Re: Living in the USA
Ok, wanting to live in the USA and actually living there are two different things. US immigration makes it very difficult to live and work in the USA, unless you rae Irish! Basically there are the following options:
1 - Marry in
2- Work for a company hat has a us base and get relocated. Probabaly the cheapest option.
3 - invest 1 million dollars into a redevelopment program - good choice, instant green card and if done properly you get your dosh back after around 5 years (maybe by way if property).
4 - have a very special talent, like brain surgery or virtuoso ability. A tough way in but works.
5 - invest in an E2 business, investment starts at around $100,000.00, this is what we did. This is a verypopular choice but many fail. The E2 visa gives you no rights at all. We were paying around £100k per year in business/personal taxes, employing locals and running a very succesful business. However we had no rights and no right to stay, your kids have to leave the country at 18 or get a working visa (impossible at that age). The catch is that you renew your visa every 2 to 5 years. I saw many running succesful businesses and had the visas revoked with no reason given and no right of appeal. Businesses lost, families broken and locals out if a job. It is shameful situation that is being taken up politically.
The USA is great place to be if you have money and a good standard of living. Healthcare is a joke and the standard is much lower than in the UK, despite us all thinking the usa is years ahead. It is also horrendously expensive. The NHS is a dream compared to it. We were forced to leave due to health care, we had what was considered excellent insurance, paying some $1200 a month. We had some major claims for our son Alex (over 1 million dollars) and the insurance campany just turned on us, trying evry loophole to get out of the contract. There was no way I was staying under that stress, so we old up and came back.
We were in Florida, which has its problems, schooling is appalling and attitude towards the disabled in school is victorian and oppressive, although we did improve things while we were there. Apparently this is a Florida thing.
That said we loved living there, standard of living was great and if you are willing to work, the money is good and we met some lovely people. Boy did we have a good time, boats and fast cars are very affordable. I would go back but only with a green card or a solid working visa that can lead to a green card.
I have friend and fellow director who moved over just after we did, pretty much doing the same thing, they were lucky to win the Green Card Lottery (something us brits cannot apply for). They are having a blast but just forked out 10k for a broken arm!
I am in no way knocking the USA, just pointing out some realities of being an expat. if you are prepared there are no surprises, we speak the same language but it is a completely different country.
Your young, so I say go for it, the older you get, the harder it becomes. Travel, see the world and enjoy.
Wow thankyou very much for the informative reply! I understand that I am young and it is just a dream and I understand that there are many technicalities involved with moving to the USA. That being said, if I do move there, the chances are I'd be working for a US based gaming company. I find the immigration laws quite confusing but hypothetically...let's say I graduated University with a degree in computer gaming or something similar, would I be able to get a job with a games company in the USA and move out there straight away? What would stop me from simply doing that?
Also, what are the rules like for immigration to Canada as opposed to USA?
Thankyou my friend!
So i was wondering (and i know, again, a very general question because it varies so much) but how does the weather compare on the West coast compared to where you were in Canada?
What are 'Nieman Marcus' stores?
