I'm intrigued to know if anyone has ever emigrated from the UK to the US?

I haven't personally but I have had one friend who decided to emigrate and set up over there.

I'm intrigued to know if anyone has ever emigrated from the UK to the US?

Pilgrim Fathers did.

My brother has lived over there for nearly 20 years now, he took all his degrees there and is now a professor in a Maine college.

I'm intrigued to know if anyone has ever emigrated from the UK to the US?
I moved to the USA, originaly for work but ended up staying over there and eventually was granted citizenship.

I emigrated to Canada in 1968. In 1977 my American company asked me to move into New England for some contract work on the paper industry. I've been here ever since. I took citizenship in 1987 and have never regretted it.

Well i have considered taking a working holiday in the US and i find states like California, Nevada or Texas very appealing. However from i have read i would need a green card, and its only issued if you have relations already living in the US. It all appears to be a very complicated procedure giving me the impression that the US government does not welcome immigrants. Is this correct? :|

yorkrose or yorkshirerose on here did. Then she came back!
Don't think she uses the site much any more.

A lot of my family landed up in the U.S but for me it was too harsh a change fm U.K so i chose Canada .one must always remember that when talking U.S each and every state is a complete different country so some love it others hate it

You'll need a Visa first of all and they're pretty hard to come by. I had an L1B for an intra-company transfer. This type of Visa means that if you leave the company that employs you for whatever reason, you have to leave the country. I got married to a US citizen, so now I have a green card and can pretty much do everything a citizen can except vote. Even then, the card is conditional in some ways. For example, if you leave the country for an extended period, you have to re-apply.

Other Visas are based on outstanding technical ability and the like. I'm sure the US embassy website will fill you in.

A working holiday might be tough. If you're looking for casual, low pay stuff in the states you mentioned, forget it. You'll be competing with several million Mexicans for any such 'casual' labour.

Legal immigration into the 'states is relatively easy if you have the right job offer/marriage etc., and some money to back you up. Otherwise it's a bit tricky. But, you could just do an overnight run across the desert like thousands do each night or just overstay your visitor's Visa. Not that I'm condoning either of those routes.

When I lived in LA, I went for my hair cut and the stylist turned out to be from Sheffield (he also turned out to have taught an ex-gf of mine how to cut hair...small world!). He was working on a fake Visa, but he's married now AFAIK, so he's all legit.

On the one hand, there's a bit of red tape to get in legally, on the other a bit of barbed wire for the not so legal route! ;)

Well i have considered taking a working holiday in the US and i find states like California, Nevada or Texas very appealing. However from i have read i would need a green card, and its only issued if you have relations already living in the US. It all appears to be a very complicated procedure giving me the impression that the US government does not welcome immigrants. Is this correct? :|
There is a site for the green card lottery, I went on it and found out you can enter the green card lottery but British are excluded.
I went before 1986 when there was an amnesty, I applied for a green card then. Things change from time to time. I can only advise to stay within the legal constraints. If you have special skills I think you could go out there sell yourself and the a prospective employer could sponsor you.

Well i have considered taking a working holiday in the US and i find states like California, Nevada or Texas very appealing. However from i have read i would need a green card, and its only issued if you have relations already living in the US. It all appears to be a very complicated procedure giving me the impression that the US government does not welcome immigrants. Is this correct? :|It is possible to find seasonal work in the US without applying for a green card. You can get in with a temporary work visa. Some of these kind of jobs are a bit menial like fruit and veggie picking, or hotel work in the tourist areas. On the other hand they can be highly technical if you're lucky enough to have some skills which are not too available here. One of my friends here is a bricklayer from Reading, and believe it or not there is not much call for them, making him almost unique. It doesn't hurt that he married an American girl and will get his citizenship in 3 years as long as they stay married. My own expertise in Computer control of industrial products goes back to the early days, makilng me in demand in what we called in Britain at the time, he brain drain.
It isn't true that our government doesn't like immigrrants. We're nearly all of immigrant stock except the Indian aborigines. But the govt. has to regulate it because people are pouring in by the millions a lot of them illegally, and there aren't the resources to cope with it. I think in the case of the UK you would like your immigrants to be self reliant, honest workers, without criminal records or intent. So do we. Good luck in your endevours.

