Moving to the USA with work.... anyone done it?
Discussion
Hi All,
Had an interesting conversation with some people at my company yesterday and it looks like there could be the possibility to move (permanently) over to the states (West Coast) with my position.
Sounds like an amazing opportunity etc.. but.. I'm wondering now about the practicalities, and looking for some experiences from people who have made the move.
I'm married but no kids, my wife is a teacher but doesn't really enjoy it and is very excited about the idea.We've previously lived in Sydney and a few other places, so not adverse to acclimatising to a new culture / country. And we've both visited the area before and like it.. so fine with that side.
I'm really interested in the practicalities of relocating, potential costs etc.. What do I need to think about organising? Having never done this before, I'm very green!
Also does anyone know if my wife can get a job over there as well on the back of my visa / entry?
I'm sure I'm missing lots of information that you'll ask for, but hopefully someone can share their experiences and advice?
Cheers
Had an interesting conversation with some people at my company yesterday and it looks like there could be the possibility to move (permanently) over to the states (West Coast) with my position.
Sounds like an amazing opportunity etc.. but.. I'm wondering now about the practicalities, and looking for some experiences from people who have made the move.
I'm married but no kids, my wife is a teacher but doesn't really enjoy it and is very excited about the idea.We've previously lived in Sydney and a few other places, so not adverse to acclimatising to a new culture / country. And we've both visited the area before and like it.. so fine with that side.
I'm really interested in the practicalities of relocating, potential costs etc.. What do I need to think about organising? Having never done this before, I'm very green!
Also does anyone know if my wife can get a job over there as well on the back of my visa / entry?
I'm sure I'm missing lots of information that you'll ask for, but hopefully someone can share their experiences and advice?
Cheers
Sounds great, congratulations.
The biggest concern and could be a potential deal breaker is the federal taxation system there, for the duration of your green card possession, you are liable for us tax...... Which is based upon global income and assets. So any savings you have here / investments will need to be declared on your tax return.
Apart from that, if your firm will sponsor the green card and you're happy with the tax system, then go for it! I'd be surprised if medical and dental weren't part of your package.
Chris
The biggest concern and could be a potential deal breaker is the federal taxation system there, for the duration of your green card possession, you are liable for us tax...... Which is based upon global income and assets. So any savings you have here / investments will need to be declared on your tax return.
Apart from that, if your firm will sponsor the green card and you're happy with the tax system, then go for it! I'd be surprised if medical and dental weren't part of your package.
Chris
I know a couple of people that have done it, and they're both still there.
First guy was married when he went over - his wife couldn't work initially, so she studied. However, I'm fairly sure that different rules apply depending on the terms of your work permit / visa / Green Card.
Second guy was single when he went over, and met and married someone from over there.
Problem is, if you stay, and then have kids, they'll basically be American - accents, peer group, education - the whole works. You'll end up buying costumes for the entire family for Halloween and stuff like that. You might even have to start to celebrate thanksgiving.
With hindsight - if I'd have had the opportunity to try life over there before kids were on the scene, I'd have taken it in a heartbeat.
First guy was married when he went over - his wife couldn't work initially, so she studied. However, I'm fairly sure that different rules apply depending on the terms of your work permit / visa / Green Card.
Second guy was single when he went over, and met and married someone from over there.
Problem is, if you stay, and then have kids, they'll basically be American - accents, peer group, education - the whole works. You'll end up buying costumes for the entire family for Halloween and stuff like that. You might even have to start to celebrate thanksgiving.
With hindsight - if I'd have had the opportunity to try life over there before kids were on the scene, I'd have taken it in a heartbeat.
If you're being transferred by your company and have worked there for 12 months or more, you'll be eligible for an L1 intra-company transfer visa. Easy and relatively quick (6-8 weeks) to get, if your employer has a US operation.
Good news is that your wife can work on an L2 dependent visa. That didn't use to be the case...
A few things to look out for -
Good news is that your wife can work on an L2 dependent visa. That didn't use to be the case...
