How did you end up moving to the US?

[mr_spock]

Part way through the process here. I met my now wife when she was in the USAF stationed here in the UK. We married just over a year ago, I started the CR-1 visa process which we did ourselves. She retired from the Air Force mid-2020 and then had to return to the US. While here we found a house we wanted (all remote viewing etc) and had a long-winded process to buy it. Fortunately she got to see it before the closing, so at least we knew what urgent work was needed. I arranged it all remotely, finally got to the US to see her and the house about a week before closing in September. Been back once since to take her dogs, but thanks to Covid, a flood in our village here and family stuff I haven't been over there to see her for about 10 weeks or so. Now trying to arrange to get my stuff shipped, my dog moved and so on. Decided to keep my house here for the moment due to the very slow house sales process here.

It's all doing my head in TBH.

[h0b0]

I started a job in the UK and met a man called Charlie. I said to Charlie "Give me a job in the US". 9 months later he sent me an email saying "call me".


I had no plan. In fact, I had said, after meeting Charlie and spending some time in the US, I would not consider moving there any more. Originally, I moved with a 12 month plan in mind but that went out of the window quickly. I have been here since 2004, first on an L1+extension, and now on a green card through marriage.

I came to the US based on a very specific technology expertise I had but I am now working in cloud computing. I am not sure how easy it is to get here now through either track though.

[Polarbert]

I ended up over here through luck mainly. Met a bird at my cousins wedding in San Diego in 2010. Had a few trips back and forth. She lived with me in England for a few months in 2012 before I proposed in Florence in August.

We filed the K1 visa ourselves and besides a cockup on the embassy's end, had it approved a week before I was flying out to get married. That all went well and we bought our first house at the end of 2019.

I too work in law enforcement, but only as a dispatcher. It suits my temperament well but its slightly frustrating as there are very little in the way of progressing or transferring.

I'm still a green card holder. I haven't felt particularly worried or concerned to become a citizen.

Overall I feel like my quality of life here is a lot better, the heatlhcare system aside, but thankfully like others I haven't had to utilise it. There's a lot I miss about England, and I have some guilt about moving away and not being around when my Dad died (I was on the plane back to England when it happened.) But I'm very happy here.

[offspring86]

Polarbert said:

There's a lot I miss about England, and I have some guilt about moving away and not being around when my Dad died (I was on the plane back to England when it happened.) But I'm very happy here.

This is something I’ve had on my mind a lot while going through the visa process. I’ll be leaving behind my parents’ and two sisters. My older sister is mentally and physically handicapped, she lives in a care home full time. My parents completely understand my move and are fully supportive. They have stressed many times that neither me or my younger sister have ever been under any obligation to support my older sister but I still feel immense guilt over moving away from her. Possibly not being there for my parents when they pass along with not being around my older sister and visiting her every weekend is something I have to reconcile in my head.

[mr_spock]

offspring86 said:

Polarbert said:

There's a lot I miss about England, and I have some guilt about moving away and not being around when my Dad died (I was on the plane back to England when it happened.) But I'm very happy here.

This is something I’ve had on my mind a lot while going through the visa process. I’ll be leaving behind my parents’ and two sisters. My older sister is mentally and physically handicapped, she lives in a care home full time. My parents completely understand my move and are fully supportive. They have stressed many times that neither me or my younger sister have ever been under any obligation to support my older sister but I still feel immense guilt over moving away from her. Possibly not being there for my parents when they pass along with not being around my older sister and visiting her every weekend is something I have to reconcile in my head.

Me too. I know I could generally get back in 1 day, or faster if the flight times work, and I will keep an emergency fund to be able to do that trip if needed. Hope that's enough.

[Zeek]

Came out here on an L1A in 2014, got the green card in 2015 and just got citizenship.

Biggest draw for me to go from green card to citizen was actually because it gives you the flexibility to leave! With a passport you don't have to deal with all the USCIS issues if you went home for a period of time, or worked elsewhere.

