The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi Jamie,

There is nothing better than your own experience, whatever other people tell you.
So, listen to yourself and learn from what you experience. It is a good thing that you try to achieve what you want and I wish you all the best in getting there.

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Jamie,

I certainly don’t want to spoil your plans, but please try to get informed about the legal side of the procedure of “moving to the U.S.” before starting the adventure. U.S. Immigration Law has exact rules about immigration procedures as well as exact parameters about accepting employment. “Employment”, per definition, means work that you get paid for, no matter if you receive regular money payment or other benefits like B&B or similar. It is possible to go to the U.S. on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)for strict tourist purposes and stay for a maximum period of 90 days, but it is not possible to change or adjust status from being a VWP tourist. Also, extension of stay is not possible under the VWP, that means the maximum period of 90 days cannot be extended and you have to leave the U.S. before the 90 days are over. VWP travel to the U.S. is also only authorized if you have a confirmed roundtrip ticket within that period. If you try to travel on a one-way ticket or an open return ticket, the airline would not board you. Of course there are several ways to permanently immigrate to the U.S. or get a temporary work/residence permit, but they usually require more than one's plan to move over and stay there.

You can find all relevant information on the website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) at www.uscis.gov

All of the above does not mean that you cannot go for a little while, enjoy life and music, have fun and jam, I just thought it would be good to know about problems that might occur if the "legal" side of the procedure is not being considered.

You are certainly welcome to e-mail me if I can be of more assistance.

Kind Regards, Walter

Someone on the forum once said of playing steel for a living "You can make tens of dollars playing one of these things" -

Jamie,
Walter knows, trust me. He would be a great ally to have, email him and get the truth.That is because every word he tells you is the truth.
It certainly isn't THAT simple to work in the States. Be informed 100% before you buy that ticket.

If you still choose to take your chances and circumvent the rules, likely some US agent has already read these postings. Yep, it is THAT strict.

Jamie,
Call Dad when you get to town. He'll tweak whatever needs to be done!
Great luck to You!

(615) 865-4754

Jamie,

Very best of luck to you!! You determination and talents will go a long way I'm certain.

Jamie, you'll certainly not regret coming to Nashville. It is a great place with many opportunities. I am glad I moved here. Send me an email if I can be of any assistance.
Kyle

I had a really important music audition. I played up and down the neck. Lot of flashy licks. Real solid playing.Then he said "to come back when I was a little younger!" Ahh, just kidding. You sound like a great guy with a lot of talent and ambition to go along with it. Good luck to ya.

Come on over Jamie, but as Walter said be aware of the rules. I didn't say keep them. I am a Brit who came over here 20 years ago. I now am a US citizen and teach school during the day, and at a university at night.

Basically keep your goals and dreams a secret. You are not supposed to earn any remuneration on a 90 day tourist visa - you are suppose to be a visitor.

There are two ways to get in legally. You must be sponsored by a prospective spouse or a prospective employer. If you come in on the "spouse" route you would need to have documentary evidence of an ongoing relationship over a timely period. It is possible to find a prospective spouse over here, but getting the documentary correspondence organized might be tricky.

If you go the employer route your prospective job offer would be advertised by the Immigration Dept and if a local person wanted it, they would get it and you would not be sponsored. It is not impossible to get here legally, but very expensive, challenging and time consuming.


I had a job offer from a Christian school and the salary offered was so low that when the immigration advertised it, no one replied, so I got the job and my green card.

I hope it all works out for you.

Have you got room in your suitacase for me too!

David

People often tell me, "You should move to Nashville, seriously!" I think they're just trying to get rid of me.

In all seriousness, there are a lot of good musicians competing for jobs in Nashville. I'm guessing that personality is the key to gaining employment there, because there's no shortage of talent.

PS: Lets keep politics out of this topic, please.

like my grandma used to say :
" you keep on goin', if you sure you're right "
dreams are to be realized
my best wishes to ya Jamie, i'm sure you'll make it

Jamie Lennon...c'mon down!!!

b0b has a great point. Being in the right place at the right time doesn't hurt either. Good luck Jamie!