It is possible to find seasonal work in the US without applying for a green card. You can get in with a temporary work visa. Some of these kind of jobs are a bit menial like fruit and veggie picking, or hotel work in the tourist areas. On the other hand they can be highly technical if you're lucky enough to have some skills which are not too available here. One of my friends here is a bricklayer from Reading, and believe it or not there is not much call for them, making him almost unique. It doesn't hurt that he married an American girl and will get his citizenship in 3 years as long as they stay married. My own expertise in Computer control of industrial products goes back to the early days, makilng me in demand in what we called in Britain at the time, he brain drain.
It isn't true that our government doesn't like immigrrants. We're nearly all of immigrant stock except the Indian aborigines. But the govt. has to regulate it because people are pouring in by the millions a lot of them illegally, and there aren't the resources to cope with it. I think in the case of the UK you would like your immigrants to be self reliant, honest workers, without criminal records or intent. So do we. Good luck in your endevours.

Take care on the marriage thing, it is actually illegal to enter the USA with the intent of getting married, I am not sure about the three years married requirement either. I was actually married in the USA but got my citizenship after I was divorced, but then I remarried again anyhow. I actually was on a B1/B2 lifetime visa when I applied for a green card at that time I had property over there and a good credit rating and doing a highly specialized job in industrial controls. When I went for the interview I said I wanted to pay my Taxes, they are still after them. When I applied for citizenship, my main reason stated was because I wanted to vote for Bill Clinton. ( The greatest American President) I am honored that my citizenship papers are signed (electronically) by Bill

My son works in Washington D.C. and lives in Maryland and loves it.Wouldnt come back for anything.Reason he went.? Income Tax & Council Tax a killer over here. Kills any incentive young people have.

Take care on the marriage thing, it is actually illegal to enter the USA with the intent of getting married, I am not sure about the three years married requirement either. I was actually married in the USA but got my citizenship after I was divorced, but then I remarried again anyhow. I actually was on a B1/B2 lifetime visa when I applied for a green card at that time I had property over there and a good credit rating and doing a highly specialized job in industrial controls. When I went for the interview I said I wanted to pay my Taxes, they are still after them. When I applied for citizenship, my main reason stated was because I wanted to vote for Bill Clinton. ( The greatest American President) I am honored that my citizenship papers are signed (electronically) by BillIt is illegal but a bit hard to prove. I was also on a lifetime visa at first, and in those days you had to register every year as an alien, like you were a Martian instead of caucasian. Getting a green card should have been easy because the Federal office in Massachusetts said there was space available that year for Europeans. Then when I submitted to the State labor board was told I had to advertize my job in all the major newspapers in the country using box adverts. If one American qualified and wanted my job, out I had to go. My company covered the ads, and made sure nobody qualified, then I submitted again, and was refused again. In the meantime I had buddied up with a polce captain who sent off a letter to a state senator aboyut my wife and I. THe senator apologized and toldus to go to Boston for our green cards. Its not what you know that counts.

I always warm to the USA when it has a Democrat President and go off it when there is a Republican in the White House. Strange really because my politics are just right of centre I guess it's a matter of charisma, something that Bush and his dad have little of.

Canadians appear to be far better balanced and do have an understanding of what goes on overseas unlike Americans who appear to want every country to be a mirror image of the States. Iraq and Afganistan are not really an issue as we are just as stupid as the US government, but any country that is intent on sending even more of it's young people to their deaths is somewhere where I couldn't live.

I moved here about 13 years ago with a ten year visa I got when I lived in Spain it was pasted into my passport, it allows an alien to stay for 6 months and then leave, I simply went to Canada for 6 months then came back until finally they gave me a green card. The easiest way is to marry an American and have a joint bank account, you must have some means of financial support. The other way is to become a partner in a business and I think after a while they give you a green card but they are like hens teeth.

crookesey, You're right of course the American outlook on life is completely different from other people of the world. The average American is quite happy in his/her ignorance of world affairs and accepts the media stories as true that's why it was so easy to sell them the Iraq story of WMD.

