US or Manila?

[giggles]

Hi everyone! i need your advice po sana.. me and my husband are currently residing here in the US with him having h1b visa, and me with h4. we are currently discussing of whether to move back in manila or continue life here.

points to consider for us is:
- if we want to stay here for good, we need to apply for green card. which we will shoulder amounting to $12000 to $15000.
- if we pursue application, approval can be as fast as 5 years.
- if we pay for the green card application, our savings monthly will be too minimal and savings we now have will all be invested on the green card application.
- we are a bit hesitant because we now have a baby and we dont want to have minimal savings in any case we might be needing money for her.
- also, since im on h4 visa, in order for me to get a job is i need an employer who's willing to sponsor my working visa.
- prob is, US is still on recession, so chance of having someone to sponsor you is low.
- and also, since only hubby has a job, we're also considering about his job security (almost lost it when his company merged with another company)

Now, if we decide to go back to manila and use our money for business instead of the green card application, will it not be put to waste?
- or, business to profit really depends on what field we plan to take?
- if we dont use it for business, and plan to look for work, will it be hard to look for one?

if you're in our position, which would u take?

thanks in advance for those who'll give their opinion regarding the matter.

[shopaholic18]

if i were in your position (which is kinda biased kasi my family will migrate there soon, susunod lang ako coz i aged out)...we will stay there...yung recession matatapos din yan...for sure makakarecover din US...try to look for job then pagtulungan nyong mag hubby yung green card...ang tagal tagal ng hinintay namin just to be there...16 years...then i will have to wait some more...probably 2 years coz i plan to reside there by then...think of it as not for yourselves but for the baby...ang hirap na dito sa Pinas ngayon, kahit pa recession US hindi padin sing gulo at hirap ng buhay dito...if it weren't for us (me and my brother) wala ng plan pa sana mag migrate parents ko kaso they still need to ensure na makasunod ako dun in any possible (legal) way...hope this helps...

[showermist]

that would depend.  maghihirap ba kayo if you pursue with your green card application?  or kaya pa naman.  i know with a child, it's kinda expensive.  medical insurance na lang, etc.  plus daily expenses could really mount high.  i've  a friend in US, a director in one of ymca chapters, with 1 kid, two income in their family-- is having a hard time financially.
recession, it will take years for america to recover.  have you been reading the news?  it'll take at least 15(some say, 25) years for US to fully recover. 
you may want to consider your hubby's job--how sure are you na he can keep his job? what will happen if he lose his job?

kasi kung ako lang, i will still go for the green card.  (mahal ko ang Pinas ha). 


but if you're great with business naman, going back to Pinas maybe an opportunity to financial 'freedom' 

it all depend on your take girl.

[seduce_me]

sis, if I were you, go for the green card application! I didn't know that GC cost that much, but it's worth the investment. Once you both (or at least si hubby for now) acquired permanent residency, mas secure ang job niya or he can easily change job if he wants to. Maraming opportunities dito sa US, all you have to do is look for it. Since wala ka pa job, or while you're waiting, you can do eBay at home, you can easily make money per week, just put time on it. I'm a stay-at-home-wife and I make money enough to sustain our weekly groceries and pang-gala namin ni mister and minsan nagpapadala pa ako ng extra sa parents ko.

I assume you have health insurance with your husband's job, that alone is a reason for you to stay. We have good doctors around. And your baby needs that.

[giggles]

wow.... thanks for all the opinions and suggestions... i'm taking into consideration everything that you girls stated... i might miss some points and that's why i appreciate all your opinions...

thanks... hoping for more opinions, suggestions

[Vera]

Stay in the U.S. until you get a job. But of course you need to actively search for a job. Try selling on Ebay. While I was in the U.S. and had spare time, I made around $3,000 a month selling stuff on Ebay.

[giggles]

hi vera! i'd love to do that but in order to do so, i have to invest on items i'll sell also. the problem is lang now, i have a 2 month old baby and taking care of her takes up most of my time. i know i can start selling items of our own that we dont need anymore, but like what you said, i need to put some time to that which i'm not sure i can. maybe ill start doing so when the baby gets a little older.

you were earning $3000? what were you selling? you still here in the US?