JW

Jamie, One thing I forgot to mention. Watch out for fast talking immigration lawyers, especially if they claim to be religious. In my quest for a green card I gave a lawer $3000 and still did not get a green card.

I visited Nashville in March this year and I was very impressed with whole feel of the place. I found it to be very vibrant, and many of the musicians that I came across there were extremely enthusiastic. There did seem to be two levels of musicianship in Nashville. Either breathtakingly incredible or very average, with nothing in between.

As far as making a living out of playing there - now that is a completely different ball game. Studio-wise, I would guess that 10 steel players maximum (if that) have got this scene boxed off. That includes major label work down to demo stuff.

Jamie - you would earn nothing like you could in the UK. I get around the equivalent of $200 a gig and play 3 nights a week. On top of that I have a very well paid day job as a senior manager in local government. Some of the players that I met in Nashville are getting by - no more than that - and one or two of them are world class players in the steel guitar world. It made me look at the whole music business in a different light when you have incredible players who can just about feed themselves let alone a family.

Nashville is a dream, and only a tiny fraction of those who move there achieve their musical objectives. Hence Mikey D's question to you.

The only 2 English players who have managed to get into the USA country / country rock scene are Ray Flacke and Albert Lee, and they are lead players. Both are excellent pickers who had some luck along the way. Roger Rettig augments his steel playing by playing 6 string, and very well I might add. Roger has wisely ensconced himself away from Nashville.

If you have a family - stick to the UK and go to Nashville as a holiday treat. Just a bit of advice and perspective.

I can go on a 3 months visa at a time, and if I get lucky then get sponsered by people I know and who knows !!!

Jamie,I have to burst your bubble right now.You can only do that once.If you are working for a company you might be able to do it but not as an individual.
The USCIS laws are totally different right now.

You might be able to find a sponsor but he has to cover your rear-end for the full 100% and I don't think anyone is willing to do that nowadays.Economy is really bad right now.

If someone told you that a sponsor only needs to help you with a percentage then they told you a lie.

Here is a little list of forms that USCIS wants from you before you move and after you moved.I probably have not even covered all of the forms and fee's.

• G-1041A -$ 20-non refundable fee.
  I-129 -$ 475-Petition for a Alien worker.
  I-485 -$1.010-Application Permanent
  Residence.
  I-485A -$1.000-Supplement A to Form I-485.
  I-687 -$ 710-Application for Temporary
  Resident.
  I-698 -$1.410-Application to Adjust Status
  from
  Temporary to Permanent
  Resident.
  the fee is $1,370 per person
  with a
  $4,230 family cap.
  I-751 -$ 545-Petition to Remove the
  Conditions of
  Residence.

Roughly $6.000 to start with.

Now Jamie these are just a couple of files and forms that you run into.I went through them.And I think that it's a good thing that they put people through this.Most people come here and after they settled they start pulling money in from the government.This is exactly the thing that Americans hate.I don't want to discourage you in your quest.....as a matter of fact "more power to ya".
This is still the land of opportunity.......if you are willing to bust your A$$.......if not.......I would not do it.

Karen and I paid more then $13.000 already and we still ain't done.And Karen is an American citizen.This was just for me.Would I do it again you ask?.....You bet your sweet little hiny on it.I love this country and their people.But if you think that it is easier in The States then it is in England then I have to disappoint you right now.
You have to have cojones the size of WestMinster church bells to make it here.

Ron

P.S

Listen to Walter Jamie.He is 100% on the money.

Geeeez I forgot one thing.......
You have to go to the American consulate(in England)to get your visa if you want to stay longer then 3 months.

You have to have all your shots done in England before moving.Polio, chicken pox, Small pox, Flu shots...etc etc.
Have to have a reason for the longer stay.They will only give you that visa if you can prove to them that you will be an asset to The States while you are staying.

