MCHUGH'S JOURNEY TO A GREEN CARD

THE MCHUGHS - DARREN, AMY, ALFIE (15), ARLO (13), OSCAR (7) AND HUGO (NEARLY 6!!)

SHORT VERSION (full story below)

Since arriving in the USA on July 4th, 2011, we have been chasing our Holy Grail....A Green Card. For the 1st time in 11 years, we are in a position where my amazing Immigration Lawyer has told me that I am an excellent candidate to apply for a visa that will finally lead to a Green Card. What that means for us is that our older 2 children would have the choice to stay in the States when they turn 21 (even though they have lived here since they were 2 and 4 they would no longer be classed as a dependant/minor and therefore would have to either qualify off of their own back or more than likely return to the UK, a country they did not grow up in). It would also allow Amy the freedom of being able to work wherever she chooses. She has not seen her family back in the UK for 3 years; this would allow her to travel freely and finally meet her niece for the first time.

Our Lawyer also explained that this process is not easy nor cheap. The first stage is elevating my visa status and getting approval, the cost of which is circa $12,000. The next step is to transfer Alfie, Arlo, Amy and I to a Green Card status, a further $18,000 ($4500 each). We know that if we didn't do anything, we would have to return to the UK, a beautiful country undoubtedly, but our dreams and reality lies here in our amazing adopted country, USA. Your help will finally offer our family the chance to plan and build for the future and give our children the stability and rights that they deserve such as the right to work and drive and not live in constant worry that within 6 years we may have to split our family or make the hard decision to go back to the UK.

From the bottom of our hearts, Thank You in advance

FULL VERSION

Until a month before Covid struck, Amy and I worked for ourselves for 15 years. We both met working for the very prestigious TONI&GUY. In 2005 we got the opportunity to buy our very own T&G franchise. We had essentially purchased a failed salon, but with effort, determination and hard work, we turned it around and within 18 months of taking the keys, we were nominated and shortlisted from 240 salons for the award of "Franchisee of the Year"..........And we won!! Crazy 18 months as in that period we bought our first house, bought our first business, won an award, got married and had our first baby boy!! After 5 years, we sold the salon, putting our sites firmly on emigrating to the States to join my parents in NJ.

So we found a space in a high-end mall in Cherry Hill, NJ, and flew the family of 4 as we were then over to the States. We set about trying to find an architect, find a contractor, and negotiate with the conglomerate landlord over the lease, all while staying within the strict rules of our investor's visa that we had still yet to apply for. Why not apply for it first? Surely that would be the safer way to do things? Agreed; however, the rules state that when starting a business from scratch, you have to spend your money first and get the company close to opening, then apply for the visa, and yes, if you get refused, you lose everything!! Thankfully we were accepted and were gifted with 9 years of owning and managing a business full of the best stylists and colorists we have ever worked with.

Although work started on the next part of our lives months before, in Feb 2020, we closed the doors, sold the house and moved the family of 6 down to Florida. A move that came with a huge sting! We had to leave our village; we were fortunate enough to have lived in a neighborhood that cannot be described on paper.

Moving to Florida was about taking advantage of an opportunity that kept us here in the States and a chance to grow as stylists and hone our craft without the white noise of running a business.

All this was only possible if I got approved for the O1 exceptional ability Visa. Although it took twice as long for an answer, USCIS finally approved us. We have worked hard to get ourselves to where we are now, not easy considering the pandemic.

Since arriving in the USA on July 4th, 2011, we have been chasing our Holy Grail....A Green Card. For the 1st time in 11 years, we are in a position where my amazing Immigration Lawyer has told me that I am an excellent candidate to apply for a visa that will finally lead to a Green Card. What that means for us is that our older 2 children would have the choice to stay in the States when they turn 21 (even though they have lived here since they were 2 and 4 they would no longer be classed as a dependant/minor and therefore would have to either qualify off of their own back or more than likely return to the UK, a country they did not grow up in). It would also allow Amy the freedom of being able to work wherever she chooses. She has not seen her family back in the UK for 3 years; this would allow her to travel freely and finally meet her niece for the first time.

Our Lawyer also explained that this process is not easy nor cheap. The first stage is elevating my visa status and getting approval, the cost of which is circa $12,000. The next step is to transfer Alfie, Arlo, Amy and I to a Green Card status, a further $18,000 ($4500 each). We know that if we didn't do anything, we would have to return to the UK, a beautiful country undoubtedly, but our dreams and reality lies here in our amazing adopted country, USA. Your help will finally offer our family the chance to plan and build for the future and give our children the stability and rights that they deserve such as the right to work and drive and not live in constant worry that within 6 years we may have to split our family or make the hard decision to go back to the UK.

From the bottom of our hearts, Thank You in advance