Sorry for the long post, there's many facets to my situation.
My partner and I met in Australia, where I'm a citizen. My partner is a US Citizen and we both work for our respective governments, both with established careers (and with nearly identical paychecks).
My partner had to return to the US for a year and is now waiting for the borders to reopen after COVID 19. We initially intended on my partner leaving his job in the US, where he owns a home and has a retirement benefit (if he continues working for a number of years) to move to Australia, as we think this is a better country to settle down in. However, if he moves here without finishing his contract, which would be another 8 years, he will lose his retirement benefit, which would be a substantial pension for the rest of his life. He would also need to find work here, which for him would be reasonably easy in his line of work, but his super would be negligible and he would have to work for a long time.
To complicate matters further, we found out 3 months ago I am pregnant and will be expecting a baby mid next year.
I love my career, however it is not compatible with raising a child, especially without a partner present, in the long run.
In the event my partner came here, we agreed he may have to stay home to look after the baby (which he's happy to do) whilst I continue working and become the primary income for the household. I am not old fashioned and don't particularly mind that arrangement. The only issue would be in my current line of work I would be required to be away from my family for long periods of time and includes long hours, weekend work etc even when I am home. So in the long run I don't see it sustainable or something I would want to continue with a young family. I would be able to transition to a less demanding role or part-time work, which would allow me to work primarily from home, but effectively ends my career progression and a substantial pay cut. Or I can look for work in another career attached to but outside my current industry. That's when I suggested we look at the possibility of the baby moving to the US with my partner after my maternity leave ends (6 months) while I try and arrange a way to join them in the US. My partner has cheap daycare facilitated by his workplace, whereas it would cost me nearly as much as my paycheck here to have full time care while I work.
My career prospects in the US could be reasonable in their equivalent to my industry, due to my current position, experience in the field and qualifications, including a bachelor degree. If I were to stay in Australia another 3 year's total I could achieve a master's degree through my work place (so I would not need to pay for it), but ofcourse that would be more time away from my partner and child. In the event I move to the US, I could reduce to part time work remotely in my current work place.
My major obstacle in this option is obtaining a US visa in order to stay with my partner and child in the US while he finishes his 8 year contract, at the end of which we intend on moving back to Australia. My partner has suggested marriage as the simplest way to achieve this, however I do not wish to go down this route. My reasoning, although I would be happy to marry him, is that in order to take such a step, I believe it should be for the reason of committing to each other and to me it is truely a lifelong commitment. It is not something to be done simply for the purpose of security immigration or allowing us to live together quicker.
I realise this seems illogical and deliberately making something more difficult for the sake of morality, but I truely believe a marriage requires a strong foundation with two very committed people to work, and getting married for the right reasons in the first place is a big part of that.
I have looked into the E3 visa, which would require a offer and sponsorship from an employer in the US prior to me getting there, although I'd prefer to continue working remotely in my current role, from the US and be primary carer for our child atleast until they go to school if I do end up going there vs him coming here.
Can anyone provide advice on what would be our best option overall, and particularly, if it is possible for me to obtain a way to stay in the US with my family until we move back to Australia, without getting married?
TL:DR Can I stay in the US where my partner and child are if I do not get married to my partner?
[link] [comments]
source https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/comments/klgjjt/us_visa_without_marriage/