3 or so months in the USA

3 or so months in the USA

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batmanreturns

Original Poster:

536 posts

268 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Our two year old daughter has a very rare lung condition and during the UK winters she struggles massively with bugs that a normal child would fight off with a bit of rest. Therefore we are looking to relocate during the winter months to the USA, (suggestions welcome on somewhere that has a high temperature at that time of year in the USA?) so that she avoids the usual UK winter bugs and she gets a chance to develop without set backs. She is oxygen dependent so we will need to order liquid oxygen when we are out there (again, any contacts would be great as at the moment we are going round the houses trying to find someone to supply it!)

My questions are as follows if someone can help me out as we are struggling on where to start at the moment.;
1. Can we stay in the USA on a tourist visa for 3 to 4 months?
2. Does anyone know of any good property sites to find houses to rent?
3. Transport-would it be best to rent a car long term or buy one wisely and resell when we leave?
4. What is the real world temperature during October to February for example?
5. Any other issues we need to be aware of or plan for?
6. My business is remote so i guess there is no issues working from the USA on a firm that is based in the UK providing i'm happy working on UK time?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
What you are suggesting here is temporarily "living" in the US and working here too (despite working remotely), neither of which are permitted using the US visa waiver program. VWP permits up to 90 days within the US for the purpose of leisure, tourism and possibly observation and training in the context of business.

A B2 visitor visa permits up to 6 months continuous presence within the US, but is intended to be used by those of retirement age, with US property (snowbirds), or those who are ineligible to participate in VWP.

Remember also that the US is probably more risk-laden in terms of potential disease/viral infection than the UK.

You would have to be somewhat economical with the truth to pull off a family B2 application, if you qualify to utilize VWP.

In answer to your questions:
1. Tourist visa B2 permits up to 6 months - this is going to be a stretch for you, I suspect.
2. There are hundreds of them. The US is a big country - temperate winter states all south of the snow-belt, so southern CA, AZ, NM, Southern TX and gulf states.
3. Buying a car in the US without being resident here is possible, but very complex - insuring it is even more difficult and impossible in most states.
4. Not sure what real-world temperature means but in the states mentioned in Q2. varies from high 40's to high 70's and usually very dry.
5. Yes a great deal of issues - primarily health insurance and it's associate cost and potential limitations (pre-existing conditions etc) - too many others to list here.
6. You absolutely CANNOT do this legally.

Sorry to put a damper on this idea, but it is very, very unlikely to be viable.

Trev450

6,314 posts

171 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
I can't really add much to what Matt has already said, but Arizona rarely drops below about 16C and that is usually only for a few weeks in December/January. Apart from that, it is usually in the 20's from late January, rising quickly into the 30's by late February. It is also a very dry climate. (read no humidity).

anonymous-user

53 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
I lived in Florida for 3 months on a normal holiday visa (visa waiver?) without any issues a few years back. Rented an apartment on the Gulf Coast. As has been said below though, more than 3 months is much more of an issue.

batmanreturns

Original Poster:

536 posts

268 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
thanks all.
So, if i don't work from there and we only stay for 3 months then if i'm reading it right, it should be ok?

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
batmanreturns said:
thanks all.
So, if i don't work from there and we only stay for 3 months then if i'm reading it right, it should be ok?
Sorry to be pedantic, but VWP is 90 days, not 3 months.

If using the VWP it's going to be entirely dependent on how you describe the purpose of your visit and your intentions whilst with the US. If you tell Customs and Border Protection officials what you have told us, they will deny you entry, because what you are describing is attempting to live (albeit temporarily) in the US and you cannot do that on VWP or B2.

If you state that you are visiting for a 90 day vacation that is more aligned with what VWP will allow (in theory), but is likely to raise a whole bunch of other questions related to your ties to the UK.

Essentially CBP treats every visitor as a potential illegal immigrant - the onus falls upon you to demonstrate that you are not.

Sheepshanks

32,533 posts

118 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Matt Harper said:
If you state that you are visiting for a 90 day vacation that is more aligned with what VWP will allow (in theory), but is likely to raise a whole bunch of other questions related to your ties to the UK.
The daft thing is they give you a 90 day stamp by default - but I don't know if you could rely on that happening.

I'd have thought medical insurance would be an equally significant issue.

jimmyjimjim

7,329 posts

237 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Especially for a two year old. You can get supplemental insurance in the UK to cover you while abroad - but the expectation of such coverage is to repatriate you and get you seen by UK (cheaper) doctors if it's anything more than needing a bandaid; I can't see it covering what you'd want it to.

Any reason why you can't find part of Europe that would work better? Probably cheaper, closer to home, etc. The only real advantage of the US is the common language.

unrepentant

21,212 posts

255 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Cyprus

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
unrepentant said:
Cyprus
Great suggestion, Paul.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Thursday 9th April 2015
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
The daft thing is they give you a 90 day stamp by default - but I don't know if you could rely on that happening.
Usually yes - but not always. My wife was granted just 14 days on VWP one time. We had been back to UK to renew my L1 and the US Consulate fked up her paperwork, so she came back in on VWP because the new visa hadn't been stamped in her passport.
After a lot of argue-bargey, they granted her 14 days to get back to UK to get it sorted. It was a right pain in the arse.

