# Considering UK to USA...



## zac123 (Jun 15, 2010)

Hi All,

we are considering the possibility of moving to the US. we are a family of four (two kids).

My wife is a UK police officer and i own a business. neither of us have any formal qualifications.

by selling my business we estimate we could buy a home in the US outright meaning we could probably both afford to work part time.

we are both decent hard working people but i do have the following concerns which i feel my inhibit our application.


no formal quals
police record for fighting (age 15)
no US job offer

does anyone think there is any chance or is it just a big no no?

thanks
zac


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

*No!*


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

Possible exception:
If your own business is substantial enough to be run in your absence.


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## zac123 (Jun 15, 2010)

>Possible exception:
If your own business is substantial enough to be run in your absence. 

this would help us why?


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

zac123 said:


> >Possible exception:
> If your own business is substantial enough to be run in your absence.
> 
> this would help us why?


Intra-company transfer on an L1 visa.

But your business needs to be substantial enough that you could run it while resident in the US. Is it?


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## zac123 (Jun 15, 2010)

i think i'd be stretching the truth.... to be honest id never even considered it. its possible i guess....hmm

and i'm assuming that in order for the L1 visa to remain valid my business would have to continue? for example if i sold the business 1 year down the line my L1 would be revoked?

i need to do everything above board. i have two young girls to think of. i couldnt risk being deported as this would damage my childrens education.


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

zac123 said:


> i think i'd be stretching the truth.... to be honest id never even considered it. its possible i guess....hmm
> 
> and i'm assuming that in order for the L1 visa to remain valid my business would have to continue? for example if i sold the business 1 year down the line my L1 would be revoked?
> 
> i need to do everything above board. i have two young girls to think of. i couldnt risk being deported as this would damage my childrens education.


The UK business would need to run until after you received permanent residency. You could apply a year after being here on an L1.

But the UK business needs to qualify. And you'll need to sink at least $100k or so into the US business.

There's always the risk of stuff going tits up with US immigration matters.

At all costs avoid the temptation to go the E2 route.


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## zac123 (Jun 15, 2010)

oh ok, what is the E2 route? is this sponsership?


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

zac123 said:


> oh ok, what is the E2 route? is this sponsership?


It's the path to many tears.

You have a major red flag -- kids! Don't go there.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Why do you want to make the move to the US? What do you anticipate to be better for you and your family?


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## zac123 (Jun 15, 2010)

twostep said:


> Why do you want to make the move to the US? What do you anticipate to be better for you and your family?


its a long list. but i could sum it up as 'better quality of life'

better educational paths
larger scope of career paths (for kids mainly)
affordable quality healthcare
positive american atitude
weather!
space, larger properties

we all feel at home in the US. admitedly we have only visited a few states, but we've seen enough to know that we'd fit right in!

i love the way that success is celibrated. We Brits. have a tendancy to knock those that doo well, that not what we want for our children.

does that explain it? i could probably give more reasons but you get the idea.


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## USC (Jun 13, 2010)

zac123 said:


> and i'm assuming that in order for the L1 visa to remain valid my business would have to continue? for example if i sold the business 1 year down the line my L1 would be revoked? .


FB is right L1 new office would be the path to go with. Assuming your UK business is acceptable to USCIS they will approve you for an L1 based on your business plan. You do have to arrange for office space and form a corp/LLC prior to approval. Assuming you have complied with your business plan you will receive your GC after a year. I am not sure if the UK business has to be still around at that point in time. Perhaps, FB might know.


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

zac123 said:


> its a long list. but i could sum it up as 'better quality of life'
> 
> better educational paths
> larger scope of career paths (for kids mainly)
> ...


Thats quite amusing ...

better education ..I have never noticed it ..

there are no jobs for anybody ..

affordable quality healthcare ... you really have no clue 
a hospital charge a rough $10k a day with a few test 
even if you have insurance it wont all be covered 
a mucous recovery system cost $65 a time
my wife has pills that cost $20 each ... not covered 

positive attitude ... in some places yes 
depends where you are ..
yup spacious .. and costly to heat and cool ...



mucous recovery system cost $65 ...thats a box of tissues to you


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## zac123 (Jun 15, 2010)

Davis1 said:


> Thats quite amusing ...
> 
> better education ..I have never noticed it ..
> 
> ...


we're not assuming ALL of what we say. we have done a SOME research!

To say there are no jobs for anybody is a little exaggerated to say the least. Despite the recent banking crisis America's growth economy is by far the strongest in the world and was one of the quickest to return to steady economic stability after the world wide recession.

personally I’d rather NOT pay heavy NI contributions towards a second rate health service and pay for private medical insurance and receive 1st class service.

if a mucous recovery system cost $65 why are you claiming for it? why dont you buy it from a pharmacy?