Take care on the marriage thing, it is actually illegal to enter the USA with the intent of getting married, I am not sure about the three years married requirement either. I was actually married in the USA but got my citizenship after I was divorced, but then I remarried again anyhow. I actually was on a B1/B2 lifetime visa when I applied for a green card at that time I had property over there and a good credit rating and doing a highly specialized job in industrial controls. When I went for the interview I said I wanted to pay my Taxes, they are still after them. When I applied for citizenship, my main reason stated was because I wanted to vote for Bill Clinton. ( The greatest American President) I am honored that my citizenship papers are signed (electronically) by Bill


Being self employed, i buy, develop and sell property, and i would love to do that in the US! My credit rating should be perfect (not been in debt for 11 years), i have no criminal record and i would create work where ever i am. So the B1/B2 visa sounds ideal.

B1 is a vistors Visa and you would not be allowed to work even with an 850 credit rating. Florida is in desperate need of roofers in Miami Dade and Broward so you may get in through that channel. The building techiques are a bit slap happy and will drive a professional mad but if you can grit your teeth and work in 90-100 F. you could probably make it. Contact the US embassy in London and tell them your story you never know your luck.

Well after seeing how the Twin Towers collasped in 9/11 i consider the building standards to be very slap happy. Certainly not up to the standards of the UK.

The twin Towers were built very well but most Americans live in mobile homes or houses made from cheap plywood and made to look substantial with stucco. By the way you may think I'm a nut case but the towers were brought down by nuclear fission. If you're interested there are many web sites giving credible evidence of an inside job, difficult to believe a government would conspire to do this but the evidence points to that.

The Twin Towers should have been designed to withstand losing one column.
Also if there were fire alarms in the building it should have been evacuated much quicker.

I have not heard of the nuclear fission theory however i do know Manhattan will have a lot of asbestos floating about which will cause cancer. :(

The Twin Towers should have been designed to withstand losing one column.
Also if there were fire alarms in the building it should have been evacuated much quicker.

I have not heard of the nuclear fission theory however i do know Manhattan will have a lot of asbestos floating about which will cause cancer. :(

Of course there were fire alarms in the building :loopy: did they help, of course not...did you see the planes :huh:

Yes thanks. But the Towers did not instantly collaspe did it? There was time to evacuate the building instead of wasting it by waiting for the lift or ringing up just to say i love you, etc...

Poppins we all saw the planes but they couldn't bring the THREE towers, yes three, most people don't know of building 7 and scientists have have collected the dust from the buildings and most of it has exactly the make up of what would be expected from nuclear fission. You see there were other facts which point to this too like molten metal below the debris days afterwards. There are plenty of metallurgists in Sheffield who will no doubt have trouble with the theory of avgas melting the steel columns since it can't produce anywhere near the heat required.

The towers collapsed in free fall time.

Did i imagine the crazed muslim fanatics hi jacking planes and bombing into the towers.Was that down to clever video technology?

I moved out in 99 to get my Master's degree. Under the programme you were then allowed to stay and work a year. During that time I met my husband, got married and am still there. I live in Southern California, so the weather is a great plus. Right now for example when the snow is ridiculous in Sheffield, I am wearing short sleeves and sandals!!! Still miss certain things and people of course. And even though we speak the same language, they are very different.

I moved to Georgia in 2007, I love it here and I cannot think of any reason that I would want to return to Sheffield. I love the weather and the people here.

I was backwards & forwards across the pond (for 3 month visits) over a period of 4 years. I decided to apply for a 6 months visitor visa, sent off the application & fee, went to the US Embassy in London & queued for 6 hours. I was armed with proof of self sufficiency (bank statements), proof that I owned my own home here in the UK, address of a friend I'd be staying with whilst there etc. Only to be told within minutes 'Sorry, No' didn't even look at the paperwork I'd taken. Their excuse was 'We think you will get over there & not come back'!!! Would I have gone to the trouble of officially applying if that was the case, I would have just stayed there on my last visit & 'kept my head down'. There are so many that do it but it wasn't for me (couldn't have my own bank account, couldn't travel back n forth to visit the UK). I worked for the Home Office processing applications for people wanting to visit/settle in the UK & it's so much easier to enter the UK than it is The States. Not always been the case, my friend has been there bout 20 years now & got citizenship. It was a damn site easier then but guess it's a sign of the times ...........

