# US Citizen Wants To Live in UK w/ English b/f



## Starla (Oct 13, 2007)

Hello, I'm new,

I am an American citizen and live in America; my boyfriend is English and lives in England.

I've read many websites, books, forums, etc; about settling in the UK. I want more than anything to be able to move to the UK to live with my boyfriend. Everything I've read seems to tell me the same thing. I don't own my own business..I'm not independently wealthy...the closest family I have that were born in the UK were my great-great grandparents (not close enough)...I am not a writer, etc. My only two options seem to be (A find a company that will issue a work permit for me or B) we have to get married.

I've applied to a few companies on-line but have not had any responses. 

My boyfriend and I plan to be together forever but we don't want to get married for the wrong reasons.

If I were to move, I would have a place to live and if I wasn't able to work for a certain amount of time, my boyfriend would be able to support me. Not only that but I have quite a bit of savings that could last me some time. 

There must be a way for an American to move to the UK. Can anybody give me any advice?

Thank you!


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## smcquie (Jun 11, 2007)

Hi Starla - the best piece of advice I can give you is to do the following (since I will be attempting to drag my Irish boyfriend back to Australia sometime in the future)...

Come over here on a visitor visa and apply for jobs solidly while you are here. Hopefully that will give you enough time. Don't expect ANY responses from the US since most employers want to interview you in person. If you can - let some recruiters know you are coming over and try to arrange interviews with them. They are more likely to put you in front of a client if they have seen you first. I don't know how long a visitor visa lasts, but hopefully it's 3 months, which should be plenty of time. 
Failing that, you should be able to get a student visa which I think you can work part time on.
Hope that helps.


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## Starla (Oct 13, 2007)

Smcquie - Thank you for the advice. The recruiter part sounds very feasible...but I've got a couple of questions now. 

Would I seriously be considered by a recruiter even though I wasn't allowed to work yet? 

And


I'm not a student (nor do I want to go through that again) so I probably wouldn't be able to get a student visa, would I?

Thanks again!


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## smcquie (Jun 11, 2007)

Starla said:


> Smcquie - Thank you for the advice. The recruiter part sounds very feasible...but I've got a couple of questions now.
> 
> Would I seriously be considered by a recruiter even though I wasn't allowed to work yet?
> 
> ...


Hard to say how seriously they will take you - depends on the industry you are in and how difficult it is to fill your kind of position... If you are after an admin type job, then I would say it's really hard since they have to prove to the government that they can't get a local person for the role. I'm in Voice Convergence so it's easier. 
A lot of people sign up for a course and never actually show up (or do one part time) just so they can get the student visa. Not saying it's right, but I've heard it goes on a lot over here. 
I wish you all the very best of luck.


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## Starla (Oct 13, 2007)

I'm actually a lab technician (not the typical hospital kind) and have had special training for it. I know there are some local companies (where my b/f lives) that are looking for someone with my qualifications....it's just an issue of me not being a citizen.

You've been a big help and I appreciate it so much! Best wishes to you, too on this little adventure. Sigh....

Thanks!


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## smcquie (Jun 11, 2007)

Ahh - quite a specialist field then, you shouldn't have too many problems. At least I hope not! They will always want to meet you first before they give you a job - so just contact as many companies as you can, let them know you are coming over and are available for an interview between mm/dd and mm/dd, then chase them up when you get here if they haven't contacted you. Let them know you have arrived and are very keen to start work.
Also see if there are companies in your current country that have a global presence.
Good luck!


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## nia1962 (Jan 14, 2008)

*US Citizen wants to live in UK w/English b/f*

Hello, 
I'm trying to move to UK to live with my b/f to. About the visitors visa and applying for jobs.......would applying for flight attendant positions be seriously considered by employers? I can work out of any of the three airports. Thanks


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

While I'm not so familiar with Britain's various forms of visas, I've known of at least one case where a pilot moved to the EU with his family and managed to get "recognized" as employed.

It will probably hold more weight if you have worked before as a flight attendant. In the case of the pilot, he was not changing jobs, just his "home base" of operations. If you're applying for a new job, it might work better for you to be applying to a UK-based airline. That way, you'd be paid on the British payroll, with the appropriate social contributions and all. If you're talking to any non-British carriers, you may want to make sure that they can put you on their British payroll so that you're covered by the appropriate social insurances.
Cheers,
Bev


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## peppera-ann- (Feb 4, 2008)

Have u found any solid advise? I am in the same exact situation, we will marry, but would rather wait. I have a bout a 3-4 month period to get it situated.only thing different is he is here in usa ..and now in 5 days, he will be illegal


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## JayNic (Mar 15, 2009)

My wife and I were in a similar situation and your research has served you well, your only 2 options are to marry a citizen, your visa is then sponsored by your spouse, or Employment, your visa is then sponsored by your employer. 

The alternative is to get a Fiancee entry visa (which gives you a limited time of 6 months to get married) but you can not work until you get your residency visa. There is no way around this although there is talk of a new 'highly skilled migrant' visa thing.

My wife and I spent 5 years in this situation and in the end we got engaged and took the fiancee visa route. It is costly but straightforward. Perhaps if you took the fiancee route you could spend 6 months trying to find an employer to take over your visa sponsorship, but to get the fiancee visa, your boyfriend will have to sponsor you, prove your relationship extensively and show proof of his ability to financially support you.




