UK Citizen, visas etc...

[UKMark]

Hi All
Just found this great site, first post.

My wife and I are here on vacation from the UK to escape our rubbish winter (cold and wet). We are in a rented Class C 28 footer. All very nice, going great so far. Currently sat writing this in the sunshine in Palm Springs. 🙂

We are here on the usual 90 day visa waiver program entry. But we would dearly love to be able to stay longer, as long as possible really, without becoming a permanent resident. We would happily up-sticks and live here but i doubt the U.S. government would be as happy about it as us!

So I wondered if anybody here on the forums has any experience or knowledge of how we might go about getting visas to stay longer. B2 I think is the tourist visa we would need. But it is all very vague on the immigration web site. There is no indication of how long a B2 would actually give you, how long it lasts or what they would be looking for to go ahead and issue one.

Other points are things like going out of the U.S. (say to Canada or Mexico, both of which give UK citizens a 6 month stay by default) and then returning to the US.

Thanks in advance
Happy Holiday
Mark

[UKMark]

Veebeyes wrote:


We have met many people over the years from many countrys who are in the US, with their own RV, quite legally.

Yes there are a few hoops to jump through but nothing that is too much of a nuisance to do. It is not like you are looking to go & work or take up permanent residence.

There is the problem of how to register the rig. Without a home in the US you have no state, no address to register the vehicle too. There are a few ways to skin this cat as well.

If buying from a dealer the dealer will say & do most anything to make the sale including have it registered to their address. I am not 100% sure of the legality of this arrangement. The dealer is not going to do any favors.

What works for many is to form a LLC which you are the owner of. The LLC does not need a residencial address. The vehicle belongs to the LLC. You own the LLC. You drive the company vehicle.

A number of states are popular & make it easy to go this route for a small fee, of course, each year. Montana probably heads the list. Delaware, South Dakota, Texas also come to mind quite quickly. Do the research to see which suits best.

Hi there VB
Many thanks for all this advice. We are visiting our CPA here in the US later in the trip so I will run your suggestions by him and see if we can get a LLC set up. Another step closer....
Cheers
Mark

[UKMark]

Hi J & A
Thanks for all the great advice. Very nice of you to take the time to post them in.
Have a great new year.
All the best
Mark

[John___Angela]

UKMark wrote:

John & Angela wrote:
Hey, Merry hohoho. We are also in Palm Springs for Christmas. We are Canadians and are on B2 visas otherwise known as the snowbird visa. Good for 6 months. Thing is, the way I understand it, (and I'm not an expert) you have to be outside the country to initiate any visa. I'm also not sure the eligibility of UK citizens for the B2 visa. I would recommend going to the immigration folks and asking there. I think you can do this in Palm Springs, otherwise pop down to Mexicali and talk to them there. When is your 90 day visa up. There are certainly nice places south of the border to visit, depending on the time of year your visa is up it might be a good place to hang out for the winter if you run out of time in the winter. Once spring comes there are certainly lots of places to visit in Canada and its an easy entry with a commonwealth passport.

Where are you staying in Palm Springs?

John and Angela.

Hi John
We are staying at the Happy Traveller. Nice place. Having a great time in PS. How about you?
Mark

Not too far away. We are in outdoor resorts Palm Springs. Yep the weather has been great. No complaints. Hope you get it all sorted out. Enjoy your winter and hope you enjoy your trip through Canada.

TTYL.

J and A

[Veebyes]

UKMark wrote:
Hi All
Thanks for all the interest and advice.
Just to be clear, we are not looking to extend this stay but to go home and get the visa sorted (we hope) back in the UK. Then come back over for a longer winter break (2015/6) and then maybe head north to Canada for spring/summer of 2016.
But the whole visa thing seems a bit of a lottery.
We shall see.

If we are lucky enough to get it I would hope to buy a 5th wheel and truck rather than rent a motor home for 12 months or so. The cost of renting that long would be really high. Does anybody know if it is possible for a non us citizen to buy a vehicle. Obviously I would need insurance as well. Anything else needed to own/use a vehicle on the road?
Many thanks
Mark

We have met many people over the years from many countrys who are in the US, with their own RV, quite legally.

Yes there are a few hoops to jump through but nothing that is too much of a nuisance to do. It is not like you are looking to go & work or take up permanent residence.

There is the problem of how to register the rig. Without a home in the US you have no state, no address to register the vehicle too. There are a few ways to skin this cat as well.

If buying from a dealer the dealer will say & do most anything to make the sale including have it registered to their address. I am not 100% sure of the legality of this arrangement. The dealer is not going to do any favors.

What works for many is to form a LLC which you are the owner of. The LLC does not need a residencial address. The vehicle belongs to the LLC. You own the LLC. You drive the company vehicle.

A number of states are popular & make it easy to go this route for a small fee, of course, each year. Montana probably heads the list. Delaware, South Dakota, Texas also come to mind quite quickly. Do the research to see which suits best.

[UKMark]

Hi All
Thanks for all the interest and advice.
Just to be clear, we are not looking to extend this stay but to go home and get the visa sorted (we hope) back in the UK. Then come back over for a longer winter break (2015/6) and then maybe head north to Canada for spring/summer of 2016.
But the whole visa thing seems a bit of a lottery.
We shall see.

