Prince Harry
(Photo : Reuters)

The decision of Harry and Meghan Markle to move to Los Angeles is now becoming complicated because aside from the fund for their security, it will also be hard for Harry to work in the United States without a green card according to a recently published article. 

WORKING IN LOS ANGELES

Harry and Meghan have to start working in Los Angeles to pay all their daily expenses and maintain their lavish lifestyle. One of the biggest expenses that they will have is a payment for their security.

Even though some reports claim Prince Charles will pay for the security of the former Duke and Duchess of Sussex, this information is not yet verified. Since Harry and Meghan are high-profile individuals, it is estimated that their security will cost them roughly $5 million a year.

With the expenses that the couple needs every year, there is a necessity that they need to work. However, Harry will have a problem working in the United States because he is not a green cardholder. Meanwhile, Meghan Markle can work and go back to acting in Hollywood since she retained her U.S. citizenship after she got married to Harry.

VISA STATUS OF HARRY

Harry will be on a regular B1 or B2 Visa after he moved to Los Angeles earlier this month. Even if Harry will have the A1 diplomatic Visa, he still cannot use it to work not unless he will have a government and diplomatic role or capacity. But will the crown allow it after he stepped down from his senior royal duties?

There are only three ways that Harry can have a green card and work in the United States. These are the following.

  1. Meghan Markle will sponsor Harry to become a U.S. citizen
  2. Harry can sponsor himself in an extra-ordinary ability category
  3. A U.S. entity can sponsor Harry 

Harry is eligible to become a U.S. citizen, however, if it will do it this would mean that he needs to give up his status as sixth to the line in the throne.

A lawyer, who chose not to be named, said: "I would probably have Harry and Meghan's nonprofit org sponsor him based on his history of high-profile philanthropy and public works and activism. If the org is not established in the US, they would need a US entity of the org as well. The org could sponsor him for permanent residence under the EB1A extraordinary ability category as well, but currently, things are faster and easier through spousal sponsorship."

Meanwhile, it is most likely that the couple will have millions if they chose to pursue public speaking and social media marketing. Klear, a data influencer marketing platform, estimated that the pair could potentially generate an amount of $11 million next year on social media alone.

Klear CEO Eytan Avigdor said: "Should they decide to pursue this avenue there is definitely a lot of potential for them considering their loyal fans and high engagement rates which is really the bread and butter for brands looking to find strong ambassadors." 

If the couple decides to pursue their career and earn income through social media, it would not be hard for them to earn income since each of them have more than 11 million followers on Instagram alone and their Royal Sussex Instagram which they shutdown recently has millions of followers on which they can attract if they decide to become media influencers to earn income.

Read related articles: