Emmigrating to the US...

[yerwot?]

i applied for immigrant visa in 1982,section ten which basically means if the 250'000 places they have annually are not taken all taken .Turned down flat,as i expected,so tried the green-card route,hoping for a sponsor.was offered jobs on the proviso that i could get a green card. No chance unless i was of direct Irish descent in which case i could write to washington and enter a visa lottery,or if i was there illegally ,under the frequent amnesties they offered to irish people. I still get hassle at immigration.as my name is still on file as a potential illegal immigrant (need a letter from employer saying they expect me to go back in a certain length of time etc. ) The best compromise i could find was to go for Canadian immigration,still tough but not impossible like the US,and live in vancouver, the benefit being a NHS style health-care, and if you nip down to say Bellingham and stay 36 hours you dont pay Canadian taxes on things you buy.I never did make it but am not so bitter nowadays as the health-care situation in the states is a nightmare if you come out of work or if you have long-term health issues.An arranged marriage is the best bet,even then you will be investigated for proof of fidelity,length of coutrship etc,prison record ,insanity in parents/grandparents. Good luck, could be the best thing you ever did,by the way if you could become an aussie, they have a much smoother path to US citizenship.

 

[Bluemoon115]

Australia is the way to go, it's where I'm looking, and as long as you have something to offer, you should be accepted.

 

[roman totale]

Haven't read the whole thread, so apologies if I'm repeating stuff here...

I moved to the US 6 years ago on an L1 Visa (Intra-company transfer) and am currently going through the Green Card process with the expectation, but not the certainty, that I'll get one.

I've lived in Miami and am now in New Jersey, about an hour out of NYC.

Some good stuff about the US:

- It's a big country with a diverse landscape and a lot to see and do.
- There's no product or service you can't buy if you have the money.
- The major cities are great.
- This might come as a surprise, but by and large, people know how to behave in the US and property and your personal space is respected. Couple of examples; You may hear a lot about major crime here, but petty crime (e.g. home burglary, or getting your car done over) is much less prevelant than in the UK in my experience. People are respectful of public spaces - In both places I've lived there are "council"-run parks. They are well maintained and well used. You don't get gangs of kids hanging around and the stuff doesn't get vandalised.
- This might come as an even bigger surprise, but American people are extremely friendly and genuine. If they say "come on over anytime" they really mean it.

Some not so good stuff about the US

- Salaries might look better here, but remember - you pay for *everything*, this leads me to..
... The Healthcare system - it is a joke. I've had some major medical issues this last 12 months. I'm lucky that I work for a big company with a pretty good insurance plan, otherwise I'd either be dead or my family would be homeless. The treatment I've had cost $250,000. All this money gets you access to a system which is a lot better than the NHS, but nowhere near as good as, say, BUPA.
- The South.

You should do it though - even if you don't end up in America. It's a cliche, but true that "travel broadens the mind". If everyone in the world lived in another culture for a few years, the whole world would be a much, much better place.

rt

 

[MCFCinUSA]

Pretty tough to get into, why not try Canada?

With the US the best hand you've got to play is probably to find and marry an American lass. Whether a sham marriage or the real deal.

The weather and the lifestyle are two big reasons. Canada seems lke a cool country once everyone has stopped taking the piss, but it's not the greatest of climates is it?

I've not read the next six pages and don't fancy doing so.. unless I'm really bored out of my mind and want to see what other people are spouting (good or bad).

Here's the deal:-

Green Card

- if you're lucky you can win one in the lottery, you can enter that 'online' or as close to that as is possible. Might take you a year or two. I actually know a few people who won their Green Cards this way.

Alternatively you can get sponsored with an H Visa. Good luck finding a company, and bloody good luck getting all that crap approved. Again, I know people who have done it, but usually you'll need an inside line (to match with a company) or some sort of scientific/medical/speciality that's in short supply to get approved this way. Eventually you might convert your status from H visa and end up some years further down the line with a Green Card.

Just Get Your Arse Over Here

- much easier option and make it from there....

To to this you'll need balls, and determination.

Once here you may get really lucky and end up getting an Amnesty, as the rumours are another one is in the pipeline, but ONLY for people already here illegally.

Also, you could get in on a J Visa, and just overstay your welcome.

Maybe as someone else has mentioned, you'll meet and fall in love with a nice girl; if you get married, you'll get instant papers, and the right to legally reside and work in the USA.

Finally - Geographic Choices

- Canada; perhaps a pretty good bet, and better than the USA. Haven't got all day to explain my thinking, but I wouldn't say no to moving to Canada... also, damn sight easier to get into than the USA.

- California; I think you'd have to be a mental patient to consider moving out there right now... that state is going bankrupt and although its economy is huge, you'd better have an enormous edge if you think you're going to cut it in such a messed up situation, especially at 22. I'd suggest thinking of stronger and more robust fundamentals before you decide to put up sticks in the Golden State.

FYI: I left the UK with no job and no place to stay on my second night and hit NYC when I was 21. I loved it. However, I didn't stick around there, because I was still in the middle of doing my business degree in Manchester (at UMIST) so I was coming and going. I did some work on visa and 'in between visa' if you know what I mean, and I stretched the rules. These days of course I've got full paperwork.

