The plan has finally become reality. I’m sitting here looking out the window at the Texas sunshine, listening to birds singing. It’s March and the temperature is already around 23°C. After a few rainy days, the trees have started to show tiny green buds. Spring has arrived in Texas - and so have I!

My husband moved to Texas for work in early 2025. I visited him three times on a tourist visa (ESTA) before we decided that I would move here as well.

Applying for an L-2 visa in Finland

At the beginning of the year I returned to Finland to apply for an L-2 visa, which is the visa for spouses of L-1 visa holders. We prepared carefully with an immigration lawyer, printed a thick stack of documents, and gathered photos from throughout our relationship to prove that our marriage was genuine. I was able to book my interview appointment at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki about two weeks later.

Because of recent stricter immigration policies under the current U.S. administration, I had prepared myself for a difficult process. I also expected that government shutdowns might delay the visa for months. But things turned out very differently.

My Interview at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki

There were about 20 other visa applicants at the embassy at the same time as me. At first I sat nervously in the waiting room listening to their interviews, but I quickly relaxed when it seemed like everyone was being approved.

After about an hour of waiting, it was finally my turn. I was asked only one question, after which I was welcomed to the United States.

The embassy kept my passport so they could add the visa page, and all that remained was waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

Three weeks after submitting my application, my visa was in my hands.

Entering the United States with an L-2 Visa

I immediately moved my flight to the same week and flew to Dallas on a nearly full plane. At the border I was carrying another thick stack of documents - everything from our marriage certificate to a photo album.

In the end, the officer only checked my passport and took my fingerprints.

Conclusion

In Finland, the news and people tend to highlight the most extreme and nightmarish immigration stories - problems at the border, denied visas, long delays. My own experience has been the complete opposite: the United States has treated me very well.

Based on this experience, our conclusion was simple: if you fill out your application carefully, your background is clean, and you are not trying to do anything illegal, there’s usually no reason for problems. And it probably doesn’t hurt that Finland is a NATO country.

Cost and Next Steps

The visa process cost roughly €600 in fees, plus lawyer costs.

With my L-2 visa, I can now live and work in the United States until February 2028. My visa is tied to my spouse’s visa and his employment.

Our longer-term plan is to apply for a Green Card, which is valid for 10 years. A Green Card is no longer tied to my husband’s employer and still allows us to live and work in the U.S.

The L-2 Visa Process Step by Step

Here’s what the process looked like in practice:

1. Complete the visa application (DS-160 form)

   • We filled this out together with a lawyer. It’s a bit like a bank customer information form - except it contains around 300 questions.

   • You’ll need:

     • a copy of your passport

     • a recent 5 cm x 5 cm visa photo (digital)

2. Book an interview at the U.S. Embassy

   • For Finland, this takes place at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki. You'll go by yourself, not with your spouse.

3. Bring the following documents to your interview

   • DS-160 confirmation page

   • Interview appointment confirmation (sent by email)

   • Valid passport

   • Marriage certificate in English

   • Wedding photos or other proof that the marriage is genuine (wedding invitation, photos together, proof you’ve lived together, etc.)

   • Your spouse’s I-797 approval notice (Notice of Action)

   • Copy of your spouse’s valid L-1 visa

4. After the interview

   • The embassy keeps your passport in order to add the visa page

   • Wait for your passport to arrive by mail.

5. That's it - you're free to travel!

Have you gone through a visa process yourself or had experiences at the U.S. border? I’d love to hear about it!

I recently moved from Finland to Texas and share my experiences from the start of my journey here - building a life and wealth in the United States from a European perspective.