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    #1

    We want to be together, but visa problems

    Hey all! I'm a newbie here! I live in the USA and my SO lives in Costa Rica. We met while I was living down there. We're both young and crazy in love.

    Well, we have been trying to figure out a way to some how end up in the same country. I have a 3 year commitment to teach here in the USA so I can't leave for another couple years. He's now decided to come up and live with me until I'm done (then we're off to travel for a while! )

    Buuutttt... I don't think he'll be able to get a work visa. He already has a tourist visa which he's planning to come with. I don't know what to do... I know I can continue to pay my rent (just want him to help out with bills and food), but I don't want him to be bored all day. I work all day Monday through Friday. What could he do? He's in his late 20's and still in school, but can't find a program that is anywhere near where I live and it'd be too expensive for him to apply directly. I also know that financial problems can lead to serious downfall in relationships...

    Uuugghh what to do what to do? Any sort of advice from the experts? Thanks in advance!
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    #2
    First of all, congrats on trying to close the distance, my SO and I are currently trying to make this happen as well.

    For classes, maybe he could just be part-time and take a class or two (at community colleges it may be affordable), this way it make take up some of his time and get his name on the books in the US to show that he wants to maybe become a citizen.

    Perhaps he could tutor english (under the table) I'm assuming he speaks spanish as well...

    As far as him being bored all day... maybe he could volunteer? I know there are tons of opportunities and maybe it could open up some contacts for him to find work?

    As far as the tourist visa- that is a 90 day visa, maybe within that time he'll be able to do some research to help make his stay more permanent : )

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      #3
      That's great that he's coming up to stay with you for awhile!

      My SO came to visit me just this summer and stayed for quite a time - the whole time he was allowed to stay, for three months via the visa waiver program.

      I was worried about the same thing. But he was actually quite active and took initiative and ended up:
      - calling around for volunteer opportunities, he found some great ones that were awesome for cultural experiences (since it was his first time in the US) like helping decorate a shop for Halloween and organizing items, helping at food shelters, even being a ticket checker for a renaissance festival. There's a lot of neat stuff out there!
      - volunteering to talk about Scotland around schools, receiving a "stipend" of niceness for coming (and some great experiences!)
      - hanging out with some of my relatives (he loves camping and the outdoors, so he went with my uncle on a few trips)

      He also brought a lot of stuff from home to work on, like a journal, knitting (I love him even MORE for being able to ) books to read, his CV, cover letter, and other things to keep him buried into and maintain ties with home.

      Netflix was also his savior, because he lives in a rural area and has a really slow internet connection. The program is so addictive!

      Good luck!

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        #4
        Yeah I agree with the other 2 posters: Volunteering is great! He can use craigslist and idealist to find opportunities. Also tutoring Spanish is a great idea. He could also do odd jobs for people in your town to earn some cash: babysitting, lawn mowing, window washing, pet sitting.

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          #5
          Hey wow thanks so much for the ideas guys! I like the idea of doing volunteering and such. He does speak both Spanish and English and really wants to practice his English. Maybe we could get him in a class part time or something.

          So do you think work is totally out? I mean besides the odds and ends jobs? I guess we'll have to see if he can afford to be here the amount of time that he is planning to.

          Also with the tourist visa, he told me he could stay for up to 6 months! I guess it all depends on what they stamp him at the border. I would sort of prefer 3 months because it would be more affordable for us both and would be a good amount of time to "Test the waters". Even though we've known each other for a year and a half, we've spent like 3 weeks actually physically together.

          Nice to meet some people in the same boat as me!

          Thanks again!

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            #6
            Originally posted by lucybelle View Post
            Hey wow thanks so much for the ideas guys! I like the idea of doing volunteering and such. He does speak both Spanish and English and really wants to practice his English. Maybe we could get him in a class part time or something.

            So do you think work is totally out? I mean besides the odds and ends jobs? I guess we'll have to see if he can afford to be here the amount of time that he is planning to.

            Also with the tourist visa, he told me he could stay for up to 6 months! I guess it all depends on what they stamp him at the border. I would sort of prefer 3 months because it would be more affordable for us both and would be a good amount of time to "Test the waters". Even though we've known each other for a year and a half, we've spent like 3 weeks actually physically together.

            Nice to meet some people in the same boat as me!

            Thanks again!
            I think work may not totally be out besides what was already suggested (tutoring) but.. I haven't looked into this as much: what about teaching community education in Spanish, or a culture and language class on Costa Rica?

            He wouldn't need a teaching license, and most people that I've known who've attended community ed classes for a foreign language had teachers who came from a different country. (Although, no idea if they were permanent residents or grad students or naturalized citizens etc.) I don't know what kind of status in the US you need to have to teach community ed classes. Try talking to the school district in your area?

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              #7
              See he could get odds and ends jobs, but nothing where he would receive an actual paycheck. He needs a work visa or social security # to get a job that pays taxes. I'll definitely look into the tutoring/teaching thing for him.

              I just spoke with him and he said he has a good amount of savings to last him through these months. Whether he can find a job or not. So that's good!

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                #8
                That's very lucky of him, good luck to you both!

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