I haved lived in the states for 30years now but miss Sheffield very much ! I was born in Wincobank on Vauxhall rd ...I will come home someday .. but I know it wont be like I remember it .. sniffle ...

Sorry to change the subject but I've researched the 911 incident and the conclusion I've come to and many others is it was an inside job.

For instance the 757 ( flight 77 ) was at a recorded altitude of 230 feet 3 seconds before recorded impact. This means that the aircraft would have broken up due to G forces and bodies, luggage etc. would have been scattered over a wide area if the aircraft had done what the US government claim.

Go to pilotsfor911truth and learn something.

LynBlu,

The easiest way is to contact somebody over here and form a business partnership. Starting a business is like falling off a log, I started a boat building business, now closed, I'm 80 Y.O., but I have no qualifications, I was an electronics Tech.

I was here legally for 10 years before I discovered that after 5 years I was entitled to social security payments based on my wifes earnings from the US government. My wife gets social security payments from the UK based on my earnings.

My son works in Washington D.C. and lives in Maryland and loves it.Wouldnt come back for anything.Reason he went.? Income Tax & Council Tax a killer over here. Kills any incentive young people have.

I'd be interested in feedback from expats living in the states re: the medical system there. This is what stops my wife and I travelling south of the Canadian border right now as she has a medical condition which, if treatment were required, could prove to be horrendously expensive in the US. In the debate over proposed changes to the US medical system, much has been made recently by the Republicans of the decision of one of our premiers in Canada to have his surgery done there. What they fail to mention is that the premier concerned, Danny Williams of Newfoundland, is a multi billionaire, who can afford whatever he wants. So, yes, taxes are lower, but what have been your experiences regarding health care?

I'd be interested in feedback from expats living in the states re: the medical system there. This is what stops my wife and I travelling south of the Canadian border right now as she has a medical condition which, if treatment were required, could prove to be horrendously expensive in the US. In the debate over proposed changes to the US medical system, much has been made recently by the Republicans of the decision of one of our premiers in Canada to have his surgery done there. What they fail to mention is that the premier concerned, Danny Williams of Newfoundland, is a multi billionaire, who can afford whatever he wants. So, yes, taxes are lower, but what have been your experiences regarding health care?

We emigrated to Toronto in 1974 and 8 years later I was transferred to Chicago. The company I worked for hired an immigration lawyer and after 3 years I obtained Green Cards for my family and 5 years later we received US citizenship.
Medical insurance is usually provided by the employer and coverage is as good as the company can afford. You get what you pay for. After retirement the Government provide medical coverage under Medicare but most people find it necessary to buy a supplementary insurance to cover what Medicare does not cover. Medical treatment is very expensive in the US, but doesn't the Provincial Health Care system provide for medical treatment when travelling overseas?

Medical insurance is usually provided by the employer and coverage is as good as the company can afford. You get what you pay for. After retirement the Government provide medical coverage under Medicare but most people find it necessary to buy a supplementary insurance to cover what Medicare does not cover. Medical treatment is very expensive in the US, but doesn't the Provincial Health Care system provide for medical treatment when travelling overseas?

Provincial Health Care only covers what the equivalent costs would be in Canada, Gerry. So we tend to travel to countries where the costs are somewhere comparable, such as UK and Europe. Private medical insurance for travel overseas will not cover pre-existing conditions. News programs and documentaries here report on cases of people who have had to sell their homes and relinquish their retirement savings to cover medical costs while travelling in the US. But, to return to the theme of this thread, Sheffielders who have emigrated to the US, I just wanted to make the point in response to Pattricia's comment that lower taxes are an incentive for young people to move to the US, that in the big picture, there are plusses and minuses with any system. As you get older, and alas, I speak from experience, benefits like medical and national pension plans become more important to you. Sheffielders, used to a British social security network, much like that of Canada, undoubtedly noticed a difference in moving to the US.

Provincial Health Care only covers what the equivalent costs would be in Canada, Gerry. So we tend to travel to countries where the costs are somewhere comparable, such as UK and Europe. Private medical insurance for travel overseas will not cover pre-existing conditions. News programs and documentaries here report on cases of people who have had to sell their homes and relinquish their retirement savings to cover medical costs while travelling in the US. But, to return to the theme of this thread, Sheffielders who have emigrated to the US, I just wanted to make the point in response to Pattricia's comment that lower taxes are an incentive for young people to move to the US, that in the big picture, there are plusses and minuses with any system. As you get older, and alas, I speak from experience, benefits like medical and national pension plans become more important to you. Sheffielders, used to a British social security network, much like that of Canada, undoubtedly noticed a difference in moving to the US.