Got a wife and kids here now so unlikely to be moving back anytime soon. It will definitely affect your relationships with family back home. It's not always easy, but you need to accept that. Whilst travel is quick and easy in non-Covid times (especially from the east coast), it is not the same as being right there and only gets worse as you build more ties here.

[Mannginger]

Bit late on this one. I've always wanted to give it a go. When I re-joined my current company I made it clear to my boss it was still an aspiration of mine, 1 year later she asked if I wanted to apply for a gig. Was a big stretch for me but somehow I got selected. 3 years later and I've really enjoyed it but Covid and my better half's sabbatical coming to an end mean we've decided to go home so will be back in blighty around May.

I came over on an Intra-Company visa and my missus got a sponsored teaching visa from Princeton. I spent 1 year in New York and have been living in Princeton for last 18 months. Covid did have one benefit of stopping the 2 hour each way commute!

[off_again]

Bit of a late response from me too!

Worked for a couple of US tech companies and ended up being owned by HP. Offered me a role in California and moved over on an L1A Visa. Brought wife and two kids. That was back in 2014 and obviously been here since. Moved to the Bay Area like many other ex-pats, but moved out (super expensive as an average 3/4 bed home is well over $1m now) to 50 mins outside of Sacramento.

Kids older now and one moved out, youngest finishing off high school. Still work in technology and do enjoy it here. I have had opportunities and earning potentials that I couldnt have taken advantage of in the UK. There are challenges though - forming lasting friendships can be hard and some things you think you know (from media, TV, movies etc), you dont. Navigating healthcare, insurance, tax and other things was a challenge but getting there.

On a green card now, but the minimum period has passed, so can go for citizenship, which I think we will all do. No rush (and its $750 per person!), but would bring a level of predictability to things. And being able to vote would be nice!!! But not concerned about having to do tax returns for life - I dont see myself living a tax-free location any time soon, so chances are I will be tax neutral at worst.

[aaron_2000]

off_again said:

Bit of a late response from me too!

Worked for a couple of US tech companies and ended up being owned by HP. Offered me a role in California and moved over on an L1A Visa. Brought wife and two kids. That was back in 2014 and obviously been here since. Moved to the Bay Area like many other ex-pats, but moved out (super expensive as an average 3/4 bed home is well over $1m now) to 50 mins outside of Sacramento.

Kids older now and one moved out, youngest finishing off high school. Still work in technology and do enjoy it here. I have had opportunities and earning potentials that I couldnt have taken advantage of in the UK. There are challenges though - forming lasting friendships can be hard and some things you think you know (from media, TV, movies etc), you dont. Navigating healthcare, insurance, tax and other things was a challenge but getting there.

On a green card now, but the minimum period has passed, so can go for citizenship, which I think we will all do. No rush (and its $750 per person!), but would bring a level of predictability to things. And being able to vote would be nice!!! But not concerned about having to do tax returns for life - I dont see myself living a tax-free location any time soon, so chances are I will be tax neutral at worst.

When you bought a house, car etc, did you not find it stressful knowing you weren't a full citizen so were vulnerable to deportation? How do you find the tech working environment there compared to the UK?

[h0b0]

I have been here since 2004. I bought my first house in 2006 and have bought and sold several houses since. I am still on a green card with no immediate intention to jump to citizen.

The only thing I delayed commiting to was my wife. I was hoping to have a green card before proposing. In the end I got married and 3 months later got my green card through marriage. The only time I thought there would be a risk to me living in the US was when Trump was in power. We had people at work get a tap on the shoulder and get asked to stop working as their visa was not renewed. This had not happened in this manner under other administrations.

[off_again]

aaron_2000 said:

When you bought a house, car etc, did you not find it stressful knowing you weren't a full citizen so were vulnerable to deportation? How do you find the tech working environment there compared to the UK?

Good question - but being on a Visa can be subject to change based on the current policy of the government. Being on a green card is different though, there are a lot of legal frameworks in place and only very specific circumstances in which it can be removed (like being convicted of a federal offense, and then, only in specific circumstances). So its not really an issue to be honest.

