Moving to New york(state)

[MeAndB]

My husband has the chance of a job in Albany, (well its actually saratoga springs) We are trying to work out if it will all be worth the move. There is so much to sort out, with visas and where to rent, to whats to do with our house here in Scotland. Can any one please point me in the right direction or if anyone is willing to answer a few of my question that would be great.

Thanks,

Sarah

I moved to New York City for my husband's work 2 years ago. Obviously a very different location but happy to answer any questions I can. Saratoga is a lovely place.

You might also want to ask on the Living in America thread

How long would you be there?

Is with his current company, or is it a brand new job?

Its a brand new perm job, we would give ourselves 1-2years and if we didnt like it we would come home, before the kids start school.

Alarkaspree, how do you find living in the states? I am excited at the thought of a once in a life oppertunity to live there.

Just slightly concerned about visas etc. But I suppose it also very scary because we dont know the area. Have you been to Saratoga before do you think it would be a nice place to live, obv very different from new york.

If it's a new job, I would imagine he would eed to get an H-1B (specialty occupation visa), although there may be other catergories that he is eligible for depending on the job and your personal situation.

Have a look at london.usembassy.gov/work.html and read through the general process. Also have a look at the Immigrant visa link, to see if you are eligible for an of the categories there.

There must be quite a few Mumsnetters who have been through the H-1B process, so they are the best people to provide insight. One thing to be aware of is that the process is multi-step, with the first one being certification from the Department of Labor which the employer applies for.

Away from visas, do you know if the employer frequently employs people from overseas and do they have a support system for your move and settling in, or are you basically on your own? What is their relocation package? This kind of information will be important to you in finding housing and determining what to do with your house in the UK.

Normally, if your assignment is temporary (as it is with an H-1B visa), you hang onto your house in the UK, renting it out. If you were to sell now, and buy again in a few years time, you would be seriously out of pocket.

Albany is a fine place to live. It is the NY state capitol so will have lots of infrastructure for that. It is fairly close to NYC and Boston, and just a few miles away from beautiful countryside.

I like living here a lot. I think it's true that Americans are generally friendly and welcoming, so you would probably find it easy to make friends. I have been to Saratoga but only to stay with friends for the weekend, it was a lovely place but I have no idea what it's like to actually live there, or in the area, but probably wonderful. Could you visit before making the decision?

The costs of moving overseas can be really high, so you should find out how much your dh's employer will help with these. If you were paying for it all yourself, I would want to be fairly confident you weren't going to hate it and come back in a year.

Couple of things I would consider if I were you:

1. During Jan and Feb it does get cold and you can get a lot of snow fall but they have the resources to handle it.

That said, you need to factor you each having a four wheel drive car. Ideally you should be in a house with an attached garage that is big enough for both of your cars. After a snow fall you lift the garage doors, remove the snow with a snow blower ($500 from Sears) and salt the living daylights out of the drive (no shortages of salt here). Avoid a long driveway.

1. As far as I am aware, you are not able to work if your husband is on a H1 visa and if he is laid off he can't claim unemployment benefits and another employer would have to sponsor his H1 visa. Make sure he doesn't have a 'work at will' contract and have a stipulation about relocation costs being covered should this happen.

1. You need to check your husbands health care and pension benefits. You and your children will be covered but benefits packages can get quite complicated. Suze Orman is great resource for explaining everything.

1. Renting out your house in Scotland is a great idea. Your rental income in the US is considered passive income and you can depreciate the property each year (take the price you paid for the place, add the capital improvements and divide by 37.5 for your annual depreciation). You can also deduct certain expenses, such as flights to visit the property. The irs website (www.irs.gov) is good but call them for more info as they are very nice and professional (unlike inland revenue).

1. I go to Saratoga Springs each year for the horses but I don't know my way around town that well. The easy way to find a good area of town is to check the school districts (www.greatschools.org). Everyone with kids flock to good school districts so you will find more playgrounds and kiddie activities.