Tell me why it would be fun to move to the US

[TrillianAstra]

DP wants to.

He says we will get paid more, it will be a better climate, and a better lifestyle (without being terribly convincing or specific on what the last of those really means).

No particular destination in mind yet so I'm afraid I need generics about 'America', which is of course not very helpful.

[TrillianAstra]

Oh, and we have no children and would be both attempting to find jobs. He does science, I do something more vague and ill-defined.

[dooneygirl]

It would be fun because I live here.

Ok, seriously. I think it is very hard to give generics about America, because we're so big and diverse. It really depends on what area of the country you're thinking of moving to. The unemployment rate is very high across the country, and some areas are much worse of than others. And as for climate, what is "better"?

My broad generalizations of the U. S. by area are:

Pacific Northwest (where I live) We ARE warmer than you in the summers, but if you'd like to get approximately as much rain as England from October to May. The unemployment rate around here is over 11%, and the cost of living is higher than average, though not cripplingly so. People here are generally more "liberal" than the midwest and South.

California: Here's where to go if you want "climate". The cost of living in most places is cripplingly expensive, though. The state is in an awful, erm, state right now, and is fighting off going broke, and government services in general are awful right now.

Southwest: If you want super, super hot in summer, and hot the rest of the year (although in some areas it can get cold and snowy in winter) go here. Fairly cheap to live. Can't tell you about unemployment or anything.

Middle of the country: Fairly temperate, except for the big cities, pretty low cost of living. Don't know much about unemployment or such.

South: Hot, humid, big icky bugs. Very cheap to live here. This is the area of the country that elected George W. Bush and many people are conservative and very religious.

Northeast: I personally love it here. Beautiful, pretty good climate, and great people. However, I'd say the cost of living here is more expensive than in the Pacific Northwest, especially if you are living in a big city.

NYC and surrounding areas: You need lots of money to live here. Don't even think about having much square footage if you don't have a lot and a lot of money.

Check out the Living in America threads in living overseas to talk to others about the costs of moving and how easy it is to get a job. I've lived here all my life.

[redflipflops]

Going before you have kids would be MUCH easier - you could move over with only a suitcase of stuff (saving all the house relocation stress and expense!).

Unless married you'll both need a work Visa (not easy).

Is a huge country so you can't generalise on experience. Salaries do tend to be higher but all living costs vary.

[TrillianAstra]

Thanks for popping over :)

Ah yes, easier to do it witout kids than with, but so are a lot of things (climbing Kilamanjaro for instance) doesn't mean I necessarily want to do it.

California high on the list, lots of biotech etc out there, but one of the firms DP would be interested in working for are in San Francisco, but wikipedia has confused me - weather in June/July/August vs London anyone?

If one of us were to go over as 'spouse of someone who has a job' would we be able to work anyway, or only allowed to exist but not work?

[mummytime]

San Francisco - the Mark Twain quote can be very apt (one of the worst winters was summer in SF). But it seems to be a very localised micro-climate, but then so is the feel of the place.

Have you been on holiday to the US?

I have known people from Georgia get quite nostalgic for Florida which is where they grew up.

Whether you can work depends on which visa they have and what your line of work is.

[BriocheDoree]

The only thing that really puts me off moving to the US (I'm British, but my parents live there and my DH works for a US company), aside from the cost of healthcare is the complete lack of holidays. I guess if it was only for a few years and you didn't have kids yet, it might not be a problem, but the thought of DH working the kind of hours he does and NOT having 35 plus days holiday per year (we live in France...) is not pleasant. Most of my US friends seem to make do with only 6, or at best 15, outside of public holidays.

[redflipflops]

Depends on type of Visa.

My DH has an L1 Visa so spouse (L2) is allowed to work. You can get SNN once you arrive and then need to apply for another form from immigration dept (takes a few months). Tough job market at the moment though.

I think on H visa spouse is not allowed to work?

This site gives info British Expats

[redflipflops]

I mean SSN - Social Security Number!

[TrillianAstra]

35+ days holiday! If only I spoke French!

I've been to New York and LA, both of which are probably not representative of anything but themselves.

[TrillianAstra]

Thanks for the link redflipflips, although it is a little bit offputting. It seems to say 'don't even bother trying, America does not want you'.

[nooka]

To be honest that's a fairly good way to think about it. Getting into the States is very hard, and getting to stay there even harder. If you have a very very in demand skill and you find a company that cannot recruit in the States then there is the possibility that you or your spouse could get a H1B visa. But it is totally dependent on the employer, there are fairly small quotas, the spouse would not be able to work, and if for any reason the job went south then you would have to leave.

We went to NYC on an intracompany transfer (probably the best way in - find a company with an American presence, develop the sorts of skills the American side of the company might need, and then hope for an offer). On the face of it dh was paid more, but once taxes and healthcare was paid for it was equivalent or less, and I would have had to start again with my career to some extent, so a big loss there. As it happened dh's office was closed and we were left out of pocket, with significant liabilities. Now some of that was just bad luck, and some of it we could have mitigated with a much stronger contract (although it was fairly likely if we'd played hard ball the offer would have been withdrawn).

