How to migrate to the US : personal experiences

[Lilly1102]

When I first met my bf over 2 yrs ago, he spoke so highly of Louisiana and I thought that it was such a random place & never took it seriously. We went on holiday there recently to visit his uncle and I can now see why he loves it so much.

We also went to NY and I preferred it so much over London. Been to Miami too, and I also liked it there although it’s much more tacky.

I would love to work and live there but I know visas are incredibly hard to come by and ifs a minefield looking at them.

I know someone that got a visa because they have ‘extra ordinary ability’ (they have a PHD in physics and have done various climate change reports). I am smart but I am not that smart. Our company sponsored his.

I have a masters, but everyone has a masters these days. For the last two years I’ve been an ‘Executive Assistant’ at a hedgefund and I’ve only been there because of the benefits, pay and bonuses but it’s not stimulating at all and I don’t see how that would look good on any visa because anyone can do my job.

Previous to the hedgefund, I’ve worked at various renowned galleries and auction houses (related to my degree) but there’s a gap in that experience so I wouldn’t be able to go down that route although I have been emailing American galleries directly to see if they would sponsor any sort of Visa / asking them how I can go about it.

i know a girl who works in real estate in NY - her company pay for her apartment, sponsored her visa etc. She did the same degree as me and I don’t think had any real estate experience before. In fact I know lots of people in real estate that are expats in Dubai etc so maybe this is a route to go down?

I am so miserable in the UK. I don’t get why people want to migrate here so badly. I would happily leave given any opportunity. Even when I’ve been on holiday to less ‘developed’ countries like Belize & Mauritius I think my life would be better there because at least it’s sunny and tropical.

My boyfriend & I have a really decent income for our age (25) and we’ve completely just accepted buying a house until a relative passes away is impossible. In Louisiana you can get a beautiful house in a beautiful neighbourhood for $299K. In the UK you’re lucky if that gets you a studio flat up north. Granted we live in the Home Counties so everything is inflated but it’s just ridiculous once you see what you could have in another country.

does anyone have any personal experiences of migrating to the US for long-term work? People have told me people have married people for US visas etc which obviously would never be a solution in my case even if I was single!

Everything else aside, abortion is illegal in Louisiana so it's not somewhere a woman in her 20s should be considering living if she has a choice.

That’s why birth control exists so avoid the need for abortion :)

i quite like the traditional values they have there…. If I were to accidentally fall pregnant I wouldn’t consider abordions anyway!

I can’t offer practical help as I haven’t done it, but if you can train in a shortage occupation that’d probably help.

beware though, you’re about to be inundated by the ‘we hate Trump’ mob.

louisiana is amazing. As is Tennessee. I wish I could go too!

I did it in the late 90’s. I had a computer science degree and a niche knowedge of a programming language. I replied to an ad in computer weekly, I worked for a UK company as a consultant initially and was then offered a permanent job with the company I was consulting for. They organised my visa and I got a green card after a few years. I was there for around 10 years and then came back to the UK for personal reasons.

Not everybody who gets pregnant has it happen because they didn’t use birth control.

I was 23 when I got pregnant - the condom split and the morning after pill failed! I did everything right. I wasn’t stupid. I didn’t take a chance.

thankfully I was in a position to keep the baby (engaged, home owner, financially stable) but it wasn’t on my radar at the time and if any of those things had broken down I’d definitely have considered abortion.

i have 2 friends who worked for large companies with US head offices and they got transfers to the US after working for the company for several years.

Thank you! For sure I’ll do some research on any type of shortage job etc!

Of course I totally appreciate that! I just mean the fact abortion is illegal there doesn’t deter me from going!

If your birth control fails and you have an ectopic pregnancy or some other complication you won't be quite so blase over it when you can't get medical help.

If you're really serious about moving consider training as a nurse.

www.shusterman.com/nurse-immigration-guide/

You are absolutely mad! The US is ok for a holiday but not to live! The cost of healthcare and decent food is extortionate! In fact the standards of their food is a joke, so much of it is so rammed full of chemicals it shouldn't even be allowed to be called food!

I would stay in the US in a heartbeat so I'm watching this thread with interest. The weather, the lovely friendly people, the sheer size of it! Love it. My BIL and SIL stay in Hollywood and every time we visit I am so sad to come home.

Work for a company in the UK with a USA office and get transferred there. Thats how DD’s friend did it. Working out for her but she’s very well paid in NY. Louisiana ? Not so many opportunities for Brits I would think.

Food I noticed was slightly more expensive yes but fuel was so much cheaper, as is actual housing and bills etc

fresh market and whole foods definitely isn’t blasted with chemicals… and equally I love going to a classic ‘diner’ very dingy but somehow very enjoyable

Doesn’t necessarily have to be Louisiana, as I say I loved NY too it is just more expensive (as expected) but I think you’re right in the sense much easier to transfer to a US office in the city ;)

I know me too!! It really is grand :)

Marry an American
win the lottery and buy your way in via a green card
get a job with a multinational with offices in the US and work to develop niche skills to support visa application. However that is likely to be temporary - 5-10 years.

My ex went over on a H1B visa as a software engineer, for a social media company who recruited him because he had specific skills they needed. If you're set on going I would have a look at the occupations that were given visas in the past couple of years and see if there is anything on that list you could train for. Google should be able to give you some ideas on that.

I did get a visa and i'll say that the "extraordinary abilities" requirement isn't really what it sounds like. I was an accountant/auditor, one of many, had a standard degree, accounting qualification, and that was enough to satisfy the requirement. My flatmate at one point was an assistant also on a visa from France, though worked for a very rich pop star so probably had some clout to get visas easier. When she tried to move to other employers as an assisstant it was hard to find one to sponsor her visa, but there were several willing to interview and entertain the idea. Things to know are that if you work for a company which has US offices you can apply through them for a L1 visa which only allows you to work for that company. It is not transferrable to any others. If you apply for jobs in the US outside of your company you would apply for a H1B visa which is much better in that it can be transferred to other work places if they sponsor. Generally your chances of going with a very large company are better.

@Lilly1102 fresh market and whole foods are extremely expensive though! I travel there all the time for business and i actually feel ill from eating such crap every time i leave! I can't wait to get home and eat decent food!

I'd seriously advise you to do more research than going on holiday. There's loads of YouTube and Instagram videos about the pros and cons of US v UK. Listen to people who moved the other direction too. I'd never go back. It's so much more complicated than you seem to realise, and it can be financially very precarious even with low house prices. People go bankrupt because the get ill. There's no welfare state to speak of, especially if you are used to the UK.

After everything is in place, you could be fired any day at a moment's notice. Do keep that in mind.

Don’t forget the cost of medical and dental insurance which often is subsidised by your work but is still expensive and may negate any savings you will make on things like cheap fuel. You may be too young to give it serious consideration but if you are on good terms with your family, it can be very hard to be living so far away when an aging parent for example needs help. I’ve lived half my life in the US and half in the UK. I wouldn’t consider going back to the US at my age, but it could be an amazing choice for you. Just make sure you are looking at things pragmatically rather than through rose tinted glasses at the excitement of a new life in a new country.

You can buy a lovely detached 3 bedroomed home in a nice area up north for less than 300k

I moved from London to Chicago 10 years ago through a work visa with one of the big 4 firms, I have since changed employers, moved from work visa to green card and naturalized last year.

The US is not perfect at all but we love our life so far and don't regret the move.