MOVING FROM USA TO UK

[nsepulveda]

My name is Norma and I was born and raised in New York City, USA. I have lived there for 21 years before I moved to a small town called Nesquehoning, PA, USA. From the big city to a small country town. My husband and I are thinking to move overseas. We decided the England would be a great place for us to live. We are currently trying to have a baby. So planning to have the baby before we move and was wondering which area would you suggest that would like to find somewhere similar with good local (not private) schools, a slightly bohemian feel or diverse, green spaces where the kids could play when older, and friendly liberal people to make friends with. Any suggestions? What are the nursery waiting lists like around there? And how tough is the competition for primary school places? And Jobs? Colleges? Renting apartments fees? What the procedures of becoming a citizen in UK?

I have no wise words or experience to offer you can nfortunatley. I have no idea how the system works.......so good luck! Just wanted to say try having a look at Cornwall. It is an amazing place to live. Have been here 15 years and its a fab place to raise kids. Lovely local schools. Laid back beach culture, loads of farms and animals so if you're into nature then it would suit you perfectly. I will admit that if you have a bit of money behind you its even better. Saying that. I'm a sahm, my partner is self employed earning around 15k and we live in a lovely 2 bed cottage with a garden. 5 mins in the car from the beach and beautiful woods. Farms surrounding us. General cost of a similar property to rent around here is about £600 a month. Jobs are OK. A lot of customer service stuff, and if your dh works too then I don't see why you couldn't have a reasonably good standard of living here. I hope you find what you are looking for, and good luck with the move!

Oh, primary school places not too bad. In the process of looking right now. Depends which one you choose. I'm looking at a couple that only have 7 or so children in each year group do obv harder, but it goes right up to the few with 60 or so in each year, so its all relative.

I don't think Commonwealth has much TI do with it. It's different because they are independent nations and set their own immigration rules, irrespective of what UK currently does or doesn't permit.

Auntie -- I meant different FOR Brits, as in, can British people emigrate to Canada or Australia more easily (than Americans) because all Commonwealth.

For ex I could have emigrated to the UK more easily if I were a Commonwealth citizen, because my grandfather was British, but it didn't mean anything being American.

SWYM.

But it might not help OP, unless she/DH has a UK ancestor (furthest back grandparent?) and seeks citizenship by descent.

Thank you. I have posted these question on a yahoo answers. What do you guys think. One bed flats start from £400 pcm + bills, but typical price is £500-600 pcm.

Clifton is considered a "good area", but it's over-rated in my opinion. Apart from pretty buildings, designer shops, and posh restaurants, it doesn't have much to offer. Also very expensive.

My favourite area is Redland and Bishopston (around Gloucester Road). Good mix of residents, shops, and facilities. Still quite expensive though.

Easton, St.Paul's and Montpelier are considered dangerous by some, but they are popular with students and artists because they are cheaper, bohemian, and culturally diverse.

Bedminster is another popular choice. It's more "working class" than the areas above. It has good access to the city centre and train station (with no hills to climb!) and shopping facilities.

If you want somewhere really cheap, try Southmead in the outskirts. It's a bit depressing though

Is that Bristol you are talking about ? A biggish city if not renowned for the international companies who might be interested in your and dh's skill base. tbh Most of South of England could be pricier than that. A very limited sample, from which you cannot possibly generalise. There is a website called Rightmove which lists property for sale and rent by area although taken out of context.

What about the more fundamental question as to whether could actually legally live and work here ?

Bristol's secondary schools have a very varied reputation.

I'm taking the risk of being shouted at IN CAPS here but I really think there is no point micro-analysing various parts of Bristol without firstly trying to ascertain if you can actually move here.

Immigrating to the UK is very difficult as everyone else has kindly pointed out In the nicest possible way, it doesn't matter how good a salesman your husband is. You can't move her on spec. So, if yiu want to come, can I suggest looking for jobs first. Your employer can sponser your visa. However, you will essentially need to show that you have some skill or profession that is lacking in the UK to have any chance bossing people around on Internet forums doesn't count. You also need a certain amount of money saved too. I suggest you google re all that first

Is the op for real?

I agree with Gobbolino - you need to find out about moving to the UK in a logical order, starting with "how do I get into the country?" The answer to this probably relates to having a job in the UK and is answered by various posts and links above.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. This was a lot of help. I have made list of things to look into and things I will need. Hopefully it all works out. Thankss

What sort of visa are you looking at, OP? If you come on a tourist visa, you can't work or officially seek work.

You need a visa and then to live here for 5 years before even considering citizenship, which isn't very important - Indefinite Leave to Remain visa after a couple shorter visas suffices.

Most people seeking to move here come to study, or work for a multinational and get a transfer. If you can't get a visa, and most people can't, all your other questions are redundant. So tell us what visa you hope for and we can help, otherwise you'll just get a taste of that Great British Sarcasm.

Instead of looking at properties I would strongly advice looking at how you are going to move here legally if you are not an EU/EEA national, the child of one or married to one.

I think the US idea of 'liberal' is actually fairly mainstream in the UK, if that helps.

Hahahaha! If I had no ties could live anywhere in the UK, I doubt I would plump for Bristol.

Maybe the OP thought that those areas were all separate cities or towns?

This is a massive generalisation, but often Americans are not aware of the size of "England" compared to the size of the US. Really, we are tiny compared to the huge ol' US of A. It's a shame the OP doesn't want to chat more generally about what life is like in the UK as there would be lots of interesting info from MNers.

Good luck, OP.

OP, the UK is the same size as Louisiana, if that helps.

Doubt OP wants genuinely socialist places. Still a dirty word in American politics.

I'd be interested to know the question the OP posted on yahoo answers, in order to get Bristil-specific replies. Maybe it was a local group to Bristol.

I wouldn't exactly call Letchworth a liberal place tbh

People say visit, but being on holiday in a place is entirely different from living there.

Yes, but you wouldn't move somewhere with a baby without visiting, unless you had to....not just because you fancied a change of scenery, would you?

Mind you, I know a family who emigrated to Australia without ever visiting.