Ron

P.S
I hope I didn't discourage you.

This has not put me off one bit.
I know its not gonna be a walk in park.

But gonna go for it, even for 3 months at first on my visa waiver, then back and fourth for a while.

Thanks guys and gals


JAMIE

I would agree completely with Ron. Although I was born in the UK I have been a US citizen over 20 years now. I love the United States and especially the people. I have found them to be kind, helpful and very friendly.

What are the difference between the USA and the UK? I would say that there are two: a constitution that guarantees one's civil rights, and opportunity. I have lived in Africa and Europe, and now the USA. I have not found the opportunity anywhere else like there is here. Millions of immigrants have come here with two things - a suitcase and a dream and many have been very successful.

I never cease to thank the Lord for this great country. Of course it is not perfect, but there is none to match it. Each morning in my public school classroom I recite the pledge of allegiance with my students and have a moment of silence and pray. It is just a daily reminder of how great this country is.

I never cease to thank the Lord for this great country. Of course it is not perfect, but there is none to match it. Each morning in my public school classroom I recite the pledge of allegiance with my students and have a moment of silence and pray. It is just a daily reminder of how great this country is.

Amen to that Brian.I came here in 2005 and had to fly back and forth to get all my paperwork done.I even had to fly Karen to The Netherlands because you have to get married in the country of origin.

Would I do it all again.....Yes I would in a split second.It's just like you said.A lot of people came over here with only a suitcase and a lot of dreams......but not everyone succeeded in fulfilling them.A lot of them did go back.

This country is very rough.....but if you have the backbone and the will to make a brand new start then this is definitely well worth it.
I had to alter my way of life and thinking(I am a smarts**t is what Karen always says)and had a rough time doing it.
Bit by bit am I gettin' there.

One thing amazes me about the people here......there is No racism like in other country's.

Ron

Hi Jamie,

Although I live in England we have never met, hopefully one day we will. I'm a strong believer in the old saying, 'there's only one way to do something and that's to do it!'. I'm sure you've taken on the advice about making sure you do things legally. Good luck with whatever you do and I sincerely hope your dreams become reality.

Mark

Hi, Jamie--

I'm writing to encourage you and wish you luck. If this is your dream, go for it. You'll learn a lot and have a good time growing.

I did the same thing, from Canada, about 30 years ago when I was 19. Probably things have tightened up since then, but it wasn't a problem at the time. I didn't know anyone in Nashville and had $400.

I ended up living in Nashville nine years. I worked as a janitor at Sho-Bud and Gruhn's, learned bluegrass banjo, went to Belmont College (excellent music-business program, way to stay here legally for four years), wrote for Billboard and many other magazines, led a rock band, appeared as a video critic for two national TV shows, wrote songs, got encouragement and free studio time from ATV, got a song on "Hee Haw," had Minnie Pearl say, "You're good enough for the Grand Ole Opry"...

Watch out for music-biz politics. The people at the top can cut you down if you irritate them. Happened to me after I published an article titled "Who Killed Country Music?" in a national magazine.

By that time, I had married an American.

I no longer live in Nashville, but the things I learned there I use every day in my career as a full-time entertainer and musician. I learned professional musicianship and--most importantly--how to make a living playing music.

Although it wasn't where I spent most of my career, I'm very happy I went to Nashville. I suspect you will be too. You'll have a great adventure. You'll learn more than you can imagine.

Be proud of your courage and determination. They can guide you to a great life, as they guided earlier immigrants.

All the best,

Andrew Roblin

Mornin' all,

Anyone moving to Nashville... I wish you well. It ain't what it used to be. I lived in Nashville 38 years and it went from a quarter million population to well over a million. It just got too big and too nasty for me. 'Course I guess if your young you learn to adjust. As for me I'm lovin' it here in Hohenwald (population less than 4,000) 80 miles Southwest of Nashville.

Ol' Don