To think leaving UK is the best Option now

[LeavinUK]

We are thinking of leaving UK now to move to Dubai or USA. We have two young children who are in nursery, not in School yet and one will start school next year.
The reasons are the state of UK. Looking at the state of NHS, the waits are so long if you ever have to go to A&E, you can access better healthcare of you have insurance in any other country. Another reason is the ever increasing tax, we both work full time and I have the potential to earn six figures but I am staying at a flexible job to earn under 6 figures and I am forced to not get a promotion or switching to High paying jobs by the fact that I won't be eligible for 30 funded hours of Childcare which I I think is very unfair on hard working people who want to progress in career while having young children. UK doesn't feels like a family friendly country overall.
We also don't feel safe now going out to city centre etc which have become a ghost town and so much of illegal immigrants loitering around and so much increase in crimes.
Our friends who moved to Dubai are able to afford full time house help, nanny and a driver while earning similar to ourselves. While, here we are struggling with young kids and paying huge taxes. I have family in USA who are earning big bucks and paying much less taxes and being able to save and invest better for retirement while we will be working till 68 potentially 70 which is totally insane.
AIBU to feel leaving UK is the best option now and have you made a move or considering moving?

Bit the NHS is a free (at point of use) option. In the USA/Dubai you would need to pay private , which you can opt into here.

With our country resembling a third world cess pit more and more by the day coupled with Labours policy of undermining its citizens at every turn if I could afford it I would be gone too OP. Go for it live your life theres nothing to stay here for at this present time

sorry I don't understand your post and CBA to read back

Exploting low paid workers in Dubai, so you can have someone mop your floor.

TBH, be glad to see the back of the likes you. Off you pop up your low-tax, high exploitation economy, but don’t come crying back here when something goes wrong and you need some free healthcare.

I’m on a 2 week cancer pathway. In 2 weeks I have been scanned, referred, seen a consultant, had my pre-ops done, and in for a biopsy this week.

You could fix two of your complaints by paying enough into your pension to take you below the threshold for losing childcare for the 5? years you need that. Then you can take your career advancement and reap all the benefits of that in the future. Or, crazy idea, you could help play your part in solving some of the problems you’re complaining about by paying for your own childcare if you can afford it instead of taking from the taxpayers pot when you don’t need it…? The problems we have in the UK are just as much the fault of those who can pay in, but don’t want to, as they are the fault of poor decision making and waste in government. Everyone wants a better functioning economy and society, but no one wants to be the ones to pay for it.

Anyway, go for it if you want to go - literally no one will stop you (what a privilege it is to live in a free country!)

Your friends can afford 'staff" in Dubai because they are happily exploiting that countrys causual attitude to slave labour.

Even if true, what's specifically Third World about all that?

Yes the very obvious solution for you if things are really as bad as you make out would be to move to a nicer place and get private healthcare?

👏👏👏Thank you

OP, just put as much money into a pension as legally possible to reduce your income if you are earning over £100k, perfectly legal, - you will have a bigger pension when you retire, will be entitled to all the childcare help that those under £100k get and you pay less tax! Win, win for you.

The continuing use of the term "Third World Country" on here to describe parts of the UK is very odd (and somewhat ill informed).

Or a daily mail columnist looking for their next article...

Leaving aside your reasons for going, I would caution that it could be very difficult to get a work visa in the US at this time. The tech industry laid off 150,000 people in 2024 most of whom are looking for work. The immigration system over here requires companies to prove that no American is able to do a job before applying for a work visa - tough to do in this market. Plus with all the lack of clarity around the rights of non citizens (even those on green cards) to stay in the country, I would be very careful about relying on a work visa. Bear in mind that, unless you can find a non work sponsor, you could be tied to that job for years as they hold your right to stay in the country. Unless you are very senior or hold some unique skills that mean a company would want to spend upwards of $15k getting you a visa, I think it would be tough.

Where do you live now? If in London you might want to try another area of uk first eg you'd be rich up north

Dubai feels really really safe

Only go if your marriage is rock solid though as there are lots of affairs in the ex pat community and you don't want to split and then one person be stuck there and be fighting over the children

I know the U.S. is a shit show politically right now and the tech job market isn’t great but overall living in CA with a good job is a much higher standard of living than the UK and our Governor is very anti Trump so we don’t have to worry about access to women’s healthcare etc. I hate Trump but apart from the stock market it hasn’t impacted my daily life, it is very safe where I live, we have a lot of areas with amazing schools, far better worker protections than any other state and a lot of affordable healthcare options compared to other states. Downsides are high taxes and high cost of living. Even if I could leave now and go back to the UK I wouldn’t despite the Trump thing, I just couldn’t replicate my pay check or my Dhs paycheck or the amazing free schools my kids attend and the fact they can walk about on my town without worrying about crime. Those are ultimately my main concerns sadly geopolitics isn’t as important as the wellbeing of my family.

Actually are Europeans still gettin paid loads for twch jobs in UAE? The slaries are dropping (if nkt salaries then bonuses so salary drop sideways) in favour of cheaper labour in all industries I know people in. Considering the influx of cheaper willing labour to do 6 days a week for 50% salary (no matter what the salary is) and many, MANY Westerners on old contracts talking about the drop, UAE might not be the best place now as it has been before.
Prices of rentals are ridiculous now

Hm.. yes it does sound best if you go

I'm with you @Chariots77. Two places where women's rights are in the gutter. I wouldn't even go there on holiday💩

It's ridiculous. These people have obviously never been to a third world country. I've been to several and they are nothing like the UK. I've noticed it's often said by racists who don't like seeing so many brown faces.

Well, if you really think going to the land of the Fentanyl crisis and corrupt bullies in the Whitehouse is a good prospect, then go for it. The grass is always greener on the other side until you get to the other side. I would not class the US as a country I would go to in order to feel safer.

As for Dubai, a lot of people move overseas in a very shortsighted way, without properly researching the long term potential consequences to pensions, access to NHS care if necessary, etc, involved. You will need good financial advice to ensure you don’t stuff up and think you really are as wealthy as your tax free salary makes you feel. You do not want to realise too late you are now up shit creek without a paddle in a very unfriendly country which was only welcoming when things were going right for you. I know someone who is trapped in Dubai, unable to leave due to having debts they can’t pay off. If they try to leave the country, they will be imprisoned. They missed their own parents’ funeral.

All it could take is a bit of bad luck, or a spell of poor health, and you can go from being a welcome expat to being a filthy foreigner, whatever country you choose to migrate to, particularly in these uncertain times. You know how you feel about immigrants, yet you are saying you are willing to risk being the person who wasn’t born in the country you move to and is only welcome for so long as you contribute more than you take.

Very true. They've absolutely no idea what kind of struggle others go through in the developing world just to get the basics. Just to survive. Bradford is a paradise compared to that. However, we know why Bradford was referred to.

Canada, Australia, New Zealand.

If you can't be arsed to read back don't comment?
It was obviously in response to the whining about the shortcomings of the NHS.