Your chances of getting a work visa in short time are not good. You might think about working there and saving some dough.
On a related note: http://www.msnbc.com/news/461125.asp
Thanx Audrey… i hope so too! 
Anywho it seems that until i have a college degree or work experience to equal a degree… my only real chance will be marriage or tourist visas…
wich means i cant be with the girl i love for atleast another 3 years…
Somehow life just seems unfair sometimes…
>>> Somehow life just seems unfair sometimes…
Welcome to the real world.
lol ive been in the real world for quite some time now… i mean im working 60 hours a week to be able to pay off my bank so they dont send a hitman after me… its just… the world seems to really like pissing up and down my back… yea its cool that ive fallen in love and all… but why the hell does she have to live so far away ? crap world you suck!
I just wanted to wish you good luck(lycka till).
I hope everything works out as you’re hoping for.:)
I sincerely apologize for not having read this thread fully but I do not have the time right now. I just wanted to say that I live in Johnson City (well, right outside) and I work in Johnson City also. If you would like to e-mail me, I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Skümmet, if I were you, I’d check out the possibilities of getting your education (or perhaps one or two years’ worth) in the US - there are lots of private funds that might help you with at least part of the expenses. This, of course, means that your grades will have to be very good indeed. But if you bust ass during your first year of university, you might be able to get a sponsorship. Check “Legat-haandbogen” - as if you haven’t already
Make DAMN sure that whatever education you’re getting will be sufficient to get you a visa.
OK, one piece of advice from a Danish expat: Look before you leap. The first six months anywhere are fun, but you’ll probably come to realize that the obscene Danish taxes buy us some very nice benefits. What I’m trying to say: Don’t commit yourself to a long-term stay before you’re over the “tourist” stage.
I really hope everything works out for you.
S. Norman
Shhhh, Norman, if Skummet leaves Denmark, I’m going to take his place! If he stays, my only alternative is to off MisterTot and marry you. I -heart- Denmark.
Oh, and Skummet, you definately want to do this legally. You could probably go as a tourist and find some work under the table, but see VAHermit’s pit thread for some of the risks - other than deportation- in doing that. But don’t worry, I’m sure there is some way to get you to the USA. How bout I go and write all the presidential candidates and offer my vote to the one who promises you a visa? It’s as good a way of deciding as any this election year…
Thanx evilbeth… i appreciate your honesty… a mail is underway!!!
Norm… yea i know that the very best thing would be to just have patience… Start Uni here next summer and finish the “datamatiker uddannelse” this would take me 2 and a quart year… and then i could go to the states and study for a year… that would get me a BA and then when that year was over i could see how happy i was about the place… and simply go home if i was too homesick… and if not… i would have a BA in computerscience… wich could land me a pretty good paying job most places… but the reason i dont have patience for this is… well… THE GIRL!!! i want to be with her so bad!!! But it really seems almost hopeless unless i go with the tourist visa thing… and to be able to do that i need to have money first… and to get the money means ill have to work LOTS wich means i cant go to school next year… so u see its quite a dilemma…
Ill keep my hopes high tho… there must be SOME way i can get to stay there for just 6 months or something and work during my stay…
or maybe i can atleast stay for free at the motel if i work as their handyman or cleaning lady or something… i dunno… i WILL figure this out somehow… i want to be with my gurl dammit!!!
Thanx again everyone for your replies
Oh and tater… u think maybe… we could just switch passport or something ? that might actually work
Oh and Norman… i have thought about Legathaandogen… but most of the legater inthere is for people who already have atleast a BA or who is in specific trades and want further education in that area…
But ill be sure to browse it just one more time to see if maybe i overlooked a skümmet-legat or something
Hey, I just had a crazy idea (man, I’m becoming obsessed with this whole get Skummet into the US idea) will they let men (you are a man, right?) become Au Pairs? If you like kids, it wouldn’t be so bad, just don’t shake them.
And I’d gladly let you have my passport, the only catch is that it comes complete with Mister and Tiny Tot. You’re girlfriend might not like that too much.
LOL!!! but you dont think the Mister would mind too???
