How easily can a Colombian native move to the USA and become successfull?

Jlove says on Mar 26, 2004, 10:47:

I figured that you would have visited more often if you dated her for 5 years. I usually visit that many times in a year. Your best option to start off would be to find a school that pays a good salary or I would take enough money with me to open a business. I like cali the most myself. Make sure your girl is good also. A lot of them have a lot of game.

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SiV says on Mar 26, 2004, 11:12:

Surely, this question´s . . .a bit like "how long is a piece of string?" I´d have thought, that the success of a Colombian, like nationals from anywhere, including the US itself depends on many factors: education, intelligence, ambition, wealth, location, culture connections and support from family, friends etc... I suppose the only other factor relevant for a Colombian would be the language thing: does she speak good English?
SiV

Stultórum númere infinitum est.

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Tinto (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Mar 26, 2004, 11:41:

Engineer An engineering background is a big plus. If she were trying to practice medicine or law it would be a long, expensive proces for her, regardless of the caliber of the institution(s) she attended in Colombia.

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Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Mar 26, 2004, 11:55:

is this still true Years ago when my Colombian husband wanted to study for his M.A. in a university in the Sates, we found out that it was actually easier for him to be admitted, because of some quota system that favored "hispanic" students. If this is still the case, it might be an idea for your girlfriend to get a postgraduate degree in the States, if she intends to be successful there.

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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RobertoNY says on Mar 26, 2004, 12:03:

Success in the U.S. There are many factors involved here. Just because she's an engineer doesn't mean she would be successful here. It depends on the type of engineering degree she has. Of course the ability to speak, read and write english fairly well is a must. Engineering seems the profession of choice in Colombia for some reason. My wife's family is full of them.
Another poster mentioned that a person with a medical or a law degree would have a long hard road ahead of them. Well, a Colombian law degree is all but worthless here. It's obviously a different country with a different constitution and a different set of laws.
Someone with a medical degree is in a much better situation. Their only difficulty would be the language. If they are fluent enough in English to read and understand the medical boards, then they can certainly obtain a license. Their medical education is excellent there. Their credentials are, for the most part, accepted here. Again, the big issue is normally the ability to read, write and speak english.
Now, people in Colombia for some reason have the conception that if one were to become fluent in English they would prosper here. That's obviously a huge misconception. There are obviously tens of millions of people here that speak English fluently that are not doing well financially. There are also millions of bilingual Spanish/English speakers that are not doing well.
So, there are many factors to consider. One poster noted many of them. I'll say that you have to have a good plan and execute it.

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Erik of Alaska says on Mar 26, 2004, 12:46:

Thank you all for the comments and suggestions Firstly, I will say that I think this forum is great, and that I very much appreciate the comments and suggestions that you have all offered to me. Thank you.

Actually, in addition to me visiting Colombia five times, she has visited me three times here in the USA. It is a difficult situation, but we are very much in love with eachother and we both know that it is worth it. She does speak english well, and she is very motivated and quite intelligent. Starting a business is one of her goals.

As RobertoNY suggested, we will definately come up with a good plan and will execute it. Coming up with a good plan is why I became involved in this forum, two years before the intended date of marriage.

As a follow-up question, does anybody have experience with being a graduate student in the USA while at the same time attempting to bring a Colombian fiancee to the USA? Would it be better instead to not go immediately to graduate school, but work for a couple years while sorting out the fiancee visa and marriage, and then go to graduate school later? I am familiar with the K1 and the K3 visas, but I know that they require that the sponsor have a certain income level to properly support the incomming spouse. Obviously, I will make sure that my lady is taken care of, but I'm not sure what the BCIS thinks is an adequate income level. Anyone have any ideas about this process?

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Erik of Alaska says on Mar 27, 2004, 02:22:

Thanks Tinto Thanks for letting me know about the 120% of poverty level fact. I'm hoping to make this transition as smooth as possible so I appreciate the help.

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