Husband wants to leave the uk post budget….

[Maryaliceyoungx]

husband wants to leave and don’t get me wrong - I do see why. We are being hammered in the budget, we drive shitty cars, the rain is shit… life in the UK can be pretty shitty right now. he works for a US based company and I am a US citizen as I was born there and spent my life until my early teens there (parents are British and were working out there) so I see why he wants to go -it would be good for his career and would be potential to make money without the huge tax burden of the UK (company based in low state tax state)

but I don’t want to go… I love my life here. I love our village and my kids lovely village school. My family is here and I worry my parents don’t have so much time left.

however i do have to recognise the money aspect- my husbands job could be impacted by AI so i think he is right in thinking we should max out our earning potential while we can and we just won’t be able to do that here as it will just be taxed away.

aibu for sacrificing potentially huge earnings just because I love village life? Would it even be cheaper? I would insist upon private school in the US(went to state school in the us and have a lot of trauma from that!) and we wouldnt sell our house here so would need to rent. Most recent trip to thr us - over a year ago and cost of living was sky high.

I’ll be honest - couldn’t care about the politics. Politics are shit whereever you go!!

Right, so your husband wants to a country where someone gets murdered every 20 minutes.
He's nuts.

He lived here for a year on his gap year so a very different experience!! I think he def sees it through rose tinted glasses as the land of opportunity whereas I am more critical

I grew up there and honestly felt very very safe! Please remember it’s a big country -
not everywhere is a murderous cesspool 😂😂

I keep coming back to the joys of village life…

however i work in education and lock down drills are also coming here too.

If the opportunity is there jump at it. You plan to keep your home here so you can return in time if you choose to

I couldn't do it. I've got to be out there for three weeks for work and dreading it. I know by the end of week 1 I will be sick of the culture. The excess.

There is no way I would give up our house… which would mean renting. Honestly I have no clue about rental prices in America

It sounds like money is very important to you and it doesn’t sound like you see any of the downsides that others have raised on this thread. So you should go.

Wow! What a bitchy comment!

money is important. Is it not to you? As I said my husband job could be impacted by AI and we are getting older and his industry is known for age discrimination so yes we want to make as much as we can now so that we can build savings and pension. Is that so awful.

and I don’t need to be told of the other concerns - as I said I know what they are. I lived in America. Jeez!

I understand that. Really it’s down to salary, lifestyle and if you’ll miss here too much.

In deciding to move, you have to rank the various criteria.

First, do not consider any of the political shenanigans (add these on later).

Next, think of all all the positives for your particular family.

Then, get an understanding of your legal situation - IR1 visa, green card and beyond.

Then, think about your long term goals.

Then, add in all the negatives or concerns.

I would say that my DS1 (8 - 11 when we lived there) absolutely cherished his time there. His memories are overwhelmingly positive, even though "recollections may vary". But he is also aware from this time of issues such as racism, concreting over nature etc. All our children were happy to return to the UK and assimilated instantly.

I've done the green card process twice - 1986 and 1999 - and both were a bit different, so it may be different again now. As far as I understand, your DH would be on a spousal visa (not a work visa) leading to a green card within weeks. You would be his sponsor and would need to show that you (and he) have sufficient financial means for him not to require public assistance. We did this in 1 day in 1986, but it took 3 months in 1999.

But you can get cheese in an aerosol 😁

There’s a number of YouTube channels of Americans living in the UK and loving it. They’re just average Americans but love the relatively cheaper food prices, the better quality foods, the walkability and (yes) the NHS.

I can’t advise as I’ve only holidayed in the US but I wouldn’t live there myself. Difficult though when your dh wants to.

Their bread is bloody awful.

DH works for an American firm & the equivalent job pays a lot more there but I wouldn’t consider leaving for the US, maybe if I was a lot younger.

Life is tough but it’s not going to get any easier regardless of which government is in. The chickens are coming home to roost.

The lack of gun control and school shootings alone would be enough for me to keep well clear of the US, even before getting into the insane MAGA politics.

Yabu because money isn’t everything- there are other factors to consider, not just “maxing earning potential”.

Also interested to know exactly how the budget changes will impact you and your family - could you expand?

Thank you this really helps! I love my life here but would I regret not moving if we can potentially put money into savings for our children - helping their education and deposits on homes. Paying off our mortgage. I don’t know… I really really don’t want to go but am I being stupid to not take the money?

as for visa - his work would sponsor his visa and my assumption is they just let me in! (Slightly naive assumption)

I've wanted to get out of the UK for a few years, mainly because of the way the UK has become so unkind, racist and entitled, dirty, run down and everything broken. It's taken til this year for my other half to start feeling the same.

Moving to the US though would be even worse right now, with the headache of healthcare then Trump on top! Ugh. Had you said something like NZ, I'd go in a flash.

By the way, nobody is being hammered in the budget. The problems already existed.

One of my colleagues moved to Houston from UK last year. He said you get much more space for your money in terms of housing (he'd been living in London previously). But... said that building insurance is very expensive due to cover required for all the hurricanes, other extreme weather events, which is another cost to consider depending whereabouts you're looking to move to.

With regards to general points on quality of life in UK, another thing to consider is how convenient it is to go to all the lovely places in Europe on holiday (and the decentish number of days we get for holidays here) along with the. Stunning places in US of course but generally longer distances to get there and less days holiday.

I think there's a lot of exaggeration on how UK is doing, reflecting increasing political polarisation (happening elsewhere too) but unless the OP's husband's UK branch is at risk of closure I really can't see why a move to US is required after what was a relatively tame budget. Uncertain economic impacts in US from Trump tariffs too to take into consideration.

I love NZ but just so far away! 😭

Honestly, if your husband isn't happy contributing to the country any more, he should leave it. We really could do with fewer people talking the country down.

I personally would rather shit a sticklebrick sideways than move to the USA right now, and no, I wouldn't give up English village life to go and live in the land of the free-to-get-shot-in-a-shopping-mall-but-not-have-an-abortion - but then I recognise I'm lucky to live in the UK, and I am invested in its future, and willing to contribute financially to it.

If you guys aren't, then sure. Chlorinated chicken and ICE abductions are just over there. Head west and keep going - it's better than paying an extra grand or two in tax.

We have just started talking about Poland .. Its getting to hard in the UK now .

Well don’t tell the poster above yours. Good lord!! 😂😂😂

Tell your husband that the Tories left us in this mess and we need to pay our way if we want decent services in this country.

Sometimes that could be useful! Grins.

I know 3 couples who moved there about 20 years ago, they all love it and never came back.

I also love village life and miss it now that I live in the US.

The positives, however, are the diversity and multiculturalism where I live, as well as the can-do attitude. You have to work hard in the US, there’s no option, so people go out and make things happen. I think it’s done my children a lot of good to experience both cultures tbh,

You're a citizen and your children will be eligible for citizenship through you so only your DH will need a visa.