Starla said:


> Hello, I'm new,
> 
> I am an American citizen and live in America; my boyfriend is English and lives in England.
> 
> ...


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## Guest (Nov 11, 2009)

Starla said:


> Hello, I'm new,
> 
> I am an American citizen and live in America; my boyfriend is English and lives in England.
> 
> ...



hi how are you?
this email isnt an email to help you...iam in the same boat and was thinkin if you got any adive that you used and worked....and if you dont mind sharin it with me..
im sorry i cant help you..bt if you can let me know what you did and how it went that would be very kind of you..
thank you


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## Starla (Oct 13, 2007)

sarajan said:


> hi how are you?
> this email isnt an email to help you...iam in the same boat and was thinkin if you got any adive that you used and worked....and if you dont mind sharin it with me..
> im sorry i cant help you..bt if you can let me know what you did and how it went that would be very kind of you..
> thank you


Hi,

Please refer to the post I created about UK visa steps. Hopefully this link works: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/br...uk/27484-us-citizen-uk-spouse-visa-steps.html

Good luck!


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## FishPaste (Apr 24, 2010)

Hello, I was wondering if you have got it figured out yet. I am currently trying to find a way to move to my boyfriend in England, and it seems to be proving to be very difficult. Fiancée will not work because he is not 21 yet. I'm not sure if work visa would work, seeing as I am a dog groomer. Have any advice??


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## Weebie (Sep 16, 2009)

FishPaste said:


> Hello, I was wondering if you have got it figured out yet. I am currently trying to find a way to move to my boyfriend in England, and it seems to be proving to be very difficult. Fiancée will not work because he is not 21 yet. I'm not sure if work visa would work, seeing as I am a dog groomer. Have any advice??


OK Britains immigration policy is hard but straight forward.

Tier 1 Highly Skilled Migrant is a way in. Do you have a degree? under 35 and earn a decent income back home? This may be a way win

Tier 2 is basically being sponsored but under the current employment conditions it basically isn't goinjg to happen.

Marriage might be an easy alternative. Or if your still under 30 you may be bale to take out a working holiday visa.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

FishPaste said:


> Hello, I was wondering if you have got it figured out yet. I am currently trying to find a way to move to my boyfriend in England, and it seems to be proving to be very difficult. Fiancée will not work because he is not 21 yet. I'm not sure if work visa would work, seeing as I am a dog groomer. Have any advice??


Dog grooming isn't a shortage occupation, so you need to get sponsorship from an employer who can successfully argue they have tried everything to recruit someone in UK without success. Because of high unemployment here, that is most unlikely, as jobs must be advertised widely through government job centres. Other usual way for US citizens to relocate to UK is through internal company transfer (i.e. being posted to an UK office or subsidiary by your US employer, who will see to all your visa formalities), but only for more senior staff. Or if you work for the military, you may be posted to a UK base (this works outside immigration rules).
There isn't any other normal visa category that allows you to work in UK, because as a US citizen you aren't eligible for youth mobility scheme (working holidaymaker). 
I presume you have no other passport from an EU country or don't have a Irish-born grandparent that allows you to obtain Irish citizenship.
There are a few special visa categories that enable you to do certain kind of work in UK, such as internship/training, missionary (e.g. for a Mormon) or voluntary/charitable work. All need to be set up in US before arriving, and there usually needs to be an established scheme operating between US and UK (i.e. not something specially set up to allow you to live and work in UK).
You can go down a student route, but you need to enrol at degree-level or above and pay £8000 to £10000 a year in tuition fees plus all your living costs. While you can work limited hours (max 20 hours a week) during term time, you can't take any spare-time earnings into account to prove your financial fitness.
So I suggest you save up enough to come over for a visit, and for your boyfriend to do the same for US. Keep your relationship alive (you need to demonstrate serious, deepening relationship over several years for your subsequent settlement visa application) and wait till he is 21.


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## rider9113 (Jun 7, 2010)

*In the same boat!*

I have been in the same position with my boyfriend of 4 years. I have no desire going back to school a visa and while I am currently visiting the UK right now for jobs, I still can't seem to get one. 

I was trying to go through BUNAC to work over here for 6 months and then see if an employer would sponsor me after my visa is done but according to the visa I am only eligible to be an "intern". I just keep applying for jobs though because I need money. 

If anyone has any other options I would really like to hear them! 

Thanks!


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## Crawford (Jan 23, 2011)

rider9113 said:


> I have been in the same position with my boyfriend of 4 years. I have no desire going back to school a visa and while I am currently visiting the UK right now for jobs, I still can't seem to get one.
> 
> I was trying to go through BUNAC to work over here for 6 months and then see if an employer would sponsor me after my visa is done but according to the visa I am only eligible to be an "intern". I just keep applying for jobs though because I need money.
> 
> ...


Why do you keep applying for jobs? You are visiting the UK, you have no work visa and so are not eligible to be employed in the UK.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

This is a very old thread and a lot has changed since. If you want to continue your discussion, please do so in a recent thread on the same subject.


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