Greencard for 100 000 Dollars?

[M.Martin38]

Hey there!

Granted, the thread title is a little sensational, but fitting anyway...

I'm a 38 yo unmarried childless guy from Germany who worked as a bus and truck driver since finishing high school. My dream was always to migrate to the US somewhere down the road which is why I saved almost all I could. I never went to college or university, although my GPA would have been sufficient to do so. I guess USCIS would classify me to be an unskilled worker with a very low priority as many Americans are able to work as drivers etc. I'm not able to go for EB5 as I do not have 500 000 Dollars necessary to do it. What I can spend is about 100 000 Dollars and I am even willing to lose the funds if I have a Greencard afterwards, so I don't care if the capital is lost, as long as I have the permanent residency status and a way to get a US passport finally.

My questions:
Does anybody in this forum know a legal way to obtain a Greencard with my profile? Would it, for example, be possible to participate in opening a small "Subway" or "7/11" branch together with some American person who could act as a Greencard sponsor? Are there any other business routes to get the GC? Like I said: it is not necessary that the business or company flourishes or becomes successful. It can go down the drain as far as I'm concerned. What I need is a legal way to get the paperwork USCIS wants to see.... Is it possible - even at the age of almost 40 years - to go to college/uni and use this as an admission ticket to US citizenship? Is there a way to donate money to a church say and become a "religious worker" (I know there is a green card category for religious workers)? Could there be a way to the US obtaining a pilot's license for helicopters and then offer German language sightseeing flights in Manhatten say?

In short: are there legal ways to get a green card with about 100 000 Dollars that you can afford to lose?

[sasvi]

Hey there!

Granted, the thread title is a little sensational, but fitting anyway...

I'm a 38 yo unmarried childless guy from Germany who worked as a bus and truck driver since finishing high school. My dream was always to migrate to the US somewhere down the road which is why I saved almost all I could. I never went to college or university, although my GPA would have been sufficient to do so. I guess USCIS would classify me to be an unskilled worker with a very low priority as many Americans are able to work as drivers etc. I'm not able to go for EB5 as I do not have 500 000 Dollars necessary to do it. What I can spend is about 100 000 Dollars and I am even willing to lose the funds if I have a Greencard afterwards, so I don't care if the capital is lost, as long as I have the permanent residency status and a way to get a US passport finally.

My questions:
Does anybody in this forum know a legal way to obtain a Greencard with my profile? Would it, for example, be possible to participate in opening a small "Subway" or "7/11" branch together with some American person who could act as a Greencard sponsor? Are there any other business routes to get the GC? Like I said: it is not necessary that the business or company flourishes or becomes successful. It can go down the drain as far as I'm concerned. What I need is a legal way to get the paperwork USCIS wants to see.... Is it possible - even at the age of almost 40 years - to go to college/uni and use this as an admission ticket to US citizenship? Is there a way to donate money to a church say and become a "religious worker" (I know there is a green card category for religious workers)? Could there be a way to the US obtaining a pilot's license for helicopters and then offer German language sightseeing flights in Manhatten say?

In short: are there legal ways to get a green card with about 100 000 Dollars that you can afford to lose?

The short answer and the one you don`t want to is No. In case you were from Italy or any countries with E2 visa, you could use this money to open a business such as a truck company or other small one, and get the E2. This will make you live in US but will never grant you Greencard or US citizenship. If you have a business in Germany, you could consider opening a branch and come with L1 visa. This will give you some chances but...do you have a business? Is your business sustainable enough so you can open one in US and make it succeed? With only 100k, not looking very promising...

There is no way a person can act as your sponsor that simple. They must hire you and their business must be strong enough...The good for you is that there is a shortage of truck drivers and the ones handling dangerous goods, even less. So you could try to reach out to those companies and maybe they can bring you in as a temporary worker. You will have to work here for only 6 months and leave...and maybe later they can sponsor you as worker if you can specialize yourself enough by education/grow in the company.

Getting the student visa will be easier (you can go to a school to learn English, for example) but, again, will not grant you a Greencard unless someone sponsor you (maybe you become a German teacher after studying?).

So...longer term options are: you can start studying, study a lot, earn a bachelors degree, masters, doctor and eventually self apply and National Interest. Long, very long process and not impossible at all. If you meet someone and get married, then you will be the lucky guy. Are you a nice person? The one a girl will be interested to spend the life together? Or you can make or 100k increase to 500k to get an EB5. I know, it is difficult.

There is just one short and cheap option than the EB5. Not a lot of people know about it. You can invest 200k in Grenada. Pay some extra fees (so have 250 available) and they will grant you Grenadian citizenship in less than one year. So now you can open a small business - 100 to 150k - and move to US in the E2 visa. If you really look to this option, this will be less than the 500K. The 200k in Grenada is as simple as buying a house so that is still yours and you can rent it or sell it later...so there is a chance to get your money back. Your business, if you work hard, can grow and provide you enough for a good life. You can buy a business ready for E2 - google it.

There are no shortcuts...it is difficult to immigrate - that is a fact.

[sasvi]

Hey there!

Granted, the thread title is a little sensational, but fitting anyway...

I'm a 38 yo unmarried childless guy from Germany who worked as a bus and truck driver since finishing high school. My dream was always to migrate to the US somewhere down the road which is why I saved almost all I could. I never went to college or university, although my GPA would have been sufficient to do so. I guess USCIS would classify me to be an unskilled worker with a very low priority as many Americans are able to work as drivers etc. I'm not able to go for EB5 as I do not have 500 000 Dollars necessary to do it. What I can spend is about 100 000 Dollars and I am even willing to lose the funds if I have a Greencard afterwards, so I don't care if the capital is lost, as long as I have the permanent residency status and a way to get a US passport finally.

My questions:
Does anybody in this forum know a legal way to obtain a Greencard with my profile? Would it, for example, be possible to participate in opening a small "Subway" or "7/11" branch together with some American person who could act as a Greencard sponsor? Are there any other business routes to get the GC? Like I said: it is not necessary that the business or company flourishes or becomes successful. It can go down the drain as far as I'm concerned. What I need is a legal way to get the paperwork USCIS wants to see.... Is it possible - even at the age of almost 40 years - to go to college/uni and use this as an admission ticket to US citizenship? Is there a way to donate money to a church say and become a "religious worker" (I know there is a green card category for religious workers)? Could there be a way to the US obtaining a pilot's license for helicopters and then offer German language sightseeing flights in Manhatten say?

In short: are there legal ways to get a green card with about 100 000 Dollars that you can afford to lose?

Martin, I did some research and looks like the E2 visa is available for Germany. So, what you really have to do is to invest in a business that you will manage here. This will give you E2 visa. This is not an immigrant visa. But you can renew it every 2 years and live in US for long time...this visa will not give you the option to apply for a Green card. So, look for business you can manage and you will be able to make some money. There are business for sale that were already approved in the past for E2. Just google it. Good luck.

[inadmissible]

Spend your money on education. A self-driving truck/bus engineer is going to get many job offers than lead to a green card