You must be, they will have a different visa.
Moving to USA - Who's done it, what advice?
- Thread starter R-evans
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You must be, they will have a different visa.
Actually I might be talking rubbish - I know H-4 visas were talked about when they were relocating the team but not sure what actually happened.
EDIT: Seems I was getting K-4 and H-4 mixed up in the instance I was referring to.
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Associate
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So when my sister did her post doc over int the US and brought her husband along the biggest issue was that he didn't have a degree and found it seriously hard to get a decent job.
I think they enjoyed it for a few months but then, they can't to cut it short and head back to the UK.
Most of the issues have been mentioned but health insurance is key, you'll need to be able to drive.
Best of luck OP
I think they enjoyed it for a few months but then, they can't to cut it short and head back to the UK.
Most of the issues have been mentioned but health insurance is key, you'll need to be able to drive.
Best of luck OP
You'll miss fish and chips. They just can't make decent fish and chips. Why do they serve the fish in smaller battered pieces? WHY!? Just give me one piece of god damned battered fish!
You won't miss silly fuel prices and you'll actually be able to get a car with a bit of grunt without being bent over by insurance companies or the car dealers (if you're into that sort of thing). Also, as you know, the beer out here is way better than England's offerings
I'm going to do my driving test in the morning so I can let you know just how easy it is. Apparently the motorcycle test around here involves driving 100 yards up to a fence and back again so I'm not expecting too much.
You won't miss silly fuel prices and you'll actually be able to get a car with a bit of grunt without being bent over by insurance companies or the car dealers (if you're into that sort of thing). Also, as you know, the beer out here is way better than England's offerings
I'm going to do my driving test in the morning so I can let you know just how easy it is. Apparently the motorcycle test around here involves driving 100 yards up to a fence and back again so I'm not expecting too much.
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It's very hard
Make sure you know the rules - when the traffic light goes red that means only 5 more cars can go through, wait until the last second then don't look or indicate when changing lanes, stop at a traffic circle even if it's clear, add at least 10mph to every speed limit and of course it's perfectly fine to text and drive at the same time.
Or is that just New Jersey?
Thanks for all the info, I appreciate it. It's definitely not something we'll be rushing into and have plenty of time to research and decide what is our best option.
She is getting a H-1B visa and what you lot have said does seem to be right from further reading. We'll have to look at all our options and decide which way to go.
She'll be earning pretty good money so I could definitely volunteer somewhere (maybe pick up a new line of work doing so) but not sure if I'd be comfortable asking for spending money when my savings run out
She is getting a H-1B visa and what you lot have said does seem to be right from further reading. We'll have to look at all our options and decide which way to go.
She'll be earning pretty good money so I could definitely volunteer somewhere (maybe pick up a new line of work doing so) but not sure if I'd be comfortable asking for spending money when my savings run out
Soldato
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I didn't move to USA but know people who have.
They were allowed to drive for a period of time (maybe 6 months?) on the UK license so I don't know if this differs between states?
They moved to Pittsburgh.
They were allowed to drive for a period of time (maybe 6 months?) on the UK license so I don't know if this differs between states?
They moved to Pittsburgh.
She'll be earning pretty good money so I could definitely volunteer somewhere (maybe pick up a new line of work doing so) but not sure if I'd be comfortable asking for spending money when my savings run out
Even volunteering is a grey area - if you're doing a job that somebody would normally be paid for, you can't do that on a H-4.
You get 12months on a UK license. But getting the US license is a joke,done in California and Oregon. It involves about 5 minutes driving on residential roads, no technical maneuvers at all. Stop at stop signs, look mirrors, indicate and you've passed.
In Florida you don't even drive on the roads for the test, it's a tiny track within a glorified back garden, and takes about 10 minutes!
Some of the replies in this thread are far from true (more to do with culture).
I moved over here about 7-8 years ago.
Coming from England it's pretty like for like in some respect. You seem like a smart person and you'll figure everything out. Of course you're going to miss certain things, mainly family and friends, you can't replace your childhood friends. Everything else you can get or arrange nowadays (maybe not 10-20yrs ago). The worlds is a much smaller place now days (logistics).
You'll love it and have a great time. If you don't.....at least you tried and you'll never regret that!