A few things to look out for -
- Employer to pay full relocation costs both ways ( you don't want to pay 10 grand to ship your household back, if it comes to that)
- Employer to sponsor green card after x years (try for 2 or 3). You can work on L1 visa for 5 years as an employee L1-B or 7 years as a manager or specialist (L1-A visa) but you are tied to the company and have to leave the country in 10 days if employment ends. That's good for them, but not for you
- Allowance to replace electronics (telly and white goods) as your UK ones won't work on US frequencies and voltages
- Employer to pay for tax equalisation services for the years you move in both directions - that can cost a few grand and you need expert accountants in both UK and US taxes
- Paid accommodation and rental car for at least a month while you house-hunt and shop for a car
- Negotatiate to keep your UK holiday allowance - 10 to 13 days is not uncommon in the US
Edited by mikef on Wednesday 29th May 22:18
mikef said:
If you're being transferred by your company and have worked there for 12 months or more, you'll be eligible for an L1 intra-company transfer visa. Easy and relatively quick (6-8 weeks) to get, if your employer has a US operation.
Good news is that your wife can work on an L2 dependent visa. That didn't use to be the case...
A few things to look out for -
What he said, great advice. Good news is that your wife can work on an L2 dependent visa. That didn't use to be the case...
A few things to look out for -
- Employer to pay full relocation costs both ways ( you don't want to pay 10 grand to ship your household back, if it comes to that)
- Employer to sponsor green card after x years (try for 2 or 3). You can work on L1 visa for 5 years as an employee L1-B or 7 years as a manager or specialist (L1-A visa) but you are tied to the company and have to leave the country in 10 days if employment ends. That's good for them, but not for you
- Allowance to replace electronics (telly and white goods) as your UK ones won't work on US frequencies and voltages
- Employer to pay for tax equalisation services for the years you move in both directions - that can cost a few grand and you need expert accountants in both UK and US taxes
- Paid accommodation and rental car for at least a month while you house-hunt and shop for a car
- Negotatiate to keep your UK holiday allowance - 10 to 13 days is not uncommon in the US
Edited by mikef on Wednesday 29th May 22:18
The only thing I would add is that the West Coast is a big place, and like London is a bit of a post code lottery when it comes to the quality of life. Some areas are stunning and idyllic, others a few blocks away will require you to carry a hand gun just to get to the corner shop and back safely. So its worth doing a short term contract just to rekey the place first and get a feel for where you could be living, how far your commute is likely to be (being stuck on the freeway for two hours each morning is no fun) and all that other fun stuff.
But in general I would grab the opportunity, 300 plus days of sunshine a year can get addictive plus you will be able to afford and run a massive V8 as a daily
ben_h100 said:
I've heard startup costs (car, house, etc) can make it tough to start with, especially if you are after any sort of finance/credit..
Right. This is the one big problem. You will have no credit history and be in the same position as anyone just arrived from Mexico or India. It's quite a shock having built up an impeccable credit record here. You start from zero and won't get any meaningful commercial credit in the US for the first couple of years.The best answer is to take enough with you to buy a car (much cheaper there, £20K will get you something nice) and three months home rent and deposit (that can be a lot of money on the West Coast, at least around the Bay Area). Or arrange lending with your bank here before you go there.
A few years ago the big US car manufacturers would lease you a vehicle based on your employment and without a credit record, as they were desperate.
What line of work are you in OP? I've only been on a few short term work trips so can't offer any better advice that what you've been given except have a visit to the US forum on here too. Where specifically will you be based? Have you been to the US much i.e. on holiday? Parts of California would pretty much be my ideal place to live, in a relatively small area you have deserts, mountains, and skiing in the winter.
If you're young etc go for it. I've had mixed experiences of Americans both at work and while travelling, the ones who have got out and about are generally lovely people, the ones who haven't are a bit insulated........ Just a cultural thing, like as someone else mentioned the whole halloween thing.
If you're young etc go for it. I've had mixed experiences of Americans both at work and while travelling, the ones who have got out and about are generally lovely people, the ones who haven't are a bit insulated........ Just a cultural thing, like as someone else mentioned the whole halloween thing.
I've been in the US for 11 years and have experience of just about every employment based visa there is (other than O).
The type of visa that your employer is petitioning makes a big difference to some of your circumstances and future prospects.
As an employee, it will be either E1, H1-B, L1-A, L1-B or O-1. Which is it?
Until you establish that you are eligible, the rest is kind of moot.
Employment based visa's are temporary - some provide a pretty straightforward path to permanence - others are a lot more convoluted.
I think that if you can share the visa route, some of us will be able to fill in most of the gaps for you.
The type of visa that your employer is petitioning makes a big difference to some of your circumstances and future prospects.
As an employee, it will be either E1, H1-B, L1-A, L1-B or O-1. Which is it?
Until you establish that you are eligible, the rest is kind of moot.
Employment based visa's are temporary - some provide a pretty straightforward path to permanence - others are a lot more convoluted.
I think that if you can share the visa route, some of us will be able to fill in most of the gaps for you.