Lifestyle pretty similar to London, weather hot and humid in summer, cold and humid in winter.

Now we live in Canada. Easier to get into, easier to stay, great lifestyle. Hot and dry in summer cold and dry in winter. Very beautiful. I'd not move back to the States, although there are parts of it I love, people were very friendly, and it's just interesting. However the lack of protection at work plus the vagaries of the healthcare insurance system just felt too precarious for me.

But if you are young and footloose then do your homework and see what's possible.

[RatherBe]

We moved to the US in January and really love it. But I would say that I thought I knew what to expect - because like everybody, I'd read books by American authors, seen American films, watched American tv programmes, monitored American news .... I was wrong. The reality of living here is that it is very different from the UK (even writing a cheque is different) and learning the differences can be hard work. My advice (so far!) is that if you are clear about why you are doing it and what you hope to gain, it's a fantastic experience. It's also stressful and difficult. Be clear about your motivation. Good luck.

[skintbint]

was going to say, 'nooooo, you don't want to go to the US, they have americans and everything. come to canada!' but she beat me to it.

and i'm not skint because of where i live, particularly (ponders) - it's a lifestyle choice.

[mumoverseas]

Think it is really hard to get the visas though. We thought about it briefly but got a lot of negative comments about how difficult it is. Good luck though if you do go ahead

[TrillianAstra]

Where are you then mumoverseas?

I mentioned the visa-much-easier-if-you-transfer-in-company thing to DP, his company have outposts in Maryland (nr Washington apparently, I know that's not in Maryland itself but that's all the context I've been given) and in San Francisco. I have already said that I'm only going ot the far side of the country if it is actually sunny.

We have a friend (an academic scientist, v easy for them to move around) who is moving to San Diego next month.

[mumoverseas]

I'm in the Middle East (well very wet UK at the moment but am normally in the Middle East)

We bought a place in Florida years ago and despite making a few tentative enquiries we were pretty much told we had no chance of getting a visa/green card. Funny thing is, I was on hotmail once and the green card lottery thing flashed up saying 'apply now you are automatically eligible'. Went through all the questions and of course put I was a UK citizen (although in ME at the time) and it came back saying 'sorry, you are not eligible' Went and tried again putting in 2 or 3 different ME countries and all of a sudden I was eligible
I think if you have company sponsorship you will find it much easier but for people like us with no work connections it was a nightmare.

A friend of ours (in ME) is married to an american and he has been trying to get a visa for years.

Good luck

[Aminata100]

I went to visit a friend living north of SF in the month of June and it was freezing, (for my standards, LOL) wet clouds rolling in over the Bay, etc , had always imagined California as "hot", but guess you have to go more south to San Diego area for that

"A friend of ours (in ME) is married to an american and he has been trying to get a visa for years."

Same thing in this country, you can be married but doesn't give you the right to enter the country of your spouse!! Not even when you have children!! - crazy! - (Such sad stories abound! ;-( )

[CarmenSanDiego]

I'm in San Diego. There are some things which are amazing here and some things which are awful

On the upside.. the climate where I am is really good. Most of the year is like a nice British summer day with a couple of foggy months around June and a little bit too hot in the afternoons in August.

On the downside, finding a job is very difficult. Very very difficult at the moment. Everyone is very highly qualified and there just aren't jobs out there. I know good graduates who are settling for Starbucks or telemarketing.
We're struggling a lot and my dh is very well qualified :(

Another upside is that it's great for children - millions of activities, endless summer camp options, dozens of museums and galleries of London quality. Houses are nice, swimming pools are commonplace.

A downside I have is political... America has made me quite depressed with the whole concept of capitalism and I see a lot of people being exploited and a lot of unethical behaviour by authority figures (particularly as I am involved in the childbirth 'industry'). There's a huge amount of homeless people and both homeless people and 'illegal' immigrants are desperately dehumanised by the mainstream. It makes me a little ill to see this level of selfishness.

In San Diego, there's also a lot of military families so a lot of 'Ra ra, up the troops!' which I find a struggle.


On the whole, I think it's a great place to bring up children, but you really need money otherwise it rapidly becomes quite difficult (as we're starting to find). There's no safety net and getting medical insurance etc. can be very difficult.

I can't say I'm desperate to go back to England and grey weather. But I wish the job market was better here.

[CarmenSanDiego]

Oh.. and moving here is a nightmare unless your dp is American or has been offered a job by an American firm. Getting a visa is very very difficult and green card lottery exempts the UK at the moment :(

[tadjennyp]

We did the work transfer thing which was relatively easy. Getting the green card is proving much more difficult for us as the company's lawyer is rubbish. Kickassangel got hers really easily, though, she might be able to give you some tips.