Hope you've got a few more ideas there from someone who has done a bit, and advised a few hundred others about visas (that's what got me here in the first place) and who also contributed a little to one of the guidebooks used by students to navigate North America. I don't know it all, far from it, there's always someone out there with more knowledge about something than you have, but as a Brit who came out here with nothing, this country and the opportunities you can craft out of it are incredible. Of course, the price you may pay is missing out on the Kinkladze years altogether, like I did. I never got to renew my season tickets, and until you're 100% legit you won't be able to fly out of the country (USA) if you do end up here and eventually 'convert'. I know people who have done that too, although my route was all officially legit.

Go for whatever makes you happy. Perhaps one day we'll be in a bar together over here watching City on the box, and messaging the folks back home through BM... ehehe

Goodluck.

(whatever you do decide, I strongly suggest you get wised-up and educated about your choices, and asking people online at BM is only your very first and very superficial toe-dipping...)

 

[supermicahrichards]

Gstar...honestly I wouldn't recommend Cali as a great place to start out a new life. It's a great place to visit, but not a great place to start life from scratch in. If going to the US do research and choose a place close to a major city with at least a reasonable cost of living. Anywhere on the east coast would probebly be the best bet just because there are so many major cities within a reasonable drive. (Living in Philadelphia for example I am a 3 hour drive from DC, and a 1.5 hour drive from New York.). In both those cities it's too expensive to start out, though...Philly is OK cost wise, but it's still ain't cheap.

Anyways that's my $.02, but good luck with whatever you do or wherever you go.

 

[usacitizen]

I'm here. Washington. Its really not that bad city wise. You wake up saturday morning have a cuppa, and watch every game on live. Haven't missed a minute this year. No place for any atmosphere though but a few mates understand football and they are getting into city too.

Job market sucks though. Don't go to a big town if you are going to work without a card.

 

[MCFCinUSA]

Ok I've just backtracked and read all the other postings... some good comments and perspectives from a lot of people.

I'd also endorse something I think Brucie might have said, and another person suggested:-

- before you *think* you want to do anything regarding this state or that city, just come out here on a three month ticket (no visa required) with a little cash in your pocket and find out what it's like. See it first hand.

Just because one or two or a bunch of us have done it (for whatever reasons) it might not be your cup of tea.

Delta Airlines used to have an unlimited standby ticket for 30 days, for a few hundred quid, so you could grab one of these if you like (which I did once, and clocked up over 30,000 miles in a few weeks, visiting places, hanging out, returning to base - which was NYC at that time) and explore. Alternatively, you could bus or hitch-hike if you can handle yourself and feel confident about it. I'd take precautions if the latter feels good to you, because you need to be careful in certain situations.

if you're serious about the States, or Canada, or Australia, just hop on a 'plane and go visit.

you'll probably get a lot more info first hand, and maybe more....

(I was offered an apartment and a job by a woman in NYC during my first few months out there, but I declined her very generous offer because I had my degree to complete back in Manchester - but strange things can and do happen)

 

[pominoz]

Australia is the way to go, it's where I'm looking, and as long as you have something to offer, you should be accepted.

I would highly recommend Australia,we seem to be riding out the global down turn well,great weather and great people. (on the whole)
Come on down.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

GStar,

Getting lots of good advice, so not tons to add. However, here goes:

I fly all over the USA and while I can fully understand the lure of LA (from TV and the movies, of course) it would be one of the lower cities on my list of places to go. If you want California, then San Francisco is by FAR the better city (LA is not really a city, but more a long beach surrounded on 3 sides by mountains, which sounds nice, but....) to visit.

Getting here is easy on a visitor's visa for 90 days. DO THAT before EVER contemplating living here. While you are here, travel to every place you THINK you might want to settle and check it out, because America is more than a few different "countries" rolled into one.

The Northwest is different from California, which is different from what Americans call the Southwest, which is the desert states of Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico. The Northwest is generally temperate and can be quite cloudy, as it "enjoys" a maritime climate that comes over the North Pacific, mainly from north (which is why the water on the west coast is COLD, even all the way down to Southern California!). California, because it stretches so far up and down the west coast, has three different microclimates along the coast, inland, over what is called the "inland empire" where most of the food is grown, and over the Sierra Nevada mountains which run down the eastern edge of the state, where 2 feet of snow can fall overnight!

The South is the Bible belt and best to simply steer clear, unless you like to NOT understand the language, NOT like to eat the food, and are afraid of being shot (like the nobs on Top Gear almost were!). Now, Florida is a country all of its own, and is really 3 countries in and of itself. Northern Florida is the American south, see previous, central Florida is vacation capital of Florida (Disney, Universal, cheap shopping, etc..) and South Florida is mainly retirees, except Miami, which is unofficially part of SOUTH America (English being a virtual second language, which Spanish primarily spoken!).