Any questions on anything please let me know. Healthcare is the only thing and you have that covered. You won't need a US license to drive, you can drive straight away just get your UK license and eventually might be able to get a US one (depending on visas etc). You can only work if you get a social security number and this can be a pain....or cash work. Or get a job you can do in England remotely (I had this when I first moved over here).
Yes you can get tea...Yes you can get decent bread...chocolate....crisps....etc hell I even can make roast potatoes!!
My toilet is exactly the same as the one in England
Also it's much easier and cheaper to watch football (EPL etc) over here!!
One thing I can describe....US has extremes in all aspects....filthy rich areas, and filthy poor areas. People in super shape, people super overweight. Restaurants galore (last 3-5yrs it's all about individually owned places and less about franchises, which has some fantastic places and variety). Extremes when it comes to terrain, weather, travel etc.
Best of luck - just 1000000% check your visa status.
US driving license laws vary between states, in California you have to get a local license within 10 days of declaring residency.
As already been said, be careful with the visa - you can only work as a spouse under very specific types that allow you to get a social security number. As soon as you have a social you have to do an annual tax return. I came over on an L1A visa so my wife was able to apply for a social security number - it gives me tax benefits.
Edit: I have only worked/lived in California so I can't speak for anywhere else. Working here is close to being in a sweat shop in a first world country. You are not afforded any of the protection the UK or EU afford us working back in blighty. You can be fired at any moment (in California, "at will state") for any or no reason at all. You will pay less tax but will pay more in other ways, of course health is the clear leader here. Even with insurance you still have to figure out your co-pays etc..
Next up will be your complete lack of things like credit history or driving insurance. This makes it impossible to get a credit card (although car credit seems easy! Particularly a lease). Then you need to hit up a big car insurance firm to get anything approaching reasonable.
Finally my advice is going to be don't underestimate the sheer size out here, everything is massive. California is one of the states and by itself is larger than the UK. It took me over 4 hours to drive to Vegas from LA and 6-7 hours to drive to Yosemite.
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He'd need a work permit to work in Canada and it'd probably be a pain crossing the border twice a day.
We're looking into the visa situation. Two of her colleagues have done the exact same thing we are doing with no problems, their spouse have been able to work. They went on a J1 visa with their spouse on a J2.
As said, will be giving it a good look at before we commit.
I am well aware of how big the place is, we've spent the last 7 summers travelling around the US.
Thanks for the info
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I did my US driving test today, did the whole thing (theory and driving) in 2hours including sitting around waiting. My actual driving test took around 10 mins n consisted of 2 left turns and 4 right turns. It's slightly different to the UK test
As I mentioned in the other thread on US immigration it may be worth looking in to American Express before you go. Again it may not be relevant for you situation (may need to be a permanent resident rather than going over on xyz visa, but if you have some kind of social security number it may work) but if it is it may help you get credit a lot easier than it would otherwise
Basically get an AMEX card in the UK direct from AMEX and then after a few months/year you can transfer to a US card with your existing UK AMEX credit history, meaning no issues with having no US credit history.
http://www.americanexpress.com/global-card-transfers/united-states.html
I did this before coming to Canada, had it for about 9 months before moving over and I now have a Canadian Gold Rewards Card over here, which I certainly wouldn't be able to get if I applied over here without a history.
Kinda surprised you actually need to take a test to transfer your UK licence to a US one. Does it cost anything?
Basically get an AMEX card in the UK direct from AMEX and then after a few months/year you can transfer to a US card with your existing UK AMEX credit history, meaning no issues with having no US credit history.
http://www.americanexpress.com/global-card-transfers/united-states.html
I did this before coming to Canada, had it for about 9 months before moving over and I now have a Canadian Gold Rewards Card over here, which I certainly wouldn't be able to get if I applied over here without a history.
Kinda surprised you actually need to take a test to transfer your UK licence to a US one. Does it cost anything?
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It's not that surprising given the laws are different. I've had to pass my US test 3 times as it's required every time you move state (Illinois, Indiana, California). I've had to pay each time but it's not outrageous (under $50).
Really? You can normally just swap your license if it's from another US state.
For example:
http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/Licenses/Replacing.htm