Help Help we just want to move :)

My husband and I just want to move to a nice climate make a lifestyle change and raise our son.

My husband is in real estate sales and I am a certified Administrative professional. Nothing fancy but we work.


What are the chances of us just applying for some sort of visa and moving our family down? Where do I begin.

My husband has a line on a sales position but I know the company won't go to a lot of trouble to get him there as the job could be filled by anyone with a sales background.

Where do I begin and is it possible to do?

Welcome aboard

Where in the U.S. would you like to move?
Many of the visas available require you to have at least a Bachelor's degree unless you have years of experience in lieu of the degree.

The only way you can apply for a visa is when you've been offered a job with a U.S. company. They usually do the paperwork and pay the fees on your behalf. There are tons of forums on here about different types of visas. This is where you should begin. The info is very informative.

My husband is in real estate sales and I am a certified Administrative professional. Nothing fancy but we work.

The usual thing Canadians do in this situation is to apply for an E-2 visa, which is the treaty investor visa.

Essentially you have to make a "substantial investment" (which is undefined but usually it's taken to mean $50,000+) and you start up some sort of small business. In your case, it sounds like a realty company would be what you'd be looking at.

E visas are valid for two years and can be renewed indefinitely, provided the business continues operation. The spouse of an E visa holder can get work authorization - but importantly bear in mind the children cannot and have no status in the US when they reach 21. So at that point if they're in college they have to go to F-1 which also means you have to pay out-of-State tuition fees too.

A friend of the family was in this situation, their son ended up having to leave.

A lot of retirees do something along these lines, buy a bunch of condos to cover the investment requirement, move down there to manage the investment as the landlords, etc. Of the people I know who've done it, one couple opened a B&B, another opened an interior design business and one guy I know bought out a travel agent.

If you've got the money you can do EB-5 immigrant investor, this gives you permanent resident status, but it usually requires an investment of at least $1 million and you must employ (directly or indirectly) at least ten US citizens or LPRs.

E visas and EB-5 are by far the most complex immigration categories, the usual advice is to find a consultant who specializes in them to help you with the paperwork. Requires a detailed business plan, financial statements, etc.

More info at: http://toronto.usconsulate.gov/content/ ... ment=evisa