Becoming a US citizen?

[Lasse K. Lien]

After seeing Dr. Brooks introduction to some GOP event, where he mentions how he and his wife realised they only lived once, and figured that a life in the USA was optimal, it made me question what im still doing in Norway, knowing I fully agree on this topic?

Dont get me wrong, Northern-Europe is OK. We have free speech, decent money and freedom to an extent in general.

But its small, its cold, and it could be much better.

So basically my situation at the moment is that im applying for higher education here in Norway, but im not sure if any of them will allow me to relocate when im finished. Not sure if they will qualify me for much else then domestic work. Especially law school (obviously there is no huge demand for experts on Norwegian law abroad) that im strongly considering for the moment.

So I was just wondering if anyone knew how hard it would be to attain an American citizenship, what kind of jobs you could take as an uneducated foreigner, to what extent American studies restrict foreigners from participation (If there are strict performance-requirements im sure my options are fewer, as I know American universities do not value Norwegian grades to a great extent. And im not running streight A's by Norwegian standards either, so.. ), and so on.

Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks for your time

[ENikolai]

After seeing Dr. Brooks introduction to some GOP event, where he mentions how he and his wife realised they only lived once, and figured that a life in the USA was optimal, it made me question what im still doing in Norway, knowing I fully agree on this topic?

Dont get me wrong, Northern-Europe is OK. We have free speech, decent money and freedom to an extent in general.

But its small, its cold, and it could be much better.

So basically my situation at the moment is that im applying for higher education here in Norway, but im not sure if any of them will allow me to relocate when im finished. Not sure if they will qualify me for much else then domestic work. Especially law school (obviously there is no huge demand for experts on Norwegian law abroad) that im strongly considering for the moment.

So I was just wondering if anyone knew how hard it would be to attain an American citizenship, what kind of jobs you could take as an uneducated foreigner, to what extent American studies restrict foreigners from participation (If there are strict performance-requirements im sure my options are fewer, as I know American universities do not value Norwegian grades to a great extent. And im not running streight A's by Norwegian standards either, so.. ), and so on.

Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks for your time

I'd just like to point out that I'm more or less in the same boat, as a Norwegian student. After much deliberation I have decided to complete my Master of Technology here in Norway, then seek employment at an international IT consulting firm such as Accenture or Capgemini. After working a couple of years in Norway, I'll be free to transfer to an office in the country of my choice. This would likely be in Miami or Houston, in the US. The way things are going in the US I may end up moving to Switzerland, Singapore or Hong Kong instead, though. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Edited March 15, 2010 by ENikolai

[Jake_Ellison]

I'm assuming you can have your pick of a Norwegian college, and have the state pay for your education. And, if your parents are productive taxpayers, they are morally justified to send you there if they want to, and you're morally justified to accept their gift. Why not just choose to learn a skill that you can use anywhere (IT comes to mind, since it's what I studied, but pretty much anything except law, medicine, or some weird local studies/environmentalism works).

Not only will it enrich you, but good students have the opportunity to finish their studies (or spend at least a semester studying with student exchange programs) elsewhere, including the US or Canada. Once you've done that, your chances for a work visa (in your field, if you're lucky) and then citizenship improve, and you know what you're getting into by moving to the US for years or permanently. As a student, you can also spend a summer working in the US, on a student work visa (I think that's what they're called, google it).

Trying to move to the US as an uneducated 18 yo. on the other hand, is pretty much impossible. It would be hard to find a job all the way from Norway, and even if you do, they're not likely to give you a work visa.

[Lasse K. Lien]

I'm assuming you can have your pick of a Norwegian college, and have the state pay for your education.

- The first ten years of public education are mandatory and "free". The following three optional years are free aswell. Following that (what I would call higher education, relativly) are not free, but you do get a government-loan of about 15 or so thousand dollars annually to pay for it.

And, if your parents are productive taxpayers, they are morally justified to send you there if they want to, and you're morally justified to accept their gift.

- After one year as draftee in the navy aswell as paying taxes of absolutely everything I do I have no moral reservations towards exploiting whatever options are there, but that does not change the fact that its still cold and dark in this region.

Besides, if I stay around for five years to study I could find myself with a girlfriend and a kid - then im pretty much obliged to stay here for the foreseeable future, which is not optimal .

Trying to move to the US as an uneducated 18 yo. on the other hand, is pretty much impossible. It would be hard to find a job all the way from Norway, and even if you do, they're not likely to give you a work visa.

- Im twentyone, but besides that I guess the same applies .

But what about the American dream here?

Would love to board a plain, bring a few thousand dollars and see where it can take me.

But I guess thats not an option anymore, atleast to the extent it was in the "good old days"..

Anyhow, appreciate the input

[TheEgoist]

Don't know what others said, but it's easy to at least apply to college from other countries here. It won't get you full U.S Citizenship, but so many people at major colleges are from Europe and Asia. I really don't know the process, but have known a few people who have told me how easy it was to attain a permanent visa for schooling here.

[freestyle]

But what about the American dream here?

Would love to board a plain, bring a few thousand dollars and see where it can take me.

But I guess thats not an option anymore, atleast to the extent it was in the "good old days"..

Anyhow, appreciate the input

On this, I would not take "no" for an answer. There is always a way.

Here's a link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4845246_legally-im...te-america.html

I like the entrepreneur option. Now all you need is a million dollar idea.

...btw, I think you can get a six month tourist visa. Take your thousands dollars and see where that takes you. 6 months might be long enough to find a job for an intelligent, creative person with an objective mind. You might have to take about a $10k "hit" on your first year's salary to pay for the legal fee on the work visa... Then you have about 12 years before getting the green card.

Edited March 16, 2010 by freestyle

[Jake_Ellison]

But what about the American dream here?

Would love to board a plain, bring a few thousand dollars and see where it can take me.

But I guess thats not an option anymore, atleast to the extent it was in the "good old days"..

You can do that, you don't need a visa to enter the US, but you can only stay a limited time, and you're not allowed to work legally. But, as a Western European, you're still lucky, because if you do all the right things, you're pretty much guaranteed to gain your citizenship eventually.

I didn't know you were 21 when I said there's no chance to get in. You should look into it yourself, maybe go to the embassy in Oslo and ask around, see what your options are. There are also agencies which specialize in finding people US jobs. If you can get an invitation from a US employer, and you speak English (you obviously do), there might be a good chance for a work visa for a year or two (I don't really know how long they're for, I believe they are called J1 visas), and you can take it from there.