[anewlife]

Hi I'm new to all this and I am so lost.
I am from the south of Uk, married and have three children 11, 7 and 16mths. We are looking into moving to florida for a new fresh and exciting start. I expect you have all herd it before but where do you start????? We have just had the house valued and is looking good. We have been looking at every single site on the internet from the embassey to buying homes but where do you actually start? which schools to go for? the areas that are best to live in and the all important one what is the first step? Do we organise a house first or visas first and what visa do we need I mean there is so much. There are so many british people out there where did you all go to first?????? Jill

[TriMT7]

I'm not British, nor did I move here from another country, but I would definitely get my visas in order first. Don't worry about buying anything yet. I'd actually recommend renting for a year to ensure you like where you end up. Florida is a very large, very diverse state in every sense of the word. If you buy and end up hating it, you'll have a tough time selling the way the market is here.

[mr&mrssunshine]

Hi Jill
We are in the same situation as you. Desperate to move here, we even own some land here. It is very hard to get permanent residence from what I can understand. I believe the main ways of being able to live here legally are: to buy or invest in a business but I believe there is a minimum amount you have to spend or though a profession. I am a nurse but am still finding it difficult and need to sit additional exams, it's very frustrating, we are over here at the moment and it is so hard as like you we are desperate to move here. Do a search under google under immigration. We are researching like you so if I find out any useful info I will email you.

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

I would look into the immigration issues first because from what I understand its not easy for people from the UK to move here.

Do you have any family that lives here that could posibly sponsor you?

Do you have some education degree or trade that would make you desirable?

There is another way I have heard of, its something about investing money into a business but its ALOT of money from what I remember.

[~peaches~]

I am a us citizen, so I have no clue about the Visa, I can only try and answer your questions.

I would suggest renting before you buy, I know the market is great for buyers, but you might decide you do not like the area you move to, and selling a home is tough in this market!

A few rental websites:

Home Rentals, Homes for Rent, Apartments, Houses for Rent, and Rental Homes

houserentals.com

craigslist classifieds: jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, events, forums

To check out schools:

Search for Florida public schools.

After you take care of your visa, the most important thing is where in FL you want to reside? Do you want to live near the beach? Do you want to live on the West or East coast?

[spainbrit]

Have responded in other thread

[spainbrit]

[SIZE=3]l. Get an attorney that is a member of AILA and is not a visa consultant – they are not the same thing.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]2. Don’t lie or hide truth about anything on applications – you will be caught out eventually[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]3. Immigration/visa people don’t like a previous crime history and will check you out – drugs is a big problem.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]4. Don’t overstay a visa waiver – next time you will not get in.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]5. Don’t try and circumvent the system, everyone has thought of an idea, most of them are loopholes that are plugged, but hey if you have really found one, go for it J[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]6. Buying a business (e-2 visa) will not guarantee a greencard in fact it’s the most unlikely way to get one[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]7. Buying a business EB5 is very expensive but does[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]8. Coming here on an L-1 is worth a try if you have an existing business you can keep going in UK[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]9. Don’t believe anyone else’s story will be the same as yours, it may be, but things change and so do the rules for immigration (constantly)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]10. Its not cheap to do this process[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]11. A job with a visa is very hard to get unless you are an exceptional talent (ie David Beckham, Rod Stewart etc) or a really needed profession – nursing, the rest are very tough and nursing is not that easy either.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]12. If you get an E-2 and you have kids – they can find themselves without a right to stay at 18 or when they leave full time education. They have to go home.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]13. Read all the information on the Government pages for United States Immigration it is very informative.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]14. Be careful of marrying a USC in order to live here, it can be tricky there are rules to follow and you don’t want to do it wrong. The government is always looking to catch people who are trying to slip in under the radar. I have heard of problems for couples who have married and are still waiting to be together – an ocean apart.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]15. Buying a business before you are sure you will get the visa is a tricky thing, if you don’t get the visa, you can’t stay here and work the business till you sell it. It has been said it can be done, there is a quick processing, but you need to be sure the business will be granted the visa before you risk that one.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]16. This takes me back to getting a proper lawyer to help you.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]17. This is a great place to live (I am a Brit that moved to FL in 99 with family and love it here) but it’s not easy to achieve residency, it’s very stressful, doing it illegally is not for the faint hearted, doing it legally isn’t either But it’s worth it - good luck to all those that follow….[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]One last one – there are lots more questions that need answers but I am not an immigration attorney and this is only things and information that I have learned or has been shared with me by others experiences and the people I have worked with who have successfully moved to the US. You must do your research well and know what you are letting yourself in for before you start. (I know of families that have given it all up (and lots of money too) and gone home with nothing because they moved too quickly)[/SIZE]

[mr&mrssunshine]

Thank you all for your messages and advice they are really, really helpful. We will certainly check out the rental websites
Thanks again.

[Sueilp]

hi, I am originally from the Uk and it is very hard to get over here to the US. i am a nurse and it took me 3 years to get here and get permanent residency.

you need to sort your visa out first before even contemplating anything else. If you want a business visa you do need a lot of money to invest and you have to employ some Americans too. i dont know the ins and outs of it all but i do know a lot of people who have come over ona business visa which by the way does not give you residency. it is only a temporary visa where you have to renew every 2-5 years depending on what the Embassy give you. This visa is an E2 visa.

There is a B2 visa where you can stay here for up to 6 months but that usually is for people who are retiring.

I have a Green card but that is becasue I am a nurse and there is a shortage as there is in any country...but it isnt easy either. You can only get a Green Card if you have a profession where there is a shortage or if you have family over here that can sponsor you...

MOD Deleted
You will get a lot of friendly advise there as you do here :-)

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

[quote=Sueilp;2703023]hi, I am originally from the Uk and it is very hard to get over here to the US. i am a nurse and it took me 3 years to get here and get permanent residency.

you need to sort your visa out first before even contemplating anything else. If you want a business visa you do need a lot of money to invest and you have to employ some Americans too. i dont know the ins and outs of it all but i do know a lot of people who have come over ona business visa which by the way does not give you residency. it is only a temporary visa where you have to renew every 2-5 years depending on what the Embassy give you. This visa is an E2 visa.

There is a B2 visa where you can stay here for up to 6 months but that usually is for people who are retiring.

I have a Green card but that is becasue I am a nurse and there is a shortage as there is in any country...but it isnt easy either. You can only get a Green Card if you have a profession where there is a shortage or if you have family over here that can sponsor you...

Mod deleted

WOW, that says it all, it took you three years and your in a field that we need MORE of. Frankly I don't understand why they make it so hard for people from the UK. I would rather have you guys here then some of the other unsavories that show up.