Working in USA
Discussion
I have just heard of an opportunity to work in Florida for a few years - at first glance it seems an absolute no brainer to me. However with some thought the magnitude of what is involved really concerns me. Family are invited, with some help toward accomodation, I will have to buy cars, and find schools for the little one.
Has anyone done this or actually doing it now? Please pass on advice on where to start investigating how to wrap up here and move lock stock to USA. There is talk already after the few years (at least three) of permanent employment there.
I would like to say it is a chance of a lifetime - but am wary that grass is not always greener etc. Where family is concerned I am understandably cautious! What do I know - well not a lot - medical for me and family covered by company for the duration. Pay will go up slightly, with some allowances.
Mrs has expressed in the positive so far, with little info she/I have!
Interested in your thoughts!
Has anyone done this or actually doing it now? Please pass on advice on where to start investigating how to wrap up here and move lock stock to USA. There is talk already after the few years (at least three) of permanent employment there.
I would like to say it is a chance of a lifetime - but am wary that grass is not always greener etc. Where family is concerned I am understandably cautious! What do I know - well not a lot - medical for me and family covered by company for the duration. Pay will go up slightly, with some allowances.
Mrs has expressed in the positive so far, with little info she/I have!
Interested in your thoughts!
Find out what type of visa they will be obtaining for you. One type will mean if you get fired you get kicked out of the country. Another will allow you to work elsewhere. Don't count on your wife working for up to 10 years when you figure out the costs due to Visas and green cards.
Medical benefit is provided by your employer but you still have to cover approximately 25% of the cost out of your pay check. For my family that works out at around $3k a year.
If you want to buy a house you will need a 20% deposit and look into taxes. I do not know FL but in NJ my tax works out between 1 & 3% of purchase price. Use Zillow.com as a guide for purchase price and tax. If you rent the landlord pays the tax.
Second hand cars are very expensive in the US when you think how cheap they are to buy. Loans will be difficult to come by with out a credit history which takes years of work to build. Car insurance in NJ is $1800 a year for a Merc ML for my wife and I.
I don't know your financial situation in the UK but when I came over to the YS I doubled my wage. That made things more manageable. But, if you are on over 50k pounds now then you should have a very good life in the US.
Please bare in mind that all the above is based on my move to NJ and NJ is a very different place to FL. The easiest way is to consider them as different countries.
Medical benefit is provided by your employer but you still have to cover approximately 25% of the cost out of your pay check. For my family that works out at around $3k a year.
If you want to buy a house you will need a 20% deposit and look into taxes. I do not know FL but in NJ my tax works out between 1 & 3% of purchase price. Use Zillow.com as a guide for purchase price and tax. If you rent the landlord pays the tax.
Second hand cars are very expensive in the US when you think how cheap they are to buy. Loans will be difficult to come by with out a credit history which takes years of work to build. Car insurance in NJ is $1800 a year for a Merc ML for my wife and I.
I don't know your financial situation in the UK but when I came over to the YS I doubled my wage. That made things more manageable. But, if you are on over 50k pounds now then you should have a very good life in the US.
Please bare in mind that all the above is based on my move to NJ and NJ is a very different place to FL. The easiest way is to consider them as different countries.
Good luck if you manage to do it. I'd be off like a shot given the opportunity.
However, have a look at this thread
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f...
Matt Harper is very good with advice for people doing what you're intending.
However, have a look at this thread
http://pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f...
Matt Harper is very good with advice for people doing what you're intending.
I have one major issue though - I have ywo kids from previous marriage who live with their mum - I doubt she will be open to them coming with me or even being proactive about them coming so see me for holidays.
Am I being selfish considering this - I am having serious conscience issues with this.
Thank you for the link to the other thread, and for the advice about finances.
Am I being selfish considering this - I am having serious conscience issues with this.
Thank you for the link to the other thread, and for the advice about finances.
mattyn1 said:
I have one major issue though - I have ywo kids from previous marriage who live with their mum - I doubt she will be open to them coming with me or even being proactive about them coming so see me for holidays.
Am I being selfish considering this - I am having serious conscience issues with this.
Thank you for the link to the other thread, and for the advice about finances.
How old are they? I'm fairly certain they'll want to visit if you tell them that Daddy's moving next door to Disneyland! Am I being selfish considering this - I am having serious conscience issues with this.
Thank you for the link to the other thread, and for the advice about finances.
It's a tough decision to be sure - the only thing you can do is talk to her about it and see where she stands.
As already stated by others, everything (seriously, EVERYTHING) revolves around the visa. If this is an employment based move - it will be an employment based visa - so L1, H1 or E1 most usually. Your first aim should be to establish which one it is, because they are very different and all have restrictions and conditions that come into play further down the line.
Do you currently work for the company that is sponsoring you?
I could get into fine detail about this, in that I did the same thing (relocation to FL) in 2001, but there's little point in boring you with the details until you establish how this is going to happen visa-wise.
Young family complicates things somewhat - I would have been very concerned if my daughter had been of high school age when we moved here, because public education (vs private) is piss-poor in some parts of this state. Where, in FL, would you anticipate being located?
Do you currently work for the company that is sponsoring you?
I could get into fine detail about this, in that I did the same thing (relocation to FL) in 2001, but there's little point in boring you with the details until you establish how this is going to happen visa-wise.
Young family complicates things somewhat - I would have been very concerned if my daughter had been of high school age when we moved here, because public education (vs private) is piss-poor in some parts of this state. Where, in FL, would you anticipate being located?
Thanks for all the advise - Matt you already have offered gold advice. Thank you.
The move is by no means certain but nonetheless is incredibly daunting. The safe side of me says stay put - but I know in a few years time I will regret if I don't go for it. Long chats with the boys over Christmas are needed.
In all we are both very excited but trying to keep level headed. And trying to discover more detail through work about the funding etc of the move.
Decisions decisions!
The move is by no means certain but nonetheless is incredibly daunting. The safe side of me says stay put - but I know in a few years time I will regret if I don't go for it. Long chats with the boys over Christmas are needed.
In all we are both very excited but trying to keep level headed. And trying to discover more detail through work about the funding etc of the move.
Decisions decisions!
I'm very pleased if I can be of any help - though your employment circumstances are not the usual - so I have less specifics to offer in regard to USCIS protocols - that said, your attitide and concerns are exactly as they should be.
This thread has raised a very interesting dilema that is easy to overlook - the 'What if' factor.
When I made this move, I had to persuade my wife to essentially abandon a highly successful career in medicine in the UK and start all over again here. That was tough and I would have completely understood if she'd dug her heels in and said no - we were doing more than OK in England. But - had that been the case, I think I would have resented it (and maybe her). It's a very big thing to do to your family - even if you don't think it's going to be forever. Luckily things have worked out well for us, but it took my wife a few years to consider the US to be 'home'. Maybe she resented me for railroading her into it - but was a hell of a lot better at concealing it than I would have been, had the boot been on the other foot.
This thread has raised a very interesting dilema that is easy to overlook - the 'What if' factor.
When I made this move, I had to persuade my wife to essentially abandon a highly successful career in medicine in the UK and start all over again here. That was tough and I would have completely understood if she'd dug her heels in and said no - we were doing more than OK in England. But - had that been the case, I think I would have resented it (and maybe her). It's a very big thing to do to your family - even if you don't think it's going to be forever. Luckily things have worked out well for us, but it took my wife a few years to consider the US to be 'home'. Maybe she resented me for railroading her into it - but was a hell of a lot better at concealing it than I would have been, had the boot been on the other foot.
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