Yea they let guys be AuPairs as far as i know… or atleast they did 8 years ago… i dunno laws chance every day so i would have to look into that… but its definately a posibility… thanx alot tater… but dont wreck your brain too much over this ok ? lol i DO appreciate it alot tho!
Oh and i would say i like kids… but they really really seem to like me… so i guess thats good…
Only problem i think is… with Au Pair u dont get to choose where youre going… like im sure i could have preferences… but how many people are looking for Au Pairs in Johnson City, TN (a place with aprox. 50.000 ppl) so im not sure it would work… then again its definately worth looking into… coz… what if!
I know I’ve read about male au pairs - shouldn’t be impossible. Of course, at 21, I believe you’re getting a bit old for the au pair thing.
Good advice on not shaking kids, btw - they’ll most likely puke on you if you overdo it.
Seriously: “Datamatiker” is an OK education (I took it myself, 10 years ago) - but unlike “real” university education (“Datalogi”), it’s worth zilch unless you complete it. I get the feeling that you’d like your plans to be as flexible as possible, so you should keep that in mind. (I’m not offering much constructive advice here, I know.)
Best of luck - I don’t want Mr. tater’s blood on my hands, so I definitely hope you find a way.
S. Norman
I wasn’t going to kill him, Norman, just leave him on somebody’s doorstep with a note pinned to his jacket or something. Sheesh, you make it sound like you don’t want me to get rid of MisterTot and run off with you to Copenhagen.
Skummet, Johnson City is fairly near to Knoxville which is a decent sized city, and I think there are a fair number of professionals there (people who’d be most interested in an Au Pair). If you got matched with a family with older children, you might even be able to fit in a few university classes. We have what’s known as “community” or “junior” colleges in the States, that offer general education and technical classes at a very reasonable price…they’re not too picky about who they let in and the education you’ll receive is fairly good.
And I think it’s a very cool and brave thing, to try and live in another country for a while. I’m just sitting here cheering you on.
Well i did send away for applications to become an au pair… now the problem is that most families dont want guys to sit their children coz they prolly figure im either gay or a pedo… and the few families that would accept a male au pair have sooo many to choose from that i dont at all have the experience with kids to be considered… wont stop me from applying tho… but im just saying all i have is taking care of my brother and then natural flair for kids… and well i taught vacation bible school for a week in Flint, MI… but thats hardly gonna help me much i think… then again most people in the church thought i was the new youth counselor or some other “professional” coz of how good i was with the kids…
grrr if only i could marry my girl… but it just wouldnt be right. 
Hey Skümmet, my sister just moved back from Piney Flats, TN (yes, there is such a place), back to Roanoke, VA. She hated Tennessee, thought it was just way too “hicksville” (uncivilized and unsophisticated and full of ignorant people). Depending on how cosmopolitan a lifestyle you’re used to, you may have a bit of adjustment to make. Charlotte, NC sounds like a decent place, and there’s a fair number of computer companies there. Where I live (in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area), there are MANY big name computer/networking/telecommunications firms. But the cost of living is very high, and the traffic is the 2nd worst in the U.S. The “Research Triangle” area of NC (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) is nice too, if you can get a job there.
I had some Australian neighbors who came over on one of those H1B’s. They put in a year of work, then took a long driving tour of the continental U.S. They were shocked at the prices, the crowding and the traffic (of course, Australia is the size of the continental U.S. with 1/20th the population). But they had a blast on their vacation.
So why don’t you come over on a VISIT, see your girl, see some sights, but DON’T pass up a free education, not unless you have a “dot.com” company who’s begging you to come over and who’s waiving a pile of money and an H1B in your face.