Having lived in the US for the last 28 years and as much as I have missed the UK I have to say that I enjoy living here, especially since I participate in shooting sports, however rogG, living here tends to make you less dependant on the Government. If you are lucky enough to work for a company that provides good health care insurance and are able to save for retirement then this is as good a place to live as any. Having said that, the last 8 years of the Bush administration kind screwed things up somewhat and now the Republicans are talking about doing away with Medicare and Social Security. So who knows?

Having lived in the US for the last 28 years and as much as I have missed the UK I have to say that I enjoy living here, especially since I participate in shooting sports, however rogG, living here tends to make you less dependant on the Government. If you are lucky enough to work for a company that provides good health care insurance and are able to save for retirement then this is as good a place to live as any. Having said that, the last 8 years of the Bush administration kind screwed things up somewhat and now the Republicans are talking about doing away with Medicare and Social Security. So who knows?

I hear you, Gerry. And in the profession from which I recently retired I would undoubtedly have benefitted from a decent group medical plan had I lived and worked there. Back in the late 60s when there was all that unrest on university campuses in the states, I was offered a job in Riverside, California. I turned it down and instead went to Newfoundland, of all places. I used to get ribbed about it at international gatherings. "Hey, I want to introduce you to this guy who turned down a job near Palm Springs to go and live in somewhere called New Finland." The guy who did this the most was the one who took the job after I'd turned it down. You've guessed it - another Canadian. :hihi:

If you have a job in the States the company may or may not cover your health insurance. Most employees who have a pre-existing condition are not covered for that particuler problem. So you are covered for anything until you claim then that goes out the window. If you manage to live into retirement you will be charged $100 a month for part B which covers you for doctors visits and some medication. Part B doesn't cover every state, in fact doesn't cover every county since the company operating the system may not operate there. So if you travel within the USA you will probably not be insured and will have to pay a hefty doctors bill.

My advice to you is if you're as poor as a church mouse or as rich as Rockerfeller then you're ok, otherwise stay well away. Don't ask, OK.

I hear you, Gerry. And in the profession from which I recently retired I would undoubtedly have benefitted from a decent group medical plan had I lived and worked there. Back in the late 60s when there was all that unrest on university campuses in the states, I was offered a job in Riverside, California. I turned it down and instead went to Newfoundland, of all places. I used to get ribbed about it at international gatherings. "Hey, I want to introduce you to this guy who turned down a job near Palm Springs to go and live in somewhere called New Finland." The guy who did this the most was the one who took the job after I'd turned it down. You've guessed it - another Canadian. :hihi:

I imagine that Newfoundland is pretty much like Cape Breton, N.S. rogG, so you probably enjoy some of the best lobsters in the world.

visited many state's not two of them alike, many very nice but all had one think in common not one would I trade for Canada ,in fact the 60s the first time I felt Canada was home I was so glad to get back across that border

I imagine that Newfoundland is pretty much like Cape Breton, N.S. rogG, so you probably enjoy some of the best lobsters in the world.

Similar, but even more rugged and with a more hostile climate, Gerry. But I don't live there anymore. I'm on a smaller, slightly less isolated island, Prince Edward Island, where we get world class lobsters, mussels and oysters. Mmmmm.

But I have travelled quite a bit in the states. My favorite vacationing spots were New Hampshire, New Orleans (who could forget the Big Easy) and naturally, Hawaii. You'd have to be cracked not to like it there. :D

I remember visiting PEI before they built the bridge and one of the camp sites we stayed in, we had an RV then, a Sheffield couple owned it. She had modified her accent but not him. ar long o tha stayin, he said, two neets wi thee. And so we both had a good natter in our native tongue.

What would the chances of 2 young (late 20's) guys getting a green card to emigrate there who own their own company? Basically, we are possibly looking at going over to extend our business, but at the same time we both really like the USA and would love to emigrate.

My dad is a green card holder. Would that make it any easier?