The process of getting mortgages, loans etc was pretty easy though. Got my first mortgage while on a Visa and as long as you show you can be here legally, they dont really care. So that was nice. The biggest issue was around credit history though, and we got hit pretty hard while we built this up. Its much better now, but took time. Just bear that in mind.

As for the work environment? Yeah, that is an interesting one. I do say the modern US workplace is FAR different to what is perceived around the world. Any medium to large company in the US is actually pretty respectful, flexible and in many ways similar to the UK. There will be a fair amount of politics (where is this not true?) and ambition, but usually it will be pretty dynamic and hard working - though workplaces will vary a lot. I am really talking about technology, but it will vary.

A few things that I find odd or unusual though - paperwork! Lots and lots of paperwork! They love their forms, duplicating and submitting things. Anything to do with government (local, regional, state or federal) will have a lot of limits, auditing and controls in place. So many things you cant say, do or even have on your laptop! Very strange when compared to the UK. Oh, and there is typically a concern around 'at will' states - where you can be let go for pretty much any reason and usually within 2 weeks. This is very different and can be a worry, but in general, most US companies are cautious for the fear of getting sued. I am sorry if you have been impacted, but its usually rare. Usually most large companies will do a 4 week payout - though the big concern is continuing your healthcare. There is COBRA that allows you to keep paying for it until you get another job, but its a common thing to negotiate on if you are impacted. Just feels weird that you would do that, because its legal protection that is built in for the UK and EU countries.

One final comment though - and there are so many different behaviors across different states in tech companies. The Bay Area will usually be very focused on your history, current job title and how you can help them. The Pacific NW is similar, but will be more friendly, but there is something called the 'Seattle Shoulder' where you will often get the brush off. Texas is usually much more open and inviting, that stereotype of 'the friendly south' is true, but they are super polite too! Very different. Office politics will be there and there is often an expectation to work very hard and long hours - especially in the Bay Area! But getting a fair balance can be a challenge, so just be careful there.

Is there an industry or location that you are looking at? Happy to fill in gaps where I can.

[aaron_2000]

off_again said:

aaron_2000 said:

When you bought a house, car etc, did you not find it stressful knowing you weren't a full citizen so were vulnerable to deportation? How do you find the tech working environment there compared to the UK?

Good question - but being on a Visa can be subject to change based on the current policy of the government. Being on a green card is different though, there are a lot of legal frameworks in place and only very specific circumstances in which it can be removed (like being convicted of a federal offense, and then, only in specific circumstances). So its not really an issue to be honest.

The process of getting mortgages, loans etc was pretty easy though. Got my first mortgage while on a Visa and as long as you show you can be here legally, they dont really care. So that was nice. The biggest issue was around credit history though, and we got hit pretty hard while we built this up. Its much better now, but took time. Just bear that in mind.

As for the work environment? Yeah, that is an interesting one. I do say the modern US workplace is FAR different to what is perceived around the world. Any medium to large company in the US is actually pretty respectful, flexible and in many ways similar to the UK. There will be a fair amount of politics (where is this not true?) and ambition, but usually it will be pretty dynamic and hard working - though workplaces will vary a lot. I am really talking about technology, but it will vary.

A few things that I find odd or unusual though - paperwork! Lots and lots of paperwork! They love their forms, duplicating and submitting things. Anything to do with government (local, regional, state or federal) will have a lot of limits, auditing and controls in place. So many things you cant say, do or even have on your laptop! Very strange when compared to the UK. Oh, and there is typically a concern around 'at will' states - where you can be let go for pretty much any reason and usually within 2 weeks. This is very different and can be a worry, but in general, most US companies are cautious for the fear of getting sued. I am sorry if you have been impacted, but its usually rare. Usually most large companies will do a 4 week payout - though the big concern is continuing your healthcare. There is COBRA that allows you to keep paying for it until you get another job, but its a common thing to negotiate on if you are impacted. Just feels weird that you would do that, because its legal protection that is built in for the UK and EU countries.

