Moving to USA - Job offer

Hi,

Im hoping someone may be able to give me some advice on moving to the USA. My wife is a US citizen, and we are trying to move to the US to be closer to her family.

I have recently had an interview for a job, and the company are flying me out for an interview shortly. It sounds like I have a good chance of getting the job, however I don't think I would be able to get visa sponsorship.

The company and the recruitment consultant seem to think that me getting a visa is no problem as my wife is a US citizen, however im pretty sure its not that simple!

Could anyone give me an idea of the process for getting a visa for me to move to the US? I could also do with an idea of timescales and costs if possible

Thanks for any help!

As you are married to a US citizen, you can apply for a visa to live and work in the US as her spouse, and it's a fairly straight-forward process as long as she or a family member/friend in the US can support you financially (there's an income requirement that must be met by the visa sponsor and/or co-sponsor).

However, the spousal visa process takes approx. 8-10 months from application to visa approval, so even if you started the application process now, you probably wouldn't be able to move to the US and start working until 2015.

Alternatively, if the company can sponsor you for a work visa, you could probably get it approved within a few weeks to a couple of months, depending on their timescale and when you can get a visa interview appointment.

The company and the recruitment consultant seem to think that me getting a visa is no problem as my wife is a US citizen, however im pretty sure its not that simple!

Could anyone give me an idea of the process for getting a visa for me to move to the US? I could also do with an idea of timescales and costs if possible

I posted a question similar to this a while back.  I am the USC living in the UK with my UKC partner.  If we were to move to the US, it would be because he accepted a job offer. 

Essentially, the answers I got were the same as ksand has summarised.  The visa process would take a lot longer (and cost more) if based on your relationship status rather than if the company sorted it. 

Depending on the size/nature of the company, they may have a great deal of experience with these applications, and potentially that's why they're not too concerned.  To me, if they're flying you out there for an interview on semi-short notice, the company is probably reputable enough.

After arriving in the US, you can later change your status based on your marriage.  I'm not sure what the benefits of doing this are, as I had stopped looking into it.  Probably has something to do with the difference between your US Visa and having a green card?

Unfortunately very many people in the USA are completely ignorant of the visa process, and in this case probably think that the spouse of a US citizen is allowed to just fly in and start work.

H!-B visas (employment visas with fairly strict requirements) can be applied for the employer rom April 1 but, even if successful, you would not be able to start work until October 2014.