HELP! Visa trouble!! Anyone have advice?

[lagunab]

My SO and I are trying to close the distance and we have so much hope and didn't think it would be too bad for us, but now we are hitting a wall.

SO is from Spain. We met in the US while he was on a J-1 Visa for his Masters. He left to do his PhD in Norway and just got a 6 month research position in the US to finish off his PhD. Here's our problem: my SO wants to do post doc in the US after completing his PhD. The school he is doing his research at will only give him a J-1 visa, so we are worried he will now have to wait another 2 years before coming back to the US to complete his Post Doc or even to work at all. Another problem is that he never returned to his home country after his Masters so he will have to get that requirement waived.

Anyone have any ideas or advice for us? Anyone know about US Visas? We are scared now

[Petals]

My SO and I are trying to close the distance and we have so much hope and didn't think it would be too bad for us, but now we are hitting a wall.

SO is from Spain. We met in the US while he was on a J-1 Visa for his Masters. He left to do his PhD in Norway and just got a 6 month research position in the US to finish off his PhD. Here's our problem: my SO wants to do post doc in the US after completing his PhD. The school he is doing his research at will only give him a J-1 visa, so we are worried he will now have to wait another 2 years before coming back to the US to complete his Post Doc or even to work at all. Another problem is that he never returned to his home country after his Masters so he will have to get that requirement waived.

Anyone have any ideas or advice for us? Anyone know about US Visas? We are scared now

Hi,

Knowing how complex the visa process can be, I suggest you and/or your SO see a good migration specialist for advice. You don't want to hit an even bigger roadblock by following advice that people on a general relationship forum are capable of giving even with the best intentions. You might also want to consult US expat sites. I am currently on a J-1 visa and for me, I am facing a very complex process if I decide to get waiver and adjust status.

All the best

[silvermoonfairy3]

Like the other poster said, I'd talk to someone who specializes in immigration and visa law, because the situation sounds a bit complicated.

But I also just wanted to throw out there.. post doc positions can be very competitive. Does he already have one lined up, or is it just something he's looking to do after PhD?

[kittyo9]

You might also post this on visajourney. They are more familiar with the complexity of the visa system and can probably help you better than we could.

[lagunab]

Like the other poster said, I'd talk to someone who specializes in immigration and visa law, because the situation sounds a bit complicated.

But I also just wanted to throw out there.. post doc positions can be very competitive. Does he already have one lined up, or is it just something he's looking to do after PhD?

We are hoping he is competitive enough he already has 3 papers published as a 1st author and given presentations at the international conferences in his field. He has been offered to stay as a postdoc at his university in Norway, but he doesn't want to stay there. And I wouldn't mind moving but I need licensure and registration to practice in my field which would be pretty much impossible without learning the language first.

Thank you everyone for your help! I'm currently visiting Norway and am 2 days behind schedule due to delays. Once I get hold of a computer I'm gonna check out all the links you posted and figure out who we can talk to!