I’m sure your girl is very nice, and you’re in love, but don’t make a big change that could screw up your life for a relationship that hasn’t yet reached the face-to-face stage. Go visit, see her and see how the face to face goes, then go back to Denmark. Get your free education, visit a few more times in the meanwhile (regardless of what happens with your girlfriend). When you have a bit more in the way of computer courses under your belt (Java and Object Oriented Programming are good), decide if you want to work in the U.S. for a while. Come over, work here for a while (and pay U.S. taxes), see what’s it’s like to live here, what Americans are really like to live with, and see if you want to do that for the rest of your life. And in the meantime, see if that girl is who you want to be with for the rest of your life. Both are big decisions to jump into right away, take little steps at first.
seriously… thanx for your advice…
First off… Who’s your sister? theres a good chance her and my girl might know each other…
Oh and i do know that Johnson City isnt exactly the center of the US and could… to some people… seem a lil too “hicky” (no offense to the people who lives there)
My girl has spent many a nights on the phone with me whining about how sucky people there are… she just wants to get away from there really…
I on the other hand… doesnt need much to make me happy… i can adapt to most things and find a way to be happy with them… Maybe in the long run TN would get too small for me… but it wouldnt be a problem for me staying there for the next 2 years while Liana is in school…
And with people like evilbeth there… it cant be all bad now can it
Another thing id like to stress is… umm this isnt the first time were meeting… i would never be thinking like this about a person i havent even had a conversation to face to face… ive been with her earlier this year and had the best time of my life… seriously… i just felt like everything was right…
And i have been to the states before… seen some of your different style of cultures… and i must say i liked most of them v-much. You tell me to visit again and see some sights? lol i dont think so!!! i just dont do sights… i mean i travel to experience the culture… the people… to just ooze in the atmosphere of wherever i am… why would i want to see some dumb sight that looks better on a post card anyways? i mean i was in NYC for nearly 2 months… and i never went to see the statue of liberty!
Oh and no need to tell me about the traffic in DC… lol i was there on the weekend of memorial day… argh! never again!! altho the HFStival f*cking kicked ass!!!
I guess the more i think about it the only reasonable thing would be to get my free education at home… and then when my girl is out of college and im done… we can start talking about finding a place together… its just hard thinking 3 years ahead in time… when you want to be together now!
Anyways i think of specializing in c++ and most weboriented programming… (php, asp…) wich i think will be sufficient to land an ok job
Also ill talk to my friend in conetticut who went the marriage way to get there… his success kinda insires me too… he has 2 years worth of business education… hes worked in the states for 5 years now and is already past $100.000 a year… he was headhunted to lead one of GE’s billing departments… (they take care of most stores creditcards… like JC P and so on…) lol anyways i would sorta kinda like that happening to me too!
sorry for this rather unstructured and rambly post btw… .but im sure youll find a way to deal with it!
While we’re on the subject, does anyone know what the situation is in reverse? (Ruadh, for instance?) I’m a US citizen living in the UK with a permanent resident visa, which I acquired through marriage with my British husband. If we decided we wanted to move to the States at some point, would my husband be allowed in to live/work? In other words, does already being married to a US citizen confer him this right since we’ve been married five years elsewhere, i.e. he’s not coming across to the States on a temporary visa and then suspiciously (in Immigration’s eyes) deciding to get married?
And what about dual citizenship for me? How does this work if I wanted to pursue this?
This isn’t a hugely pressing concern at the mo, since we’re firmly rooted in Old Blighty for now, but I’m curious.
And by the way, best of luck to you, young Danish friend. Living in a foreign country can be damn tough, but it’s extremely rewarding, and I hope you get to do it.
Stompy
Stompy, basically all you’d need to do is bring some forms and documentation to a US consulate in Britain and they’ll issue your husband an immigrant visa; then when he gets to the States he’ll be issued a green card and then he can work under the same conditions as any US citizen.
If you want more detailed info on the procedure let me know, no time at the moment …
Hi there Skummet, you are getting a lot of good advice on this board. JoltSucker, asked some very good questions that you need to consider. You do not say where in Denmark you live. Copenhagen, Aarhus, Kolding? If you live in Copenhagen, you may be in for a bit of a shock going to a small city in Tennessee. Hopefully, love will conquer all, but it is better to test the waters carefully. As an American, I find it hard to believe that you will not fall in love with our great country.
Work closely with Evilbeth, she is right where you are headed. If she is like many of the people at Straight Dope, she will be very helpful to you. Information is your best friend right now. Get as much of it as you can. Ask Evilbeth to send you job listings and housing information so that you will have a good idea what you are up against.
Please keep us all posted on what happens next and may good fortune smile on you.
Chris