If we are lucky enough to get it I would hope to buy a 5th wheel and truck rather than rent a motor home for 12 months or so. The cost of renting that long would be really high. Does anybody know if it is possible for a non us citizen to buy a vehicle. Obviously I would need insurance as well. Anything else needed to own/use a vehicle on the road?
Many thanks
Mark

[UKMark]

John & Angela wrote:
Hey, Merry hohoho. We are also in Palm Springs for Christmas. We are Canadians and are on B2 visas otherwise known as the snowbird visa. Good for 6 months. Thing is, the way I understand it, (and I'm not an expert) you have to be outside the country to initiate any visa. I'm also not sure the eligibility of UK citizens for the B2 visa. I would recommend going to the immigration folks and asking there. I think you can do this in Palm Springs, otherwise pop down to Mexicali and talk to them there. When is your 90 day visa up. There are certainly nice places south of the border to visit, depending on the time of year your visa is up it might be a good place to hang out for the winter if you run out of time in the winter. Once spring comes there are certainly lots of places to visit in Canada and its an easy entry with a commonwealth passport.

Where are you staying in Palm Springs?

John and Angela.

Hi John
We are staying at the Happy Traveller. Nice place. Having a great time in PS. How about you?
Mark

[John___Angela]

Pineapple Kid wrote:
Hi UKMark

I don't have a answer for your question However I am planning to do the exact same thing you are doing in reverse.

I have just purchased a Right Hand Drive Sprinter Motorhome through my friend in the Netherlands ( we cant own them there ).

It is now sitting in storage in Amsterdam waiting for summer in the UK. ( Mid May for 3 months )

I never thought about any Visa for UK or Mainland Europe In the past I have just gone although I only stay around 3 months or less.

This is the 4th small motorhome I have owned in Europe

Have a great vacation in the USA.

Aloha From Kauai Hawaii
Leon

Hi Leon. I would be interested in hearing if you used any internet sites for finding the motorhome. We have lots of family in Holland that hopefully can help us with the purchase. I have heard that there are more for sale in Germany. Would like to hear more on the process. I speak Spanish French and German but can't remember seeing much in the way of RV sales lots except in Germany. So far our european travel has been mostly train and bus...and feet. We are looking to get out of the city next time. Hoping to go for 6 months, three in the schengen and three out. Thanks in advance.

[Pineapple_Kid]

Hi UKMark

I don't have a answer for your question However I am planning to do the exact same thing you are doing in reverse.

I have just purchased a Right Hand Drive Sprinter Motorhome through my friend in the Netherlands ( we cant own them there ).

It is now sitting in storage in Amsterdam waiting for summer in the UK. ( Mid May for 3 months )

I never thought about any Visa for UK or Mainland Europe In the past I have just gone although I only stay around 3 months or less.

This is the 4th small motorhome I have owned in Europe

Have a great vacation in the USA.

Aloha From Kauai Hawaii
Leon

[Veebyes]

Visit restrictions are different for Canadians & British. Canadians & a number of others can stay, visa free, for 180 days a year.

As has been pointed out the OP can stay, visa free, for 3 months then a relatively easy to get extension must be obtained for a longer stay.

I find it a little odd that the British only get 3 months yet we in Bermuda, a British colony, have 6 months like the Canadians.

Must be in appreciation for way back during your war of independence when we stole gunpowder from a British fort here & took it out to American ships which took it & used it against the British.

[tatest]

Go to the source.

It varies with visa type and citizenship/residency. I don't know the B2 status for UK. My experience has been PRC citizens extending a special technical single entry visa (they were sort of working here but not being paid here) and they could extend without leaving, and an Australian working here who had to leave the country to make an application (we moved him to Canada).

Country by country rules depend a lot on what is the reciprocal arrangement.

[Martyn]

I'm British and have lived in the US as a Permanent Resident (Green Card) since 1988.

Not sure I know the answer to your question, but if you go here:
Homeland Security

and open the link in the right for the pdf file that says: "How Do I Extend My Nonimmigrant Stay in the U.S.? (545 KB PDF)"

...you may get some of the answers you need.

Best of luck, and Merry Christmas from snowy Colorado!

[John___Angela]

n7bsn wrote:
Citizens of the UK can extend their B2 up to one year, the form (used to be?) I-539. The extension can take 45 to 60 days to process

That's kinda cool and should work out well for these guys. I wonder why they don't do the same for Canadians. We haven't had the need to stay longer but I can see wanting to hit some of the more summer destination national parks and then returning for the standard winter stay. No big deal for us as the years we did that we just spent some time touring Mexico. But I can see where it might be handy. I remember the border guard explaining that the visa that Canadian snowbirds are on something they call "an implied B2 visa". No idea what that means but I remember him saying 6 montgs was Max. It also gets goofy for taxes after that as the IRS has their own criteria unrelated to the immigration folks.

Do you know if they are able to extend their B2 from inside the USA?

[n7bsn]

Citizens of the UK can extend their B2 up to one year, the form (used to be?) I-539. The extension can take 45 to 60 days to process

[John___Angela]

Hey, Merry hohoho. We are also in Palm Springs for Christmas. We are Canadians and are on B2 visas otherwise known as the snowbird visa. Good for 6 months. Thing is, the way I understand it, (and I'm not an expert) you have to be outside the country to initiate any visa. I'm also not sure the eligibility of UK citizens for the B2 visa. I would recommend going to the immigration folks and asking there. I think you can do this in Palm Springs, otherwise pop down to Mexicali and talk to them there. When is your 90 day visa up. There are certainly nice places south of the border to visit, depending on the time of year your visa is up it might be a good place to hang out for the winter if you run out of time in the winter. Once spring comes there are certainly lots of places to visit in Canada and its an easy entry with a commonwealth passport.

Where are you staying in Palm Springs?

John and Angela.