Moving back to US?

Hello!

my DH (US citizen) and I (UK citizen) got married in November 2012 on a fiance visa (he arrived in June 2012-under the old rules). We went through the whole rubbish process and we're waiting for ILR/Citizenship and all the rest of it in the next couple years.

In the meantime he is finding it very tricky (well impossible) to find work. I am a medical doctor and we are starting to feel like perhaps heading back to the US in the near future may be our best bet. Having gleaned a good amount about the US to UK immigration system we now found ourselves in the position of knowing next to nothing about the reverse. I just had some questions and if anyone could answer them that would be great!

1. We have next to no savings (having cleared out with the expense of a wedding and visas with only one income since) and are renting a house here in the UK. It seems that there are quite strict financial criteria for move to US but we dont seem to be able to find two pieces of information that agree on what they are. There is mention of co-sponsorship. What kind of amount are they expected to make? If DH has a job offer for when he gets there would that be ok?  I will have to do exams when I get to the US in order to work so it wont be immediately but obviously after a year or so I will be able to.

2. Is it in any way worth waiting for DH to get ILR? It seems the only thing that we wouldn't lose in going back is citizenship. That is another 2 years away and if I am going to have to start at the beginning of my medical career again, despite being qualified 7 years (as the US system dictates) I would like to get on with it! But then does that mean we can not ever come back without me having to come back alone for 6 months and earn ready to reapply for FLR(M) again....

A little frustrated at how complex it all is....I just want to be married and be able for us both to be able to earn a living

If anyone has any experience or knowledge about any of this would be great to hear form you

Jen

1. The financial information is all on the I-864. You either have to have A: an income that meets or exceeds 125% of the poverty guideline for your household size or B: assets that exceed three times that amount.

If the US citizen does not have a US job or a job that will continue while you live in the US, you will need a co-sponsor. Your US spouse is always your primary sponsor, even if they have no income or assets, and fills out an I-864. Your co-sponsor must then meet the requirements for their household size plus your spouse, and also fills out an I-864. If their spouse or other household members are contributing to meeting the requirements, those parties must fill out an I-864A.

2. Yes. You never know where your options are going to lead. You never know how happy your DH -- or you -- will be in the US, and with the tightening of the rules closing off your options is a bad idea. I speak from experience, having been back and forth several times (this is my third UK visa). You can be out of the country for some time on ILR, certainly long enough to make an informed decision about what place works for you. If you give up the chance to get ILR now, you give up the grandfathering under the old rules and that is definitely a bad idea right now.

UK and US job markets across industries are both deeply affected by the recession.  Living in the UK might seem hopeless now but there's no guarantee that relocating to the US will improve both your chances of earning good incomes.  Your husband hasn't been living (and job-hunting) in the UK for very long. In my opinion, it will be easier for both of you to search for jobs within the UK and relocate to a different urban area if necessary, rather than going through the process for a US spouse visa.  The length of time your husband will need to reside in the UK in order to gain citizenship will go by quickly (though it may not seem that way). 

My husband and I are faced with the very same dilemma. I am a USC and he is a UKC. Right now I am on Further Leave to Remain and I will be able to get UK citizenship in 2015.

We are very tempted to move to the US now so I can get accepted to a teaching credentialing program (most programs in the UK won't accept my US BA degree and say it is only equivalent to a BA standard, not honours!). We also just want to try living in the US.

We are worried that if we leave before I get citizenship, then all our money spent on previous visas will be wasted and we will have to do the whole process all over again if we decide to come back.

We don't know what to do!

It sounds as if the bloom is off the rose of the LDR and the wedding planning.

And now real life has set in.

This is only natural, by the way.

In real life, a few months is not enough time to establish a new life in a new location.  And that applies to moving much shorter distances than either JenS or IslandIdeals have moved.  IMO, both couples would have the same challenges if they had moved states in the US.

Good things come to he who waits - and perseveres while he is waiting. 

we're in the same position of considering moving back to the US (we're both USCs now - thank god OH had the foresight to do that before we left - I didn't even think of it!).  But we know we should wait until I get my UKC (2015 as well).  You never know how you will feel down the road, and perhaps this is a bad reason, but I can't help but think 'what if i develop some chronic disease' that will bankrupt me in the US'?  Or 'what if we'd like to retire some place in Europe'?  

3 years, I believe, will really fly by, and there must be things you and hubs can do within this time period to bolster your career?  OH continues to freelance for his job in NYC to keep his network and US skills alive.  I'm hoping to start a pilates studio at some point and currently know nothing about business so I'm going to focus on teaching, learning new related skills, learning about starting a business, and try my luck in networking here to initiate new programs with PT practices...etc. (might as well try - got nothing to lose, really, and I'll be practicing business skills/partnerships!).  OH!  and we've got a little one due next month to keep us busy - ha!  

it always takes awhile to settle any place new, so I'd say give it some time and reassess the situation every 6 months.  

keep us posted on your decision!  it's nice to have found some people in a similar situation (though I'm sorry you're going through it as well!).