[Vera]

hi vera! i'd love to do that but in order to do so, i have to invest on items i'll sell also. the problem is lang now, i have a 2 month old baby and taking care of her takes up most of my time. i know i can start selling items of our own that we dont need anymore, but like what you said, i need to put some time to that which i'm not sure i can. maybe ill start doing so when the baby gets a little older.

you were earning $3000? what were you selling? you still here in the US?

I'm in the Philippines right now for vacation. I'd sell anything -- mostly designer stuff from outlet stores that are 40-60% off (Coach, Gucci, and other brands I can find from Nordstrom). I sell at retail or lower than retail + free shipping. I also sold rare Lego sets that I bought from a Lego camp for $150++ and sold at $240++ anything I could get hold of.

You don't have to buy everything at once. Pwedeng pa-isa isa lang then rollover mo na lang.  Or sometimes when I buy books or DVDs for my son, I'd sell them on Ebay after a month. When I'm cleaning my closet / room, I'd sell a few items
as well.

[morbiedoll]

When you have your greencard na you can always apply for low income. or yung section 8 na tinatawag nila, may foodstamps din at mas mababa yung rent ng house/apt na kukunin niyo. My cousins 12 & 9 y/o, are currently going to school for free. Andun narin yung lunch & snack nila so walang bnabayaran yung parents nila. Libre din yung medical nila like emergencies, vitamins, dentist & eye check up. Maraming benefits if you forego your greencard. Kakarating lang nila dito last May. Yung papa nila sa hospital nagtrtrabaho with minimum pay, yung mama naman nila nagcacaregiver which pays $500 for 4 days (under the table)

[gnela_21]

Hi everyone! i need your advice po sana.. me and my husband are currently residing here in the US with him having h1b visa, and me with h4. we are currently discussing of whether to move back in manila or continue life here.

points to consider for us is:
- if we want to stay here for good, we need to apply for green card. which we will shoulder amounting to $12000 to $15000.
- if we pursue application, approval can be as fast as 5 years.
- if we pay for the green card application, our savings monthly will be too minimal and savings we now have will all be invested on the green card application.
- we are a bit hesitant because we now have a baby and we dont want to have minimal savings in any case we might be needing money for her.
- also, since im on h4 visa, in order for me to get a job is i need an employer who's willing to sponsor my working visa.
- prob is, US is still on recession, so chance of having someone to sponsor you is low.
- and also, since only hubby has a job, we're also considering about his job security (almost lost it when his company merged with another company)

Now, if we decide to go back to manila and use our money for business instead of the green card application, will it not be put to waste?
- or, business to profit really depends on what field we plan to take?
- if we dont use it for business, and plan to look for work, will it be hard to look for one?

if you're in our position, which would u take?

thanks in advance for those who'll give their opinion regarding the matter.

hi giggles, we were actually on the same place that you were before. we came here 2008, my husband in H1B and then i'm in H4. have you tried to go on EB2? instead of EB3? with the greencard application? because that's what we did, my husband took up doctorate here para pwede sya i-file for EB2 instead of EB3, although it took him 18 months to finish the degree, mas mabilis naman ang processing ng EB2 dahil current ang visa number. ito yung timeline namin:

06/26/2010 - H1B Transfer received by USCIS
09/03/2010 - Medical and GC forms sent to lawyer
09/07/2010 - Medical and GC forms received by lawyer
09/27/2010 - I-140 and I-485, I-765 and I-131 received by USCIS
11/15/2010 - EAD received
11/17/2010 - Biometrics schedule received
12/03/2010 - H1B Transfer approved
12/07/2010 - Biometrics schedule: Done

so currently, we already have our EAD, kaya i'm actively looking for work I would suggest that you try to stick it out here, kasi you're here legally, may work naman ang husband mo. Health-insurance wise, covered naman siguro kayong family. Yung option na i-sponsor ka, medyo malabo siguro, not unless you're a nurse or a PT na in-need talaga. Depende din if the skillset that you have is talagang kelangan nila, kasi karamihan sa mga pinag-applyan ko, they would ask talaga if you are legally allowed to work or if you need sponsorship. San state kayo sis?