# US citizen looking to move to the UK-advice?



## Dberryillus (Aug 10, 2009)

Hi all!

I'm a 26 yr old college student living in California. I love the US, but I also love the UK and am ready to move on and see what else is out there have lived in several major US cities (I like to move around)  so I'm ready to expand my horizons. I love the UK, I especially love Scotland, but I am aware that if I want to work, it would be in my best interests to live near London. I am a professional artist and am about a year away from completing my BFA. I have several questions, if anyone has the time to answer, that'd be great 

1. I have looked into completing my education in the UK, as you can be granted a visa to pursue work once you're done, but according to several website, you must prove that you have at least 9,000 GBP to survive on to be granted a visa. Are they really strict with this? I don't have quite that much, especially when I have tuition to be concerned with.

2. The working holidaymaker visa no longer exists. Is there a visa alternative for a visitor who would like to work a bit while in the UK?

3. Is there any way to find UK work while in the US? Agencies? Listings? I believe it's technically illegal to job hunt while on a visitor's visa. I doubt I'll be able to find a US company willing to hire me, then send me to the UK 

4. Do visitors working odd jobs actually survive out there? I know a lot of people do that in the US, but it's a risk I'm not sure I want to take. I just want to see if anyone else out there has any light to shed on the topic.

Thanks for help!


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

There's nothing to stop you from launching a job hunt from the US. You simply start sending out letters or applying for posted positions in the UK and see what develops. When and if you get some interest in your CV, you arrange a trip over there to make yourself available for interviews. (On your own dime, I might add.)

The problem is that, with a freshly minted BFA you don't offer anything more than a newly graduated local, and you have to remember that sponsoring a work visa costs the hiring company quite a bit in both money and effort. You'd be far better positioned to find a job in the UK after you get a few years of work experience under your belt - especially if you try to tailor your experience to the international side of whatever business you are working in.

As an expat, you're not technically allowed to try and survive on odd jobs. Either you have a work visa that is tied to your full time employment, or you have a non-work visa (like a student visa) that may allow you to work within a set of restrictions.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Punktlich2 (Apr 30, 2009)

Dberryillus said:


> Hi all!
> 
> I'm a 26 yr old college student living in California. I love the US, but I also love the UK and am ready to move on and see what else is out there have lived in several major US cities (I like to move around)  so I'm ready to expand my horizons. I love the UK, I especially love Scotland, but I am aware that if I want to work, it would be in my best interests to live near London. I am a professional artist and am about a year away from completing my BFA. I have several questions, if anyone has the time to answer, that'd be great
> 
> ...


One workaround that comes to mind is employment with a US firm, including one owned and controlled by you/friends/family/colleagues, contracting with UK customers to produce commercial or other artwork. But you could not stay more than a brief period in the UK, consistent with that function.

You are entitled -- the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation specifically allows it -- to solicit customers in the UK. However, immigration law will intervene if you carry on a trade based in the UK or involving an extended stay in the UK. So it isn't obvious that the Treaty will help you very much. 

The issue with "job hunting" is not so much that a tourist/business visit without a visa does not permit it, but that (1) virtually no employer is going to go to the trouble and expense of seeking a work permit for you unless you are a family relation of that employer or very famous and (2) the immigration police may think that you are trying to work without authorization and take enforcement measures, to wit: make you leave the country.

There is a European law loophole. If you are able to get a residence/work visa for Ireland or another EU/EEA/Swiss country then the Rush Portuguesa case in the European Court of Justice holds that your EU/EEA/Swiss employer can send you to work for them in any other member state for up to a year without reference to ordinary work visa requirements in that other member state. I say this because there may well be a country that is easier than the UK to get a work permit in. The new points system makes it even more difficult than it used to be to get a work permit/residence visa in the UK. And section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 requires all employers in the United Kingdom to make basic document checks on every person they intend to employ. 

Of course if you happen to have an Irish grandparent you can get an Irish passport and then you don't need any work permit. 

If you produce fine art for sale as art and do not mean to work as a commercial artist then you may be able to finesse the visa issue by moving about Europe. Artists have been doing this forever and it has long been a way of dealing with immigration problems. The visa/work permit issue is addressed tangentially in this helpful essay on "Making a living as an artist" in Britain: Making a living as an artist | Research papers | Publications | a-n


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## kabuk1 (Aug 20, 2009)

Whilst it isn't the cheapest way to go, many UK universities accept US Federal Student loans.  So, it is possible to have your education paid for. I don't know how this is used when seeking a visa, but I'm sure the university will be able to advise you on this. I haven't gotten that far yet. I do know that it's dispersed in 3 instalments for graduate students. It is sent to the university in both your name and that of the university. They will apply the credit to your tuition first with the rest then directly deposited into your current account. 

Also, the amount needed for in your account is £5200 for outside of London and £7200 for inside London. Many masters degrees last 1 year. After completion you can apply for the Tier 1 (post-study) work visa. If you complete you degree in Scotland, you are allowed to remain to work in Scotland for 2 years without the post-study visa.

Check out the UKBA website.


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## kabuk1 (Aug 20, 2009)

Also, there is a new intern program that replaces the previous work permit for recent graduates. It's nearly the same, gives you 6 months to work in the UK; however, now you have to have a job placement before applying.

Here's the website: Intern in Britain.


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