One final comment though - and there are so many different behaviors across different states in tech companies. The Bay Area will usually be very focused on your history, current job title and how you can help them. The Pacific NW is similar, but will be more friendly, but there is something called the 'Seattle Shoulder' where you will often get the brush off. Texas is usually much more open and inviting, that stereotype of 'the friendly south' is true, but they are super polite too! Very different. Office politics will be there and there is often an expectation to work very hard and long hours - especially in the Bay Area! But getting a fair balance can be a challenge, so just be careful there.

Is there an industry or location that you are looking at? Happy to fill in gaps where I can.

Thanks for all that. Credit is the one concern for me in regards to first renting then eventually buying, location and industry wise I'm going into cloud architecture once I pass the AWS-SAA exam, I applied to do the AmeriCamp program this summer partly so I can demonstrate an ability to work and leave on a J-1 visa without any trouble which I'd hope would do me some good and secondly to get a better feel of working around Americans day to day. Location wise I'm pretty set on either Jacksonville or Texas, I don't really want to pay the living costs of California and I don't see myself as being high level enough to compete with the top Silicon Valley grads. I know there's a large deficit of qualified AWS architects in the US which was pretty much the main reason I got into it, I'd be willing to work anywhere but without sounding touristy I would like to settle somewhere warm like Florida. How long after moving there did the holiday mindset go away?

[thainy77]

I'm in Texas if you have any specific questions on the state.

[off_again]

aaron_2000 said:

Thanks for all that. Credit is the one concern for me in regards to first renting then eventually buying, location and industry wise I'm going into cloud architecture once I pass the AWS-SAA exam, I applied to do the AmeriCamp program this summer partly so I can demonstrate an ability to work and leave on a J-1 visa without any trouble which I'd hope would do me some good and secondly to get a better feel of working around Americans day to day. Location wise I'm pretty set on either Jacksonville or Texas, I don't really want to pay the living costs of California and I don't see myself as being high level enough to compete with the top Silicon Valley grads. I know there's a large deficit of qualified AWS architects in the US which was pretty much the main reason I got into it, I'd be willing to work anywhere but without sounding touristy I would like to settle somewhere warm like Florida. How long after moving there did the holiday mindset go away?

Yeah, on the credit side - it can be a major issue. I was sponsored and as part of the visa deal, I was setup with a bank account and credit card - though with very low limits. Essentially you start with a zero credit rating and need to go from there. You will pay higher interest rates, often have to leave deposits for things (like utility accounts) and often have to get a 'secured credit card' to help build things out - basically you give them $500 and they give you a credit card with a $500 limit. But it does kick in relatively quickly though, and usually you will start getting your number showing after 3-4 months. Getting it good takes time though. You cant really transfer credit over though. There used to be an Amex card that you could, but not sure they do that any more. Cash will be king for a while, and maybe do what you can about bringing cash over and using a debit card from your account. Dont use your UK credit card though - it serves no real benefit and clearly wont support your credit rating.

Isnt the J-1 limited to the sponsor for your work? I would dig in on this and make sure you have this covered. CA is a great place and yes, its super expensive to live here. However, its still cheaper than the UK on a mid to high income. Taxes are high, but less than the UK overall though.

FL and TX are cheaper states to live in and much more affordable. One word of warning though, all locations have bad areas, streets and blocks. If the affordability is good, its usually because its a bad area. You absolutely pay to live in a nice area, more so than the UK. That said though, FL and TX are cheaper in general though, just do your research on the areas and cities themselves.

Jacksonville is ok, but its not a great place overall (IMHO). Though, I would take it over Orlando any day! Personally, I dont like FL, but thats me. GA is much nicer and you would be very close. Atlanta is pretty good and a large city and Savanah is also a great place, though very touristy.

Weather - I am assuming you have been to FL before? Spring and autumn are nice, Winter is good but the mid-summer period sucks. Bugs, humidity and blaring heat, yeah you can keep that. For me its not the heat itself - usually FL is less than 100 F on average, but its the humidity and the fact that it doesnt cool down much over the evening! I can cope with 100-110 during a hot summer, but knowing it drops to 80 or less over the night. Thats nice. Phoenix, yeah, get lost.... like living in a fan assisted oven during the summer! But then again, it has very nice winters...

