Major advice needed.
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- 5timuli
I have a situation. In fact I have a few. I'll be as brief as I possibly can but it's complicated. Maybe I just need to vent as I'm not sure how anyone can help. Read or don't, it's up to you.
I've been living in Philly for nearly a year now. I'm underpaid, overworked, my wife is unhappy being away from family, we have no money and several maxed credit cards. We don't want to stay here but can't move back to her family in Indianapolis as there is no work.
I borrowed $1500 for a flight to the UK for some interviews. I had 6 of them in two days and they all went really well. Tomorrow is two weeks since the first one and I haven't heard anything. My apartment lease is up in September and unless I hear something by the end of this week I'll be forced to sign another 12 month lease (no 6 month available) tying me here, so I'd have to turn down any jobs I get offered. I can't afford to move apartments as my new puppy has all but ruined the carpets, replacing which apparently costs $800 minimum for the smallest apartment (ours is much larger).
If I do get a job I'd have to borrow another $1500 for a flight and there's nobody left to borrow from who can afford it. I can't get a loan from the UK as I'm out of the country and I can't get one here as I'm STILL not recognized by credit agencies. I'd also have to move over by myself and stay with my parents for 6 months until my wife can get her visa (costs about $1000). She would go back to Indiana to live with her sister until we got things sorted, which means massive removals costs. Plus, My 2 dogs need to go through all the PETS travel procedures for them to get through quarantine. I'd be apart from them for 8 months at least and the thought of it scares the shit out of me.
Add to all that the fact I'd be abandoning my permanent residency and it may (I've been told) go against me ever getting back into the country in the future.
We both really want to move back to Scotland and financially it's the only way we can get out of this rut...
I'm sure I had some questions in here somewhere but my brain 's buzzing and I'm really tired. I'll take a break and get back to you...
- 5timuli0
Oh yeah...
How long should I wait before I get back in touch with the interview agencies?
They all said to keep in touch and let them know if anyone made an offer. Some of them had to discuss things with financial staff, some with more senior CDs, MDs, etc.
I don't want to mail them with a fake offer but I really want to know if I'm in line for something before it's too late. They all know of my situation but perhaps not the urgency of it.
- 5timuli0
And has anyone been apart from their wife/gf/pets for that amount of time? How did you manage?
- Seems to me your situation has changed and you still want to keep everthing without giving up anything. If you stick to that, it's not gonna work, as you are now at the verge of desperation. Get ANY job and start making money.ftravieso
- im sorry to say that the intense amount of business travel i do destroyed my...e-pill
- ...destroyed my marriage and it just ended in divorce.
:(e-pill
- MrDinky0
first question, are you a permanent resident of US? do you have a greencard?
second, why do you want to move to UK?
third, have you tried some where else in states?
fourth, how much would you need to get your self sorted out?
- MrDinky0
btw, your wife will not need a complex visa that you need to wait that long, its a spouse visa so it should be even fine as she can move there with you on travel visitor visa but do apply before you leave.
also, if you are a citizen of UK, and perm rez of US, all you need to do is stay in US for 1 month out 12 months.
- MrDinky0
honestly, you have to leave your pets. they will cost more. and you are poor as you are
- 5timuli0
first question, are you a permanent resident of US? do you have a greencard?
Yes, I have a conditional greencard (marriage, about months away from conditions removal).second, why do you want to move to UK?
We'd always planned to move there in the future but thought we'd move it ahead because of money mainly.third, have you tried some where else in states?
We thought about it but the cost of moving vs. the fact we might just be as disconnected there as we are here put us off.fourth, how much would you need to get your self sorted out?
We wanted to get a loan to consolidate debts and have some extra to do all this stuff but it was coming out around $15000. We'd be able to manage for a while if I started a jo mid-September in the UK. Then we'd be saving $1300/month on rent for 6-8 months. It's the initial outlay that's the problem.- Isn't the UK way more expensive the the states right about now?stoplying
- MrDinky0
it seems like you need more of a plan.
you need to have a Plan A (get a job in UK), Plan B (try to find something locally), Plan C (find something with in US), Plan D (move back to UK stay there find a job and get your self sorted out, invite wife to UK)
- mrdobolina0
best of luck stimmurz
- MrDinky0
dont let your rental dictate your plans, i tried and ended up losing everythign.
- mikotondria30
Man, sorry to hear about your situation, I'm also a brit married to an american, living in the us with perm. res. I went back to visit the uk for the 1st time in 6yrs last month, and man - I fricking hated it - lovely to see the uk family, and have fish/chips and some nice beer, but I think the country has accelerated down the toilet, everyone is avaricious, petty and jealous, and your money goes nowhere...
If I were you I'd really reconsider moving back permanently and renouncing your perm res - what if you're wife couldn't get a visa, or it expired, or they changed the law, or anything - then you'd be planning cross-boarder excursions and several years being out of status..
Is there nothing you can do in Philly to get more money ? Heck, even working in a good bar can get you 200/300 dollars if you work hard at it.
Honestly, I would look to find better work within the US - your work is solid, and it's just a matter of connections over here like everywhere else - so many people work and freelance and live where they like...
Again, Im so sorry to hear you're in a bind like this - I know from experience that it can just consume you and you can't see a way out.
It's a vast country with a million opportunities, and still the greatest place in the world to be if you have talent, ambition and hope, stick it out, mate.
