French seeking to emigrate... (Chicago, Cuba: environment, job, companies)

[Krimo]

Hello everybody,

I have been roaming several websites for months now, as to the ways I would have to emigrate (and I mean, getting a permanent resident card) to the USA, around Chicago.
So far, three options flesh out :
- Engaging in the process of getting a visa through the embassy, and hoping to get it after a long and expensive procedure.
- Finding an employer who could sponsor me (but apparently, this is very, VERY rare)
- Probably my best shot : blank marriage...

I would want to have the opinions of natives as for the options above. Do you honestly think this is feasible ? (I really just need this piece of paper, after that I plan to take on the exam to enter the police academy)

Thank you by advance,
Krimo.

[Tenzo]

Actually getting an employer to sponsor you is pretty easy. You just need to get a job at t alarge place. One that already does such work.

As for getting married.
If it's love that is great
If it's for citizenship, I had a friend do that once. He paid the girl $16K a year plus living arrangements. Not sure if that is the going rate or what.

[Krimo]

Really...Interesting, thank you. I am going to be an engineer very soon, are there any big companies in Chicago who would potentially hire engineers ?

As for the marriage, yes that would be for citizenship, but I do not plan to find a girl and pay her for that I actually have a friend there who would be ready to help me out, I just wanted to know if blank marriages were risky, legally speaking.

[aragx6]

I wouldn't ever suggest someone break the law, but if you have a friend who doesn't mind, you get along well and don't mind lying, and you live together for a couple of years there's almost no way you could ever be caught.

[Krimo]

Well thanks for your honesty. I have read somewhere that as soon as you are registered as married to a us citizen, a visa number is issued to your name. It is still blurry but it seems like it is some kind of a temporary paper to allow you to work, live etc until you get the final papers.

Anyway, what can you guys tell me about the french community in Chicago ? I certainly do not want to find a french environment there, but just maybe like a couple restaurants or bars or something, you know, to help with the transition...

[Drover]

There pretty much is no French community here. There are a lot of French restaurants but I'd bet the patrons eating at them wouldn't know 100 words of French combined. Good languages to know if you want to make your way around this city are: 1. English (obviously); 2. Spanish; 3. Polish. Other languages are spoken here and there, but those are the big three. And you can even get by in 95% of the city without knowing Polish, but Spanish would be a very handy language to know around here. I wish I did; it would make ordering my Cuban sandwiches easier.

[Avengerfire]

I know a wonderful French woman that lives in Hyde Park.

If you were a woman, I might offer to take your hand in marriage. lol

Good luck.

[Chinolala]

I don't know what type of engineer you're going to be but some potential companies to look into would be: Motorola, Sargent & Lundy, Burns & McDonnell

[Krimo]

Thanks for all your answers

Once I get there, I will try to seek a french restaurant with a french patron. But good thing that there is almost no french community, one of the reasons I want to move to Chicago is because I want to leave France. (I speak spanish, and my english is not that bad I guess)

Avengerfire, thanks anyway for the offer lol. And what do you mean by "Wonderful" ??

Lisak64, thank you for the name of the companies. I am going to be an engineer specialized in programming, in the field of imagery. Do someone know if the army hire engineers in this field ? (Making weapons is definitely not something I fancy, but I hear that the army is sometimes willing to hire rookie engineers)

Anyway, the more I look into it, the more Chicago appeals to me as a city. Many people here in France are appealed by LA, and honestly I do not know why...(No offense to the LA people :-))

[Drover]

L.A. has more international appeal because a) well, it just happens to be one of our most international cities, b) the whole world knows about it courtesy of the entertainment industry, c) you can't beat the weather or the natural scenery, d) I think it also carries with it a sort of "glamor" reputation, which is instantly cut down to size the minute you get there. That said, it's still a destination city.