# Dual national moving to USA for 1st time - Job requirements for entry/residency?



## adventuring (Nov 26, 2011)

Hi All,

This could well be a silly question, but I'd rather ask to be safe than make a mistake!

I'm fortunate enough have dual UK/US nationality via my mother being a US citizen, though I've lived in the UK all my life and only applied for my US passport 3 years ago.

I'm looking to move to the US permanently in January, to live and work. I'm waiting to hear back from a few interviews & the (UK) company I work for has offered me some temporary consulting work but I wanted to find out if there were any requirements for a citizen to prove means/employment status before entering the country to become a resident?

Thanks in advance for any help


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

adventuring said:


> Hi All,
> 
> This could well be a silly question, but I'd rather ask to be safe than make a mistake!
> 
> ...



If you have a US passport you are free to enter and leave the US at will.

If you have not been completing US tax forms over the past years you will need to get up to date with those.


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## adventuring (Nov 26, 2011)

Crawford said:


> If you have a US passport you are free to enter and leave the US at will.
> 
> If you have not been completing US tax forms over the past years you will need to get up to date with those.


Fantastic, Thanks. I literally just applied for a social security number last week and will get searching on the forum for some guides to tax compliance


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

adventuring said:


> Fantastic, Thanks. I literally just applied for a social security number last week and will get searching on the forum for some guides to tax compliance


As a US citizen, you are expected to file US tax returns every year that your worldwide income (before any allowances or exemptions) exceeds the threshold levels. Threshold levels are posted each year in the tax instructions (and they change each year to take inflation into account).
Cheers,
Bev


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## kylew (Nov 28, 2011)

Hey, good luck on the move! I'm in pretty much the same boat - duel citizen who has never lived in the US and about to make the jump over in feb/mar to San Francisco.

I’d be really interested to hear what you find on filling past tax returns. I haven’t completed any for the 5yrs or so I’ve been in work since graduating and a bit worried about penalties etc...


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

kylew said:


> Hey, good luck on the move! I'm in pretty much the same boat - duel citizen who has never lived in the US and about to make the jump over in feb/mar to San Francisco.
> 
> I’d be really interested to hear what you find on filling past tax returns. I haven’t completed any for the 5yrs or so I’ve been in work since graduating and a bit worried about penalties etc...


As long as you have been resident overseas, the chances are you won't have any penalties by filing a few years' back tax returns. There's a tax treaty between the US and the UK (as well as with many other countries) that basically means that work income (so-called "earned income" as opposed to passive income from investments, etc.) is taxed by the country in which you are living.

Penalties for failure to file are based on the amount of tax due - so no taxes due, no penalty. It's usually recommended to file 3 or 4 years of back taxes. If those show that you owed nothing, they probably won't bother you going forward (at least not for the prior years).
Cheers,
Bev


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## kylew (Nov 28, 2011)

Bevdeforges said:


> As long as you have been resident overseas, the chances are you won't have any penalties by filing a few years' back tax returns. There's a tax treaty between the US and the UK (as well as with many other countries) that basically means that work income (so-called "earned income" as opposed to passive income from investments, etc.) is taxed by the country in which you are living.
> 
> Penalties for failure to file are based on the amount of tax due - so no taxes due, no penalty. It's usually recommended to file 3 or 4 years of back taxes. If those show that you owed nothing, they probably won't bother you going forward (at least not for the prior years).
> Cheers,
> Bev


That's great info, thanks Bevdeforges. Is it easy enough to file a return on my own or is it worth getting an advisor to do it for me? I'm thinking it will probably be the latter as I've had a quick look on the IRS website and so far can't even work out which form(s) I need to fill in.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Do not forget to register with Selective Services if you are male:>)


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## kylew (Nov 28, 2011)

I'm over 26 so looks like I shouldnt need to register. Hopefully it won't impact me on not having been registered previously though, as looks like even as a duel national I should have at 18.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

kylew said:


> That's great info, thanks Bevdeforges. Is it easy enough to file a return on my own or is it worth getting an advisor to do it for me? I'm thinking it will probably be the latter as I've had a quick look on the IRS website and so far can't even work out which form(s) I need to fill in.


I think it's entirely possible to do your own returns, but then again I grew up with the system in the US. Before blowing out too much money on advisors, you may want to take a look at some of the tax-preparation software that's available. If your situation isn't too complicated (by investments, trusts, etc.) that might be a somewhat cheaper way to learn how it works.

The basic form is the 1040 (available in a couple different versions - shorter, longer, simplified, etc.). The best information document on the US tax system is probably the IRS' Publication 17, available for free to download from the IRS website. In your case, too, you'd want to fill out a 2555, which is the form for "excluding" your foreign earned income.
Cheers,
Bev


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## kylew (Nov 28, 2011)

Bevdeforges said:


> I think it's entirely possible to do your own returns, but then again I grew up with the system in the US. Before blowing out too much money on advisors, you may want to take a look at some of the tax-preparation software that's available. If your situation isn't too complicated (by investments, trusts, etc.) that might be a somewhat cheaper way to learn how it works.
> 
> The basic form is the 1040 (available in a couple different versions - shorter, longer, simplified, etc.). The best information document on the US tax system is probably the IRS' Publication 17, available for free to download from the IRS website. In your case, too, you'd want to fill out a 2555, which is the form for "excluding" your foreign earned income.
> Cheers,
> Bev


Thanks again Bev. I've had a look over the forms and will have a read through the Pub 17. Probably try to give it a go myself and see how it all works out. 

Appreciate all your help!


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## adventuring (Nov 26, 2011)

Thanks all, esp Bevdeforges, and Hi kylew - Nice to meet someone in the same (exciting!) boat  I fly out 2nd week of Jan...

Didn't get the alerts for comments for some reason so just seen them... 

The news about the UK/US tax agreement sounds really promising. Been trying to reach the IRS dept at the US embassy all morning just to confirm my filing responsibilities before I dive into paperwork, but there is no phone queuing facility, so will try the Philadelphia callcentre this evening.


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## kylew (Nov 28, 2011)

Which part are you planning to move to? I've just got an interview for a job in san fran which would start in Jan and seriously shorten my original timeline!


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## adventuring (Nov 26, 2011)

kylew said:


> Which part are you planning to move to? I've just got an interview for a job in san fran which would start in Jan and seriously shorten my original timeline!


East coast for me. NYC-bound


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## kylew (Nov 28, 2011)

adventuring said:


> East coast for me. NYC-bound


Great stuff mate, best of luck. My sister is working in NY and absolutely loves it over there. 

I'm sure you will too.


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## adventuring (Nov 26, 2011)

kylew said:


> Which part are you planning to move to? I've just got an interview for a job in san fran which would start in Jan and seriously shorten my original timeline!


New York bound


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## adventuring (Nov 26, 2011)

kylew said:


> Great stuff mate, best of luck. My sister is working in NY and absolutely loves it over there.
> 
> I'm sure you will too.


You too mate - excuse double post btw - 1st time trying the Forum iPhone app & it said it didn't work 1st time


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## FriendlyFace2 (Nov 29, 2011)

Every year there are places that provide free help with tax returns, as long as they are simple and not too complicated. Find out from the IRS what forms you need to file and where to download them. Unless you have a lot of investment income, it should be relatively simple.


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