[Mannginger]

Jasper is a good place to start building credit history. They were originally called Creditstacks and specifically aimed at ex-pats / international professionals moving to the US. Decent Customer Service / App etc to manage money.

Car insurance was a bear (there seems to be a link to credit rating) so my first 6 months was obnoxious but rapidly went down once I showed 6 months of credit history and payments etc

[aaron_2000]

thainy77 said:

I'm in Texas if you have any specific questions on the state.

Cheers

off_again said:

Yeah, on the credit side - it can be a major issue. I was sponsored and as part of the visa deal, I was setup with a bank account and credit card - though with very low limits. Essentially you start with a zero credit rating and need to go from there. You will pay higher interest rates, often have to leave deposits for things (like utility accounts) and often have to get a 'secured credit card' to help build things out - basically you give them $500 and they give you a credit card with a $500 limit. But it does kick in relatively quickly though, and usually you will start getting your number showing after 3-4 months. Getting it good takes time though. You cant really transfer credit over though. There used to be an Amex card that you could, but not sure they do that any more. Cash will be king for a while, and maybe do what you can about bringing cash over and using a debit card from your account. Dont use your UK credit card though - it serves no real benefit and clearly wont support your credit rating.

Isnt the J-1 limited to the sponsor for your work? I would dig in on this and make sure you have this covered. CA is a great place and yes, its super expensive to live here. However, its still cheaper than the UK on a mid to high income. Taxes are high, but less than the UK overall though.

FL and TX are cheaper states to live in and much more affordable. One word of warning though, all locations have bad areas, streets and blocks. If the affordability is good, its usually because its a bad area. You absolutely pay to live in a nice area, more so than the UK. That said though, FL and TX are cheaper in general though, just do your research on the areas and cities themselves.

Jacksonville is ok, but its not a great place overall (IMHO). Though, I would take it over Orlando any day! Personally, I dont like FL, but thats me. GA is much nicer and you would be very close. Atlanta is pretty good and a large city and Savanah is also a great place, though very touristy.

Weather - I am assuming you have been to FL before? Spring and autumn are nice, Winter is good but the mid-summer period sucks. Bugs, humidity and blaring heat, yeah you can keep that. For me its not the heat itself - usually FL is less than 100 F on average, but its the humidity and the fact that it doesnt cool down much over the evening! I can cope with 100-110 during a hot summer, but knowing it drops to 80 or less over the night. Thats nice. Phoenix, yeah, get lost.... like living in a fan assisted oven during the summer! But then again, it has very nice winters...

I've never bothered with a credit card in the UK, I always use debit and cash which in hindsight was a mistake. I only mention Jacks because that seems to be where all the major IT jobs are in the state, ideally I'm aiming to move there early to mid next year. I'll be spending a few months over there this year, I was hoping to go in Feb to visit an ill family member but the restrictions were too severe. I always liked the mid summer heat and humidity, despite it taking me nearly an hour to walk a mile in it. My biggest concern is actually finding a company to sponsor me for work, despite knowing it's an in demand role I just have the feeling that even companies willing to do visa sponsorship would do their best to avoid it

[BertieWooster]

off_again said:

Yeah, on the credit side - it can be a major issue. I was sponsored and as part of the visa deal, I was setup with a bank account and credit card - though with very low limits. Essentially you start with a zero credit rating and need to go from there. You will pay higher interest rates, often have to leave deposits for things (like utility accounts) and often have to get a 'secured credit card' to help build things out - basically you give them $500 and they give you a credit card with a $500 limit. But it does kick in relatively quickly though, and usually you will start getting your number showing after 3-4 months. Getting it good takes time though. You cant really transfer credit over though. There used to be an Amex card that you could, but not sure they do that any more. Cash will be king for a while, and maybe do what you can about bringing cash over and using a debit card from your account. Dont use your UK credit card though - it serves no real benefit and clearly wont support your credit rating.

American Express have something called Global Transfer, where you transfer your account from one country to another. We did it when me moved here from Germany. It was painless and gave me a head start on building my credit profile.

