parents are retired out in Arizona so worse case I have a place to fall back to.
- He's never been able to visit me in Canada because of his kind of work.

My question to Metafilter is,

- How can we make compromises so that both of us are happy with this arrangement?
- Are we moving too fast and if so what is the right way to progress with this relation?
- Are we getting ahead of our self? am I setting myself up for failure?

I really like this guy and I want to see this relationship work out, I'm sure he does too...but we are young and don't really know what the next best thing to do is. Thanks.

What options are available for a H1B visa holder to earn money?

raghuram — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 05:19:07 -0800

What are the options available for a H1B visa holder? Is it legal to earn money online? For a H1B visa holder in US, what options are available to earn money, other than working for his/her employer? Are they allowed to earn money online, say with Google adsense or affiliate marketing? What if they start a site, it becomes popular, and they would like to monetize it? Is it allowed?

If anyone is doing it, could you post your experience?