EK993

1,925 posts

250 months

Friday 10th April 2015
quotequote all
I think most of these have been answered, and Matt generally is the fountain of knowledge on immigration matters, however from my perspective:

1. Can we stay in the USA on a tourist visa for 3 to 4 months?
As has been said visa waiver program (VWP) for 90 days (key words there are visa and waiver - it is NOT a visa, you are waiving certain rights by using this program) or B2 visitor visa for 6 months

2. Does anyone know of any good property sites to find houses to rent?
When I moved here on an L1A intra company transfer visa I had to jump through all sorts of hoops to rent an apartment as effectively I did not exist in the US prior to my arrival. No credit history, bank history, previous rental history. I had to get a letter from my employer confirming my ttansfer to the US giving salary details. Even then the rental company were cagey about it and took a while to approve.

3. Transport-would it be best to rent a car long term or buy one wisely and resell when we leave?
Registering a car is difficult without being a US resident. Its not like the UK, you can't simply go in and buy a car and drive out. The car needs to be registered at the DMV and plates issued - to do so usually has the residency requirement.

4. What is the real world temperature during October to February for example?

5. Any other issues we need to be aware of or plan for?

6. My business is remote so i guess there is no issues working from the USA on a firm that is based in the UK providing i'm happy working on UK time?
You can't work in the US (even servicing a business based abroad) using either the VWP or with a B2 visa.

batmanreturns said:
Our two year old daughter has a very rare lung condition and during the UK winters she struggles massively with bugs that a normal child would fight off with a bit of rest. Therefore we are looking to relocate during the winter months to the USA, (suggestions welcome on somewhere that has a high temperature at that time of year in the USA?) so that she avoids the usual UK winter bugs and she gets a chance to develop without set backs. She is oxygen dependent so we will need to order liquid oxygen when we are out there (again, any contacts would be great as at the moment we are going round the houses trying to find someone to supply it!)

My questions are as follows if someone can help me out as we are struggling on where to start at the moment.;
1. Can we stay in the USA on a tourist visa for 3 to 4 months?
2. Does anyone know of any good property sites to find houses to rent?
3. Transport-would it be best to rent a car long term or buy one wisely and resell when we leave?
4. What is the real world temperature during October to February for example?
5. Any other issues we need to be aware of or plan for?
6. My business is remote so i guess there is no issues working from the USA on a firm that is based in the UK providing i'm happy working on UK time?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

BoxheadTim

101 posts

187 months

Thursday 28th May 2015
quotequote all
Just one thing to add - if you try for a B2 visa and get denied, you also lose your ability to travel to the US under the VWP program as you now have a denied visa on your immigration record. At that point you'll need a visa every time you want to travel over here which is a huge PITA.

Hobojim

134 posts

126 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Cyprus, yes

also, Malta?

Murray993

1,515 posts

232 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
I would apply for the B2 visa from the embassy this will let you stay for 6 months as suggested. In florida Oct to Feb is the best time as the temp cools to 25 - 30 c so it feels like an great english summer albeit a little more humid. In terms of what you are looking for to rent you will find it easy enough to find short term rentals, which are in effect holiday lets and you could arrange that from the UK. You will find most rentals here are on 6 month leases similar to home. The downside of short term rentals are they will be more expensive and you will be in areas with mainly holiday makers. Upside they are fully furnished and have all the small items like tin openers and cutlery that you will need but likely cant bring.

Dr JonboyG

2,561 posts

238 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
Even absent the visa issue, bringing a sick child to a country with the highest healthcare costs on the planet and no national healthcare system sounds like a recipe for going bankrupt in short order. One trip to the ER (that's A&E) and you're looking at a five- or even six-figure bill (no joke). They'll even charge you a couple of grand for calling an ambulance.

Somewhere in the southern Mediterranean within the EU might be a far safer idea all around.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
BoxheadTim said:
Just one thing to add - if you try for a B2 visa and get denied, you also lose your ability to travel to the US under the VWP program as you now have a denied visa on your immigration record. At that point you'll need a visa every time you want to travel over here which is a huge PITA.
Just a thought on this point - you are not automatically excluded from the Visa Waiver Program due to a B2 denial. It is correct to state that you have to declare that your visa application was denied, but it's by no means a 'given' that ESTA will also then be denied. It often happens, but this isn't a protocol.

chris7676

2,685 posts

219 months

Wednesday 27th January 2016
quotequote all
Not sure what 'the usual winter bugs' are but the quest for warm winters will be met by Canary Islands, it's usually 20+c during winter days in the warmer parts. It's also the same time zone and I can image the healthcare is quite good.

steveo3002

10,494 posts

173 months

Wednesday 27th January 2016
quotequote all
wont the medical insurance for a poorly child be hard to get ? , id look for somewhere closer to home where you would at least get the free coverage on the ehic card

as for usa , they may ask for the return flight ticket , then when they see its 90 days will want proof of funds , where you are going , how come you dont need to work for 90 days and all that , can be some nasty b@stards on the desks and try and catch you out

Muhammad adnan

10 posts

98 months

Monday 15th February 2016
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for major cities , you could easily spend 300/night on a hotel, but you could find budget accommodations for 125+ others parts of the country cost less. most places have seasonal highs and lows.

phoenix is cheap in summer, but also blazing hot , if you have a car with you in big cities, figure on paying to park it at the hotel, 30/40 nights on top of the hotel rate.

huge range. same with food . you could get by on 65-60 pp day but you would need a lot more than to enjoy fine dining.lots of menus available online check yelp.com for reviews, ta too.
if you go out for drinks, you could pay or 20 for a fancy cocktail in a nice bar 4 a beer at a honky tonk happy hour.

you should also map out drive times and distances so that you don't exhaust with an impossible tour/schedule.