[off_again]

aaron_2000 said:

I've never bothered with a credit card in the UK, I always use debit and cash which in hindsight was a mistake. I only mention Jacks because that seems to be where all the major IT jobs are in the state, ideally I'm aiming to move there early to mid next year. I'll be spending a few months over there this year, I was hoping to go in Feb to visit an ill family member but the restrictions were too severe. I always liked the mid summer heat and humidity, despite it taking me nearly an hour to walk a mile in it. My biggest concern is actually finding a company to sponsor me for work, despite knowing it's an in demand role I just have the feeling that even companies willing to do visa sponsorship would do their best to avoid it

Cant stress enough about how important a credit rating is here in the US. Everything is tied to it. And you will get penalized if you dont have something near decent. You dont necessarily need great, unless you are buying a car on a loan or a house, but everything else will be a challenge - renting an apartment, getting your utilities turned on, getting a mobile phone contract etc. Small things, but often you will find you will pay more, have to pay a deposit or something.

My son just moved out to Sacramento and struggled to find an apartment without a credit rating - tried to convince him to get a credit building credit card, but he didnt. He's working and getting more than the minimum wage, which is good, but struggled to get stuff sorted. Ended up getting him a credit card on my wife's account - just so he can build some credit rating! Its working and he's 6 months in and into the 600's already. So its getting there.

Heat - ok, as long as you know! I have heard it a few times before though. Oh, I like the heat of summer, its fine people say - but its a difference when you are on vacation and can retire to your air conditioned hotel room, pop into the pool or what ever. When you have to work, function and do your daily stuff, its a different thing. Your car ends up baking, you shop at stores that have covered parking and indoor walkways. You avoid doing stuff at the peak of the day and if its a heat wave, there is little escaping it. It can get draining. Just saying. Summers for me are hot but relatively short. Last year with everyone in the house, aircon was a small fortune! It was emotionally draining.

Sponsorship - yeah, thats a good question. I have no idea where to start so I cant offer that. But I am aware there are places you can go to that can assist. I know of a few people who came here under sponsorship. But you are dependent on that company, and they have to pay you accordingly - legally, they cant pay you more than a suitable candidate locally, so it usually means they pay you slightly less. And with the clamp down on the H-1B visa process recently (its widely true that several large international companies have been bringing in thousands of people, especially Indians, for cheap and well educated labor) and most of those programs have been reduced. One thing I would say though - ask. Americans are great in a lot of aspects. It can be perceived as brashness, lack of awareness or even a certain amount of audacity! However, put your British sensibilities to the side - ask. Americans wont be offended and in many cases will actually applaud someone who does! The worst case is you get a no, but they wont be offended (in most cases) and there is absolutely no harm in doing so. The American attitude is that you need to 'go out and get it' and that means asking!

Take a look at britishexpats.com as a starting point - there are plenty of people on there who can provide recommendations and even might be able to recommend a few companies. At least, they should be able to recommend placement organizations though. Oh, a quick search and I found this on the State Department website - not sure if this helps:

[url]https://j1visa.state.gov/sponsors/sponsor-by-country/?program=all[\url]

[off_again]

BertieWooster said:

American Express have something called Global Transfer, where you transfer your account from one country to another. We did it when me moved here from Germany. It was painless and gave me a head start on building my credit profile.

Yeah, I tried that - turned me down. Those Amex mailers I get now - straight in the shredder, gits.

[Shawtec]

Just found this part of the forum after many years lurking. I moved out here (with wife & young kids) in 2018 to Cupertino in the San Francisco Bay Area on an E2 visa for the US arm of a British company.
I found it quite easy to get a good credit score in less than 6 months but i was helped as HSBC will “transfer” your uk HSBC credit rating. I then collected credit cards I didn’t really need but accumulated hotel points as a bonus.
We made a few good friends in California but never really settled in the Bay Area as it is hideously expensive and most people you meet out and about are just plain miserable.
We bought a house 7 months ago near Austin Texas and absolutely love living down here. Southern charm is definitely a thing. Not sure how long we will be here for but the kids are keen to finish their education here so at least another 10 years, job & visa permitting.
Happy to answer any questions