The Wife and I are very interested in moving the family across to Florida, won't go into the many reasons why but just want to know if anyone else has done this and has any advice about what pitfalls to look out for etc. In terms of timescale we're looking for me to get a job there in about a years time (unless one comes up that is too good to turn down), at which point we all move out into rented accomodation, sell off our current house and possessions and then buy a dream home out there. What we need to know about is the full process from visa / green card to what to expect to pay in taxes etc.
Emigrating to the US
- Thread starter CliffyG
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Soldato
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The only think I know at the moment is that it's very difficult for a UK citizen to get a green card at the moment.
A mate of mine is going though the process; it's taken a year so far and they expect it to take another six to twelve months, which surprised me given that his wife is American and their son has dual citizenship.
A mate of mine is going though the process; it's taken a year so far and they expect it to take another six to twelve months, which surprised me given that his wife is American and their son has dual citizenship.
Soldato
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I would also appreciate any information that can be found among our forum users. I am seriously thinking of moving to Florida (St Augustine) when I retire and although that is 20 years away I would still like to see what obstacles there may be.
Moses99p said:
Well it is easier but not really easy, a lot of people marry american born people to get citizenship but even with that they still carry out a lot of checks. The OP's wife as far as i know isnt american
.CliffyG said:
It does help but does not guarantee you permanent residence or citizenship unless the company you work for say they can help you get permanent residence.
CliffyG said:
Thats the problem unless you have a skill or professional qualification then there isnt much hope. The Americans work on a points based system in which they assess whether or not you can have permanent residence. People like Doctors, lawyers, scientists etc etc have a much better chance of gaining citizenship in America than say someone who hasnt got a professional qualification.
Going through the lottery is just that..its a lottery, you might get lucky and you might not...the emphasis on being you might not get lucky.
The best person on here probably is Curio, who emigrated to USA with his american born wife but from what i remember it still took over a yr or so before he got his permanent residency.
CliffyG said:
no, because the country would be swamped by immigrants who would demand social security. 30% of US citizens live below the poverty line and they don't want to make the problem worse.
you may be able to get a green card if you marry an american women, buts its a long process!!!
green cards are available for people who nivest £1M + in US businesses too.
apparently its quite easy to be an illegal immigrant, just think of those 12 million mexicans, but then they cant demand social services etc
. Would love to move there when older. Can't you become a citizen of a different country (That the US let in easily) and then move there?i'm no expert on this but, so dont take this as absolute fact
"Under current law, an alien can be in H-1B status for a maximum period of six years at a time. After that time an alien must remain outside the United States for one year before another H-1B petition can be approved."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-1B_visa
"Under current law, an alien can be in H-1B status for a maximum period of six years at a time. After that time an alien must remain outside the United States for one year before another H-1B petition can be approved."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-1B_visa
neocon said:
Indeed, once your visa runs out you have to keep applying and even then they could still turn around and say...sorry sir you will have to go back to your country of origin.
Another way of getting in, might be to move to Canada then from there try and emigrate to America. Although saying that Canada is also tightening up their immigration as well. But as far as i know its slightly easier to go from Canada to America.
Soldato
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CliffyG said:
As far as I'm aware having sponsorship from a company for some kind of work visa is one way of getting in, but you have to find a company that is willing to wait for the various checks and bureaucratic processes to take place before you can start.
Even then they probably have to prove that they can't get the skills from within the US and the is no guarantee of getting a green card afterwards.
My mate has considerable IT skills, but that's not what he wants to do and will be looking to be self-employed in another sector when he arrives.