- MrDinky0
OKOK this is the plan
You: go back to UK, your wife go to Indiana
You: find a job in UK or try to while your wife moves back home
You: get a job invite wifeCons: this may take a while.
- KwesiJ0
almost sounds like you should take a deep breath and stay put for another year. give you a chance to catch up and find some more options. might be easier to go through this again next year, you've only been there a year. i realize you're underpaid and over worked but i guess that's why you should take a breath : ]
- tesmith0
Sounds like you need to sleep on it. The best advice I ever got was to wait until the morning before you make a major decision. It has served me well. That being said, I feel for you and your family!
- _salisae_0
are you tied to this company with a work visa?
- MrDinky0
this from my lawyer
"(2) Permanent residents who anticipate that they will be entering the U.S. infrequently, or who will not reenter the United States within 12 months of departure, are strongly advised to file an application for a Reentry Permit with the USCIS. The valid Reentry Permit must be presented at the time of reentry along with the holder’s alien registration receipt card. The regulations provide that the filing of the application for a Reentry Permit must occur while the applicant is physically within the United States. In order to obtain a Reentry Permit, a permanent resident would have to establish that he or she is seeking the permit in connection with a “good faith” temporary absence, and that there is no intention to abandon permanent residence in the United States. We strongly recommend that individuals who intend to live outside of the United States for a period of time, or will travel frequently outside the U.S., apply for a Reentry Permit prior to leaving the United States."- Yeah that doc is about $300 and you can select multiple re-entry. You can't be outside the US for more than 6 months without it, and no more than 12 months at a time with it (without USCIS becoming suspicious).5timuli
- and no more than 12 months at a time with it (without USCIS becoming suspicious).5timuli
- 5timuli0
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the advice. My brain's so fried from the last two months that I don't know where to start.
I was really hoping I wouldn't have to find anything else here as both of us fucking hate it so much... plus there are about 1/4 of the agencies in Philly that there are in Edinburgh so finding a job for the money I'd need ($70k+) will be nigh on impossible.
- MrDinky0
Reentry Permits may be issued for up to two years. No extensions are permitted; however, a new application requesting an additional period of time may be filed. The Reentry Permit allows a permanent resident to make an entry into the United States every 24 months rather than every 12 months (as the minimum indication of intent to remain a permanent resident). However, please see below for the effect of a 24-month absence on a future naturalization application. When the applicant for a Reentry Permit has been outside of the U.S. for an aggregated period of four out of the previous five years, the permit will be issued only for one year. Once a permanent resident has been based outside of the United States for a continuous period of four years (which may include casual trips into the United States), a rebuttable presumption arises regarding that individual’s lack of intent to remain a permanent resident of the United States. While the individual will not automatically be deemed to have ceded his permanent resident status, the USCIS reviews Reentry Permit applications by such applicants with great care and concern, and an eye towards determining if the individual has maintained the intent to remain a U.S. permanent resident.
Instances in which the individual has been a permanent resident for only a short period before filing for a Reentry Permit may present special problems. In such instances, it is advisable to file for the Reentry Permit during the first trip back to the United States within six months of the initial departure for the foreign assignment.
Although permanent residence is not automatically lost by failing to reenter within 12 months of departure or failing to obtain a Reentry Permit, the USCIS can invoke legal barriers to the continuation of permanent resident status for such failures. Thus, we caution clients to enter the U.S. no less frequently than every six months. Should the temporary assignment last longer than four to five years, it is especially important that entries be made every six months at the very least, and that such visits last long enough to reestablish strong ties within the U.S. It is also advisable at this stage to consult with us regarding continued status as a permanent resident.
- Hmmm, maybe your infor is more up-to-date than mine, I've been told differently (although from forums, not a lawyer).5timuli
- MrDinky0
It is important to note that none of these documents confers a right to reentry or a guarantee of admission. Regardless of which reentry documentation an individual presents, the law explicitly indicates that the privilege of making an entry into the United States as a permanent resident will be accorded only to those who are returning to “an unrelinquished lawful permanent residence in the United States,” and who are returning from “a temporary absence abroad.” These two factors are the prime considerations in the USCIS’s determination that an individual has maintained permanent resident status. Accordingly, if the USCIS finds that the absence abroad was not temporary or that the lawful permanent residence has been abandoned, it may conclude that the individual is no longer a United States permanent resident. The individual may be excluded from the United States notwithstanding that the reentry document appears to be valid on its face.
Returning to the United States once in every 12-month period is not in and of itself sufficient to establish that an individual has not abandoned permanent resident status. The DHS regulations provide that a “Green Card” may be presented by a returning lawful permanent resident only if the resident is returning after a temporary absence abroad not exceeding one year. Return from a trip abroad within one year, therefore, is the minimum requirement in order to maintain lawful permanent resident status without obtaining special reentry documentation (i.e., a Reentry Permit).
To reiterate, should a permanent resident spend substantial time outside the United States, there is a risk that he or she would encounter difficulties with the USCIS upon seeking readmission to the United States. The USCIS would use a balancing test in determining whether the individual had maintained permanent resident status in the United States. The factors considered are those outlined above, including the purpose of the individual’s trip abroad, the length and frequency of his absences, and the individual’s respective ties to the United States and any foreign country. Unless the individual’s ties to the United States were substantially more significant than those to the foreign country, the individual would risk being removed from (or refused admission to) the United States.