To think about emigrating to the USA? 🇺🇸

[Rainbow1234]

I have posted in living overseas but don’t get much of a response so thought I would look for some opinions here.

So my dh is originally from Texas but moved to London 15 years ago when he was 16. We have 2 dc aged 4 and 7 (both have dual nationality). He assured me when we got married that he wasn’t bothered about ever moving back to the US and that he preferred England. Now he has been offered a really good job in California where his family live and wants me to think about us all moving out there but I’m so unsure, the job pays almost double what he is earning here but the area we would need to live in is more expensive than where we are now so financially we would be about the same. I was born and brought up in London, my mum dad and sister all live within 30 minutes of me and they are the only family I have in the whole world and I would feel so guilty about leaving them especially my mum, she’s 70 this year and in very good health (works full time) but I know she won’t be around forever but I can’t help thinking life could be better for my kids out there, anyone?

expatinscotland

The temporary comment was in regard to Trump being temporary. Not the OP’ situation

It is sensible. Come over to the Trump threads. You'll see.

In many ways... do you think the US is the only country immune to dictatorships?

Given the way the states have the right to form a militia, and the general dislike and distrust of the federal government.....yes the US is pretty immune to a dictatorship

I'm not anti-America, not at all , but the guns and healthcare thing would scare me.
Bring on the food though, I love it

UK born, married to a US born, UK raised man, now both living in NYC. I was really 'meh' about moving here. It came up at a good time for my husband and was supposed to give him opportunities. Ironically, his career has really slowed down and mine has gone full speed ahead.
There are problems in the US. Guns, a crazy president, a feeling of superiority (which sometimes means feeling others are less important), arseholes, rudeness, poverty and other things. But there are also fabulous people, interesting culture and history (Hamilton the Musical anyone?), gorgeous national parks, stunning cities and nice people who think the same way as me on a number of issues.

Some employers are wonderful, some are awful. Some places have high levels of crime, some not so much. Some places voted for Trump, others didnt.

I guess my point is, like anywhere else, the country is a mix of people, views, experiences, cultures, history, language, diversity and lifestyle. Bit like the UK really...

Unless said militia support said dictator.
It's way easier than you think.
But I digress.
We can discuss this elsewhere.

But I'd avoid the US while said wannabe is in power.

And, as pointed out, you could get stuck without being allowed to take the children and no right to stay. Sobering thoughts.

America is a biiiig place and regional variations can either make or break your experience. Loved the Midwest, love NYC, love California but wouldn't set foot anywhere in the South if you paid me. Eight years in Texas was enough to drive us away to England. I'm American, have lived here in the UK for over 7 years and would move back in a heartbeat if the right opportunity presented itself. California would be the right opportunity in my opinion. There's no doubt that salaries are better in the US and healthcare standards cannot be compared. As a teacher I know that educational resources are much better over there than here.

The country that elected GWBush prez ( twice! ) isn't anti-intellectual. And Dan Quayle as VP under GHWBush. Or Sarah Palin getting nomination with McCain.

The country where Fox News & Breitbart have enormous influence... not anti-intellectual. Oh go on. Pull the other one.

OP - it is worth thinking through what might happen if you and your husband divorced.

You should seriously consider that you would be unlikely to be able to take your children back to the UK without their father's agreement.

As to whether or not you can stay in the US, as long as you've been married for more than 2 years before you apply for your visa, your green card will be unconditional. This means that even if you separate or divorce, you won't lose your green card or your right to live in the US.

It's worth getting citizenship as soon as possible (it's 3 years for a spouse) - it just gives you much more security in terms of staying in the country.

If you have a crime of moral turpitude on your record, you are unlikely to get an entry visa. If you commit a crime of moral turpitude while in the US you can be deported. So I wouldn't do that, if I were you :-)

So many stereotypes in this thread!

They aren't stereotypes just because they don't match your particular experience. Gun owning for example isn't stereotype, its a reality across the country, and everything that goes with that is important. Claiming that Trump doesn't matter and is just a temp blip is disingenuous at best.

I'm tired of the "MN hates US" shite. MN isn't an entity and doesn't hate anything, and the place is full of people who have lived in and visited the place, or love many things about it. But there is a lot not to like and we don't need to apologise for not liking them.

Good thread on reddit, about the roots of anti-intellectualism in USA. Starts by citing 1960s texts.

It's funny analysis b/c it mentions Jefferson (who was landed gentry) who affected a "man of the people" demeanor when he faced off against Hamilton ("bastard son of a whore"). Ho hum, plus ça change...

sidewayswithatescotrolley

I think we call that MNsplaining :-)

Gun owning for example isn't stereotype

That depends. The notion that everyone has gun is a stereotype, and a false one. A large majority of adult Americans own no guns.

No. Like a holiday there but live there
No way
Reasons
..,,,,,,,,
Healthcare
Job lack of holidays
Gun culture
School gang culture
Religious zealous (some areas)
Lack of pavements
TV!!!! Horrific ads every two mins

To be fair we have loads of pavements, lots of bikes in a city wide rental scheme and good public transport, tube and buses. The USA is huge and varies hugely.

That depends. The notion that everyone has gun is a stereotype, and a false one. A large majority of adult Americans own no guns

There isn't a notion that literally everyone has a gun. There is the quite true notion that there a lot of guns in the US, and a lot of shootings. More americans have guns than have cats. More americans have shot a gun than voted in the last election. Yes, only 30% (only 30%!) of americans currently personally own a gun (and another 12% live with someone who owns a gun), but of those that don't, more than half could see themselves owning a gun in the future.

It's not a stereotype to link the US with guns.

To the PPs who say they get 4w annual leave in the US - are there bank holidays in addition to this, like in the UK? How many? I don't think 4w is a huge amount, usually a minimum in the UK, and many people get more than that.

Sideways

I read that although less than half of people own guns, those that do tend to own several. So it isnt just a case of "one man, one gun", and they are often of different types/power etc.

To the PPs who say they get 4w annual leave in the US - are there bank holidays in addition to this, like in the UK? How many? I don't think 4w is a huge amount, usually a minimum in the UK, and many people get more than that.

Yes, 10-11 public holidays, more if you work for the government.

littlecabbage

10 ish public holidays maybe more depending on the state.

Leave is not a legal entitlement like it is in the UK it’s treated as a perk in your benifits package. Therefore good companies offer more than bad ones.

I have found most companies have a very good work life balance. Leaving early and arriving late is common and doesn’t come out of your vacation.

YABU while Trump is POTUS and they haven't sorted gun control.

And health care!

There are a lot of shootings here compared to the rest of the world, but your chance of dying in one is still pretty low. You have a much better chance of dying in a car crash.

Does his job offer health insurance? You're nuts to consider it if it doesn't.

If you're somewhere near the coast in California, you probably aren't going to run into a lot of conservative stereotypes.

We don't call our holidays bank holidays, but we do have something like them (at least if bank holidays are what I think they are). Private businesses vary in how many of these you can expect to have off work. We have Martin Luther King Jr Day in January, President's Day in February, Memorial Day in May, July 4, Labor Day in September, and Thanksgiving in November. Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, and some businesses will give you the day after off as well.

Something like 60-70% of American households don't own a firearm, while 20-30% have 1-2 guns (one often only used for hunting). It's an almost tiny hardcore who 'love' lots of guns.

30% gun owners is not a small percentage.

It means 1 in 3 people own guns. It's huge.

There are a lot of shootings here compared to the rest of the world, but your chance of dying in one is still pretty low. You have a much better chance of dying in a car crash.

But you are still more at risk of dying from a shooting than in most developed countries.