British Expatriate Network

we are just starting out on our quest to move to usa, and are still wondering are we doing the right thing or not. (just me, my hubby and two cats) -? we are going to try ang get work before we come over.

For what its worth ive always decided its " the right /best thing for me " before i do it .


but then sometime life is a gamble anyway, and you only live once .

You are not mad, but you'd be mad to try to do it the "wrong" way! Just make sure your paperwork is in good order and good luck with the big adventure!

If you are not transferring with a job, can I ask what kind of visa you are travelling under? My sister, who is married and lives in the UK, and can only be sponsored by myself or my sister who lives here, has been on the waiting list for 6 years. What's up with THAT?

I always wonder when I hear of people just deciding to "try it over here" just how they do that?

Any suggestions?

good luck with that.......... :roll:

again, what visa's you gonna be on?

we are hoping to get H1B visa as my husband has 18 years in engineering field

Go somewhere decent if you want and stay away from this [USA] cultural wasteland. Because if you don't after the initial interest of a new place you'll end up spending your time justifying to yourself it was the right decision.

You might be alright if you are both from the UK at least you can have a laugh together, the ones I feel sorry for are those who married Americans, they are the ones that are trapped in a humourless vortex. For the little extra dosh you might make, its not worth it, especially if you have or are going to have kids.

It's really quite horrible. Americans don't have a sense of humor at all. I apologize to my wife about it all the time, but she still cries herself to sleep every night. We've seen doctors to see if there was a cure or maybe a prosthetic, but they were American and didn't understand.

Seriously though, give it a go if you can get work. It never hurts to live in another country. Even one that is morally and culturally bankrupt...

Depends, you won't have as much time off. TV will be crap. You will have more money, but not as much time to spend it. How many family members are you leaving behind and are you close?

I had to come, my wife was here, but we are spending every waking minute trying to figure out how to get back, we both hate it here..its a clash of cultures, I have what America stands for. I cannot stand the ignorance, the far right and the food!!!! and I really miss the TV, god knows why.

I was already morally and culturally bankrupt before I moved here.

Methinks Moo needs to see more than student girls and lap-dancers. Not known for their sense of humor, either of those.

oh thanks that makes me feel tons better

Moo and David...

Really. I feel sorry for both of you.

EEB, maybe you need a hobby perhaps ;)

The world is what you make it, not the piece of turf you stand on.

Andrew )

To give you a rational and sensible and unbiased answer, I'd suggest seriously thinking about how much it's all going to cost.

Is your marriage strong enough?

Have you spent any great deal of time here?

What is the main reason you're moving to the US?

Are you fed up with the UK (heavens knows that easy enough to do)? If so then moving here ain't going to be any different.

Depending on where you move to is going to affect how you perceive life here. I for one would never live anywhere East of the Sierra's, in fact, anywhere East of Modesto, north of San Francisco.

However, I like living by the sea and I enjoy the multicultural atmosphere that living where we do has.

Amount of vacation time I have always felt is really irrelevant, you get x more time in the UK but no $$ to do anything with it. Again, depending on where you live, take here (Central Coast, CA) for instance, pretty much the weather is good and those initial paltry two weeks vacation (if used correctly) can be used creatively. You can also get clever with other forms of leave if you're smart.

You just have to let go of the things the UK "offers".

What sort of work do you both do? Do you have a unique skill?

For me, moving here was the best thing that ever happened to me. Not only to be with Emily (she's American) but the fact that I got away from the tiny mindedness that I found existed around me and found that I liked a certain element of risk in life.

Right now, who knows, we may move back to Europe (Spain/France/Italy)at some point due in part to my line of work. We'll keep our home here in California as it's now worth a small fortune, that said, I will never move back to the UK though.

And I've known people "miss their family" when they've only lived 50 miles away from them....

I miss my family (what's left), but my family is now with Emily and that's what's important.

But if you're coming here, be prepared. It might be worth your while seeing if you can both get a leave of absence from your jobs, rent an apartment here in a city or location you're looking at and come and stay for a couple of months and see how it feels...

Andrew :)

I love Vegas. The sun shines for 300 days out of the year, bars, stores and drive-thrus are open 24/7, I have a fantastic job and a great bird.

The States can be a great place to live, providing you find the right part to live. I hated the Midwest, but the Southwest is quite possibly the coolest place on Earth.

But be prepared for huge culture shock. Took me nearly a year to adjust. Moving here will either kill your relationship or make it stronger than superglue. If you live in the Midwest be prepared to dodge tornadoes and nine-foot deep snow, the Southeast has hurricanes and earthquakes, California has earthquakes, the Northeast has snow and hurricanes, the Northwest is fogbound and rainy, and the Southwest has life-threatening heat. Tejas is its own country and is totally insane.

Maczippy is right, rent an apartment for like three months so you get a feel for it. The worse kind of Brits over here are the ones who come for two weeks in Disneyland and know everything about the US. Go native and you'll really get a feel for things.

/course, now I've gone totally native. Viva Las Vegas, yo.

Does the wife know?
<chortle>