As always with PH, a wealth of answers and willing contributors, thank you all.
To answer some of your questions, regarding the area we might live in. We know it very well already (Laguna OC), my head office is over there and we've already been several times.
In terms of which visa, this is very interesting, at this stage we are only in conversation, so this level of detail has yet to arise. As a company around 30% of the staff in head office are ex pat Brits, so I'm sure they will go through the right process. But is there a particular VISA I should ask them to go for for me? I assume each type has its own rules / benefits / reasons for being?
To answer some of your questions, regarding the area we might live in. We know it very well already (Laguna OC), my head office is over there and we've already been several times.
In terms of which visa, this is very interesting, at this stage we are only in conversation, so this level of detail has yet to arise. As a company around 30% of the staff in head office are ex pat Brits, so I'm sure they will go through the right process. But is there a particular VISA I should ask them to go for for me? I assume each type has its own rules / benefits / reasons for being?
If you aim to ultimately obtain a green card and become legally resident then L1 is prob the best bet for transferring with your employer, and it sounds as though your employer should be able to obtain that provided you've worked there for a year. The L visa allows immigration intent and also allows your spouse to work on a derivative L2 visa. But until you get a green card both you and your wife are tied to the employer and will both have to leave the country if your employment ends (that's true of the other non-resident visas).
The simplest thing is to ask what your employer has provided to the other Brits who have moved out there. Let us know what they propose and we can advise how it works.
The simplest thing is to ask what your employer has provided to the other Brits who have moved out there. Let us know what they propose and we can advise how it works.
L1-A = Executive/Manager - if employed for at least 12 months in the previous 36 in a managerial capacity outside of the US. This visa provides a very straightforward path to permanency and avoids the labor certification process of PERM.
L1-B = Specialist worker - same tenure conditions, some additional conditions around qualifications, expertise and duties/tasks. Slightly more restrictive, in that it is not as easily renewable and for not as long - and PERM usually entails labor certification withe the resultant fees and paperwork nightmares.
Both allow a trailing spouse (not partner/girlfriend/boyfriend) via L2, which can lead to employment authorization, usually.
H1-B = Special skills/Expertise - no sponsoring employer tenure conditions - but sponsor must demonstrate need for worker, who must have bachelors degree or equivalent, and be unable to hire from the domestic employment pool, within reason. Most employment categories subject to a visa cap (65K this year). Employees spouse may not work (H4). Labor certification and other punitive (and expensive) conditions apply. Earliest your sponsor could petition for an H1-B is April 1st 2014, for a work start of Oct 1st 2014 (for a capped category). H1-B can be really difficult to obtain, due to the cap. When I got mine, around 230,000 petitions were submitted for 40,000 visas, so it can be a bit of a crap-shoot.
O-1 = Outstanding ability in field of science, arts, sports, culture - David Beckham and his ilk...
L1-B = Specialist worker - same tenure conditions, some additional conditions around qualifications, expertise and duties/tasks. Slightly more restrictive, in that it is not as easily renewable and for not as long - and PERM usually entails labor certification withe the resultant fees and paperwork nightmares.
Both allow a trailing spouse (not partner/girlfriend/boyfriend) via L2, which can lead to employment authorization, usually.
H1-B = Special skills/Expertise - no sponsoring employer tenure conditions - but sponsor must demonstrate need for worker, who must have bachelors degree or equivalent, and be unable to hire from the domestic employment pool, within reason. Most employment categories subject to a visa cap (65K this year). Employees spouse may not work (H4). Labor certification and other punitive (and expensive) conditions apply. Earliest your sponsor could petition for an H1-B is April 1st 2014, for a work start of Oct 1st 2014 (for a capped category). H1-B can be really difficult to obtain, due to the cap. When I got mine, around 230,000 petitions were submitted for 40,000 visas, so it can be a bit of a crap-shoot.
O-1 = Outstanding ability in field of science, arts, sports, culture - David Beckham and his ilk...
Grab it with both hands.
I did 3 1/2 years in Texas; E-1 visa on the JSF programme at Lockheed. Wonderful, life changing opportunity and would do it all over again (in fact, I very nearly did working for a different employer a few years later, but it would have been Connecticut the second time).
If you really really don't like it you can come home!
I did 3 1/2 years in Texas; E-1 visa on the JSF programme at Lockheed. Wonderful, life changing opportunity and would do it all over again (in fact, I very nearly did working for a different employer a few years later, but it would have been Connecticut the second time).
If you really really don't like it you can come home!
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