Coming across the middle of the country, Utah is Utah, which means high desert or mountains and Mormons, lots of Mormons. Salt Lake City is the ONLY big city, but there are some beautiful ski towns there. Colorado is flat to the east, with the Rockies jutting out of the ground in the middle of the state, where Denver is, and west of Denver still seen as "frontier country" unless you are in a ski resort. Denver is a nice city, but certainly a long way from Manchester!

The northern tier of the country is cold in the winter, hot in the summer and desolate all year round. Dances With Wolves and A River Runs Through It are good movies that sum up life in these parts. More cattle than people.

The Midwest is dominated by cities such as St Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit and Cleveland, with Chicago being FAR AND AWAY the best of the bunch. Hot summers, cold winters and brief spring and fall. More Polish people live in Chicago than in Warsaw, and I would venture that between Boston (Northeast's biggest and best immigrant city) and Chicago, there are more Irish than Dublin. Great YEAR 'ROUND city and lots to do. On Lake Michigan, which makes the English Channel look like a river running through Europe, and the Great lakes are the largest source of fresh water on earth. I would venture that Chicago is probably THE MOST like manchester of any of the US cities. It has a reputation for hard work, graft, and a very active "subculture." The city is somewhat racially divided, with whites to the north, blacks to the south and hispanics to the west, although sprinkled into that mix are numerous ethnic hot spots and villages. It is a true "melting pot" and the crossroads of the country.

Out East, you will find a temperate climate in the mid Atlantic, with warmer and more humid climates tot he south and colder, but still wet, climates tot he north, The people of the larger cities, especially NYC and the Washington area are quite metropolitan, but there are some very distinct cities too. Philadelphia has a large urban black population, as does Baltimore and the District of Columbia, while there are also large concentrations of blacks within the other mid Atlantic states of both North and South Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia is one of the largest concentrations of upwardly mobile black populations in the USA. I say this NOT to be racist, as it is simply a matter of fact, neither good nor bad, but because there are STILL some racial holdovers from the pre- (and Post-) Civil rights era of the 60s. These states are all quite beautiful, with warmer, more humid climates than to the west and north, but lack large cities and concentrations of jobs, with the exception of Charlotte (Banking) and Atlanta (multiple large corporations such as Coca Cola, Delta Airlines, CNN, etc..).

The NorthEast is a city versus country issue. The cities are large, established urban areas, with long and deep histories (by American standards), while the ex-urban areas are VERY NICE country areas, with more "British" climates, plus mosquitoes out the wazooo!!! it is very easy to see why the colonists found this area to their liking and why it is still called New England.

So, MULTIPLE different countries, cultures, climates and peoples, with none being better than the other, just different. People here DO move, but they also often yearn for the place they grew up, unless they find a similar culture/climate, etc...

The "YOUNG PEOPLE" places that spring to mind are NYC, Boston, Chicago, San Fran, Portland, and Seattle, with Washington, Denver, and L.A. as distant seconds. If I were you, I would TRY and fly into NYC (Cheapest fares!!!), spend some time there, and in Boston, and Washington, hop over to Chicago, then Denver, then head up to Seattle, down to Portland, San Fran, L.A. and San Diego. And take AS MANY SIDE TRIPS FROM THESE CITIES AS POSSIBLE! By the time you have visited all those cities, you will have taken in MOST of the culture you were looking to experience as a potential immigrant from an industrial, cultural, sports city such as Manchester.

if at all possible, come to the States for the moths of May, June, July or August, preferably the first three, as you will find traveling easiest, the weather the best, and more people out and about from which to judge each cities offerings in the way of festivals, culture, outdoor activities, etc...

If you are planning to hitch hike, it is NOT usual in the east, and much more usual in the west, though the distances between cities in the west can be MASSIVE. If you are going to hitch, get yourself a weapon, preferably a knife (guns can get you into trouble and you probably could not get one legally anyway!) that would be useful of both self defence and "general needs."

I came over in 1982 on an F1 student visa. I met my wife in university and we married before my visa expired. The process I went through has changed since then, and is much more rigorous now. There are no Brits allowed in the lottery (too many here already apparently and not enough power in Congress, unlike the Kennedy's, which makes it easy if you are Irish!!!).

Unemployment is OFFICIALLY almost 10%, but is considered by MOST economists to be 17%, as many people have simply stopped applying for jobs and have fallen off the rolls, and/or are UNDERemployed in part time work, just to get by.

One avenue you MIGHT want to look at is finding a job with a UK company that has large operations in the USA. This is an easy, legal route in the USA. After that, of course, it is up to your Manchester charm to hook the 5'10" 110lb blonde with legs all the way up to there (the accent helps, as long as you don't sound too unintelligible!!) and see where that takes you!

Good luck!

ChicagoBlue

 

[bluespana]

Australia is the way to go, it's where I'm looking, and as long as you have something to offer, you should be accepted.

I would highly recommend Australia,we seem to be riding out the global down turn well,great weather and great people. (on the whole)
Come on down.

Had a nephew who went out to OZ in Jan on a year-long visa. He came back in 4 months saying they were no jobs. I think the only job they found was fruit picking and that dried up also. So it's not as easy as it looks.