Visa & More: Frequently Asked Questions

Below, you will, as usual, find a selection of visa questions we have been asked by our customers over the last few days. Please note that none of the answers below is an actual substitute for individual consulting and can only touch on the real issues. We would like to point out that we do not take responsibility for the correctness of this information.

If you need fast and individual information, our service team is there for you on the phones from Tuesday to Friday between 11am and 7pm. Find the phone number on our homepage and get our experts' advice on everything visa as quickly and as conveniently as possible.

And as usual, for all questions concerning the green card lottery just call our service team.

YOUR QUESTION: I have just made my Abitur (German university entrance qualification) and would like to an internship in a hotel in Miami. My sister has a research assignment at a US university. Will this make it easier for me to obtain a visa as her sister (concerning the J-2 visa?)

OUR ANSWER: You may obtain your own status, but you cannot get a J-2 status derived from your sister's J-1. This only applies to spouses. You may qualify for the J-1 status as well, however, usually you will only be granted trainee status if you have completed your job training and are already working. An option for you may be a work & travel program.

YOUR QUESTION: I would like to visit my former host family. What kind of visa do I need, can I use the Visa Waiver Program or will I have trouble with that?

OUR ANSWER: That depends on how long ago you visited your host family last. If you have left the US only a short time ago, you have to be prepared, depending on the officer, to answer some unpleasant questions at the border. They may ask you about the purpose of your stay, they often suspect that former au pairs or students come back to work in the US illegally. So you have to be very well prepared to prove that you will indeed return to your home country.

YOUR QUESTION: I would like to emigrate to the US, together with my 11-year old daughter. My question: since we receive pensions, my daughter half-orphan pension and I widow's pension, that we can live off without problems so that I will not have to work, will I still need a green card or is there an easier visa for pensioners?

OUR ANSWER: Unfortunately, financially independent persons don't qualify for a residence permit just like that, but also have to qualify for the green card through a job offer or close relatives in the US. Another option is, of course, the green card lottery that takes place every year. Maybe you'll be lucky?! Then you could live off your pension in the US without having to work. Unfortunately, there is not yet a special visa for pensioners or retired people.

YOUR QUESTION: I received my vocational diploma for economics and have since worked for an oil company. Before that, I have been working for an automobile manufacturer for two years. Now I have the opportunity of working for a big car dealer in the US. I was there last week to have a look around and already got my work contract. They want to hire me as quickly as possible. They have already submitted my I-129 to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. I would like to know what my chances are of actually getting this job?

OUR ANSWER: Generally speaking, you should have good chances to obtain a visa. The company cannot apply to USCIS, however, before they have the approval of a US labor organization. Since you will probably receive the H-2B, this is the basic requirement for the petition to US Immigration Services. So we recommend to withdraw the application or have it put on hold until this approval could be obtained. Whether you will actually get a visa will then also depend on whether the cap for H-2B visa has already been met by that point, only 65,000 are available per year.