I'm not pretending i know all the answers hear and as per my thread title we're only considering the possibility of starting the process.

USA remains the top emigration destination in the world, receiving 7 times more applications each year than their stated quota - there must be a reason for this!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

zac123 said:


> if a mucous recovery system cost $65 why are you claiming for it? why dont you buy it from a pharmacy?


When you're in hospital in the US you don't have the choice of providing your own mucous recovery system - or your own aspirin (which usually go for $5 or so each). 

From your list of anticipated advantages, I think the health care system is the one I'd take some exception to. It's a complicated system over there and geared strictly to "what the market will bear" rather than the best interests of the patients. It is, however, "the best health care money can buy" in the strictly literal sense. (i.e. As long as you have the money to pay for it!)

To each their own Utopia...
Cheers,
Bev


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## zac123 (Jun 15, 2010)

Bevdeforges said:


> When you're in hospital in the US you don't have the choice of providing your own mucous recovery system - or your own aspirin (which usually go for $5 or so each).
> 
> From your list of anticipated advantages, I think the health care system is the one I'd take some exception to. It's a complicated system over there and geared strictly to "what the market will bear" rather than the best interests of the patients. It is, however, "the best health care money can buy" in the strictly literal sense. (i.e. As long as you have the money to pay for it!)
> 
> ...


thanks for your polite and informaticve reply Bev. I'm finding some of the replies on here a little abrubt. i was just hoping to invoke a conversation about this subject but it seems the oly thing people are interested in is finding holes in my proposal :-(


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

zac123 said:


> thanks for your polite and informaticve reply Bev. I'm finding some of the replies on here a little abrubt. i was just hoping to invoke a conversation about this subject but it seems the oly thing people are interested in is finding holes in my proposal :-(


It can be tricky responding to some posts. We have had a few folks here with completely unrealistic expectations about a place (any place) and there is always the choice between trying to let them down gently (risking that they simply ignore whatever you have to say) and being "brutally honest" with them - so normally we're somewhere in between.

There are also those of us here who left the US to find greener pastures elsewhere. I do try to keep up to date with what's happening in the US - and I have to say that the health care issue over there is one that particularly dismays me (especially now that I am used to "socialized medicine" as it's done over here). 
Cheers,
Bev


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

zac123 said:


> its a long list. but i could sum it up as 'better quality of life'
> 
> better educational paths
> larger scope of career paths (for kids mainly)
> ...


Not all the grass is greener. Personally you could not drag me back to Europe.

Once you figure the education system out, have the brains and the drive - everything is to be had. My sis-in-law got her PhD in genetic biology on scholarships. Now it barely pays the rent.

You are not tied into the education/training/job for life silo on the other hand you can find yourself on the street with no warning and very little government aid to fall back on.

Healthcare is a sore subject - it depends on your personal circumstances. Your employer offers a good plan - great. Otherwise - who knows what the next couple of years will bring.

I have not experienced what you call "positive attitude". Folks with problems and folks without problems - the same all over the world. Glas is half full, glas is half empty. It is an individual choice.

Depending on what part of the country - space is part of it. Try to park downtown Atlanta at 15:00:>) 

Back to square one the visa. Have you worked up a biz plan just to get an idea where an investor visa might bring you?


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## Fatbrit (May 8, 2008)

USC said:


> Assuming you have complied with your business plan you will receive your GC after a year. I am not sure if the UK business has to be still around at that point in time. Perhaps, FB might know.


UK business has to be running up to the time you get your green card. It's best if you can run it for a while afterwords, too -- you don't want the fraud word popping up at your naturalization interview.


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## zac123 (Jun 15, 2010)

Ok thanks everyone. that's given us something to think about.

cheers
zac


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## USC (Jun 13, 2010)

zac123 said:


> its a long list. but i could sum it up as 'better quality of life'
> 
> better educational paths
> larger scope of career paths (for kids mainly)
> ...


I don't normally comment on personal preferences but given that others have commented I thought I would throw in my 2 cents.

Education: I have a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering/Computer Science from MIT with a Junior year abroad at Cambridge. This was followed by a MBA from Harvard. My personal view is that if your kids are looking at going to the top schools in the world then the US is the correct place for you. However, the mid rung schools are only so so and some of the colleges of the University of London would rank ahead of those.

Affordable Healthcare: I count many relatives and friends who are physicians and in addition both of my parents have received treatment in the US. I can say without hesitation that you won't get any better care in any other country. However, healthcare in the US is not affordable and you will necessarily have to buy health insurance and then you will be fine.

Positive attitude: I don't think the US is different from any other country.

Weather: You are right if you are thinking California/Florida, wrong if Chicago or NYC.

Bigger Houses: Again depends on where you are thinking of moving too.

P.S. Please excuse any typos, I am on travel and typing on an iPad.


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