Advice on travelling in America
Advice on travelling in America
Hi there people of the travel board this is the first time ive posted in here and im hoping that you wise people could give me some advice please..
I was successful in applying for a job to work as a ski instructor in Colorado, I start in December and finish in May as this is the winter season, my boyfriend is also doing the same season and we are going out there to work on H2B visas which the company is sorting out for us.
This is the first time ive ever done this, my boyfriend has gone out there to work for the past 5 years for winter seasons so obv has a lot of experience of it (he's teaching me how to ski at the moment lots of fun!!) and I am def def looking forward to it as have always wanted to travel and am really pleased that im getting out of me 9-5 office job to do something that is completely different..the only thing is I am feeling slightly nervous as well though and i dont like to mention it to him too much because i want to be as positive as possible but i just had a couple of questions that i hoped you guys would be able to answer..
1. When applying for my H2B visa will the American immigration look into my credit history as i am in quite a lot of debt?
2. We can only work for the company that is sorting out our H2B visas for the period of time that we are out there but i would absoluely love to go on a road trip style thing after we finish the season and travel across america pciking up casual work is this possible?
3. Do you have any advice on things i could do in the meantime to boost my friend making skills...as he already has a core group of friends out there that is a good thing in a way but i also dont want to be seen as just his girlfriend (if you catch my drift?)
I'm not the most self confident of people but would love to learn how to be, and I just wondered if anyone had any tips on how to be able to make friends easier..I am a nice person.. honest!! ;)
Thanks for any replies, I just wanted to get these off my chest as they had been niggling me but i didnt want to put a negative viewpoint across to me oh.
Answers:
Hi Hubblebubble,
I can't really give you much practical advice re the visa - although I'm sure if you google H2B visas you might find something useful. I would be surprised though if the US had the time to check out your credit rating for what is a temporary employment visa, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. Do you have any paperwork from your employer in the US? That might put your mind at rest.
I really just wanted to comment on the making friends part - I'm sure that you will be fine, it will be a very social environment that you're going to and although lots of people will already know each other, there will be many like you in the same situation. When I lived abroad in the past I found it best to accept as many invitations as possible to dinner, drinks - whatever people suggested (within reason, and only if you're sure it's safe etc) - this way you will get to meet people and hopefully really enjoy your time out there, which I'm sure you will anyway.
Hope that's a little but helpful!
Amy
Answers:
They won't look at your credit history in the UK and have no right to, to be honest. What they will want to see at immigration when you land may be paperwork to verify there is something you want to go back to. I.E. a career if this is just a break, more travelling, house, family, kids. They want to see you have permanent ties to your home country. :) It's not the end of the world that you don't have any paperwork to back this up, but you might want to think of something to go back to if they ask.
You CANNOT work casually and still be legal. That's not to say you won't find someone to hire you under the table but at no time should that every mentioned near any type of gov't official or law enforcement. If you want a reputable job, you'll need a Social Security # (similar to your NI) and I'm not sure that comes with your visa. I know it does with the H1B, but not sure about seasonal workers.
If they find out you've worked illegally or overstayed your visa, they can bar you for up to 10 years from entering or flying through the country or forever.
Road trip is fine and you should have a period of time after your work visa ends to trip around, as that's how it's normally arranged. Immigration knows people like to travel after those types of visas and normally allows at least a month, but check with your company because they may have to apply for the extra time for you.
Friends - this is the easier one. :) We're very friendly over here you know! Much less standoffish then Brits in general, so we'll probably be the first to go up and say hello. You will need to be prepared to lower your guard a bit, as the "British reserve" can seem a bit rude at first. You may be known as his g/f for a while but just keep making an effort to say hello and asking the normal questions about their lives. We're also a bit nosy, so be prepared to talk at length about your country and answer many silly/stupid questions.
Answers:
Cant help much with most of it but you should be allowed to stay to travel a bit afterwards. Im over there now on a J1 visa and Im allowed to stay for another 60 days at the end (although no-one told me before Id bought my non-refundable flight tickets back home). The company will be used to people asking questions like that so ask them, you won't be the first person to have these questions and they know more about it than any of us.
