Quote:
Originally Posted by bellxgirl
My husband and I have owned and ran our restaurant for the past 12 years and are now considering a move to CA. Is it possible to get sponsored into a business with a view to buying the business outright? It suits us to buy an existing proven business where the owner might be considering retiring. We figure it would be a more secure option when immigrating to the USA with children. Any information would be most appreciated.
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I can't give you any answers about your business options but I can tell you that unless you or your husband is already a US citizen or green card holder or you win the green card lottery immigrating here for your family will be next to impossible. In order to move here and work the whole family would have to get "green cards", i.e. legal permanent residency. There are three basic ways to get a green card; through family, work or investment (there are other ways for certain groups of people too, such as Iraqis who have helped the US government, but none of these are likely to apply to you). To get an investment green card you have to be able to invest a million dollars in an American business and create/preserve ten full time jobs. If the area you are investing in has high unemployment you can qualify with a $500,000 investment. There are only 10,000 of these green cards available per year so there may be a waiting list. Since you are restaurant owners I assume that you don't have that kind of money.
To get a green card through family you would have to have a close relative, such as a parent, child or spouse, who is a US citizen or, in some cases, green card holders and are willing to sponsor you.
To get a work based green card you or your husband would have to find qualified employment with an employer who is willing to sponsor you for a green card. Most employers would only put in the time and money required to sponsor an employee if the employee has some very special skills that are not easily found in their area.
Unless you and your family meet the above requirements there is no way for you to move to the US unless you win a green card through the green card lottery.
There are a number of temporary non-immigrant visas but with the circumstances you describe above I don't believe that any of them would get you what you want even if you did qualify.
Unfortunately your dream to move to California may not be possible.
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