Hi there people of the travel board this is the first time ive posted in here and im hoping that you wise people could give me some advice please..
I was successful in applying for a job to work as a ski instructor in Colorado, I start in December and finish in May as this is the winter season, my boyfriend is also doing the same season and we are going out there to work on H2B visas which the company is sorting out for us.
This is the first time ive ever done this, my boyfriend has gone out there to work for the past 5 years for winter seasons so obv has a lot of experience of it (he's teaching me how to ski at the moment lots of fun!!) and I am def def looking forward to it as have always wanted to travel and am really pleased that im getting out of me 9-5 office job to do something that is completely different..the only thing is I am feeling slightly nervous as well though and i dont like to mention it to him too much because i want to be as positive as possible but i just had a couple of questions that i hoped you guys would be able to answer..
1. When applying for my H2B visa will the American immigration look into my credit history as i am in quite a lot of debt?
2. We can only work for the company that is sorting out our H2B visas for the period of time that we are out there but i would absoluely love to go on a road trip style thing after we finish the season and travel across america pciking up casual work is this possible?
3. Do you have any advice on things i could do in the meantime to boost my friend making skills...as he already has a core group of friends out there that is a good thing in a way but i also dont want to be seen as just his girlfriend (if you catch my drift?)
I'm not the most self confident of people but would love to learn how to be, and I just wondered if anyone had any tips on how to be able to make friends easier..I am a nice person.. honest!! ;)
Thanks for any replies, I just wanted to get these off my chest as they had been niggling me but i didnt want to put a negative viewpoint across to me oh.
Answers:
Hi Hubblebubble,
I can't really give you much practical advice re the visa - although I'm sure if you google H2B visas you might find something useful. I would be surprised though if the US had the time to check out your credit rating for what is a temporary employment visa, so I wouldn't worry about that too much. Do you have any paperwork from your employer in the US? That might put your mind at rest.
I really just wanted to comment on the making friends part - I'm sure that you will be fine, it will be a very social environment that you're going to and although lots of people will already know each other, there will be many like you in the same situation. When I lived abroad in the past I found it best to accept as many invitations as possible to dinner, drinks - whatever people suggested (within reason, and only if you're sure it's safe etc) - this way you will get to meet people and hopefully really enjoy your time out there, which I'm sure you will anyway.
Hope that's a little but helpful!
Amy
Answers:
They won't look at your credit history in the UK and have no right to, to be honest. What they will want to see at immigration when you land may be paperwork to verify there is something you want to go back to. I.E. a career if this is just a break, more travelling, house, family, kids. They want to see you have permanent ties to your home country. :) It's not the end of the world that you don't have any paperwork to back this up, but you might want to think of something to go back to if they ask.
You CANNOT work casually and still be legal. That's not to say you won't find someone to hire you under the table but at no time should that every mentioned near any type of gov't official or law enforcement. If you want a reputable job, you'll need a Social Security # (similar to your NI) and I'm not sure that comes with your visa. I know it does with the H1B, but not sure about seasonal workers.
If they find out you've worked illegally or overstayed your visa, they can bar you for up to 10 years from entering or flying through the country or forever.
Road trip is fine and you should have a period of time after your work visa ends to trip around, as that's how it's normally arranged. Immigration knows people like to travel after those types of visas and normally allows at least a month, but check with your company because they may have to apply for the extra time for you.
Friends - this is the easier one. :) We're very friendly over here you know! Much less standoffish then Brits in general, so we'll probably be the first to go up and say hello. You will need to be prepared to lower your guard a bit, as the "British reserve" can seem a bit rude at first. You may be known as his g/f for a while but just keep making an effort to say hello and asking the normal questions about their lives. We're also a bit nosy, so be prepared to talk at length about your country and answer many silly/stupid questions.
Answers:
Cant help much with most of it but you should be allowed to stay to travel a bit afterwards. Im over there now on a J1 visa and Im allowed to stay for another 60 days at the end (although no-one told me before Id bought my non-refundable flight tickets back home). The company will be used to people asking questions like that so ask them, you won't be the first person to have these questions and they know more about it than any of us.