Pulaski

So that rules out the most likely alternative to an H-1B.

If you work for them in the UK for 12 months first (net of any time spent in the US while working for them), an L-1 would likely be a slam-dunk.
So they didn't need a visa, whereas you do.

Telic

I don't know yet, only know that Ive been told not to worry about that process as they will help me manage that through the relocation package and process (the company).
Thanks but really I'm just looking for help on places to live and tax implications.

yellowroom

This may be frustrating for you to hear, but you may not get much useful information until the visa question is answered.

People here are very willing to help, but from their perspective, why go to great lengths to lay out lots of information, only to find out that the move can't happen yet because, with the best intent, the visa situation is not sorted or fixable

I have found that even in large companies, individual HR personnel can be the last people that you want to give visa advice, unless their job is to manage a "non-US citizen employees" function. You honestly do need to get back to them and ask what visa they will be applying for on your behalf. Find that out and come back and we'll be more than happy to help you through it.

Pulaski

Wot 'e said!

yellowroom

I'm just catching up on BE while in a hotel room in Virginia, with the telly on a sitcom where a British character was about to be deported because his girlfriends father didn't post some paperwork, he went for an interview to extend his undefined visa, got turned down and so had to marry his girlfriend as that would make him a citizen.

Yes it's tv, no it's not a documentary, but it's about the same level of understanding of the immigration system if you are a US citizen by birth and you've never had to deal with the system for real. And that includes most HR.

OP, before you make some irreversible decisions, get the company's plan for your visa in writing, preferably from the company lawyers. "Don't worry, we've done it before" doesn't cut it.

Twinkle0927

A lot will also depend on whether the wife will be able to work. How much is the salary they are paying? That will also influence where you can afford to live. It's all very well someone telling you that Something Town is a delightful place to raise a family but if the average monthly rent for a family home there is double your monthly pay cheque, it's not very useful information for you.

To get good information out, you have to put good information in.

Telic

Hi thanks for the note,
The plan we have (family) is that my wife doesn't have to work, it's actually one of the perks. The salary is significant and we're expecting a budget of anything from around 4-6k monthly rent will be affordable, Zillow etc is bring up plenty of nice looking places in that range but we just don't know where is good yet.

az2014

Amazing people are willing to move across the world without even having a basic knowledge of what visa they are supposedly going to be using.

Telic

Not at all, but you have to think of all the other parts that decide even if you'd want to go, not just if you can. It's a big decision with a family for us. If a visa wasn't available then obviously that would change the plans rather! ;-)
The issue I have is a little time to accept the post from the employer so the visa process following is crucial to location but actually arbitrary to acceptIng offer right now.

Twinkle0927

Please don't take this the wrong way but it's quite frustrating being asked for quite specific help with very vague information. What you are planning is a very big move with many aspects that affect the outcome. If you want some really solid, concrete answers you need to be more specific. I understand this is a public forum and you may not feel comfortable sharing everything but you do need to help us to help you. We live here and we can give you really good advice, advice of the sort you will not be able to get from lawyers, the company, fellow colleagues, etc because we have made the move from the U.K. to the USA. We know what you're leaving behind and we know what pitfalls lie ahead.

The thing is, until you live here you have no idea what life costs here. Many people come here to this forum with a "job offer" in the USA with, what they perceive to be, a good salary. We have seen people here thinking they can support a family of 4 on $100,000 a year in California. What is the salary? Looking at rental prices on Zillow is fine but there are utilities to pay, renter's insurance too. Have you researched those costs? Don't assume they are the same as the U.K. Utilities here are higher, in my experience, and you may find you use more heat and electricity because the house is likely to be bigger. Then there is healthcare. No one should move here - least of all with children - without knowing what the company is doing about healthcare. I had the misfortune of being admitted to hospital here a few months ago and spent a few nights in the ICU before being transferred to another ward. The ICU was $12,000 a night. The regular ward about $5,000. Fortunately insurance covered most of it but there was still the deductible (excess) to pay and some out of network bills that weren't covered. In the end I didn't have much change from $4,000 of my own money.

If the wife is not going to be working then think about where you want to live. It can be a very miserable and lonely existence here when you don't know anyone and you're stuck at home all day. So you will need to be in an area where she can easily get out to meet people. Maybe go to a gym or some kind of church group if that's your thing. Many places here are not on public transport networks like the U.K. so the chances of her being able to jump on a bus into town to look around the shops or go for a coffee are slim. So that brings us to cars. You will need two. And with two cars comes the insurance. You'll find that what you were paying for car insurance for a year in the U.K. will only cover a few months here. It's much higher. Also petrol - many Brits are excited to see the much lower cost here. But they forget that in average you will drive more miles each week. So any "saving" is negated.

I understand you want information on housing and tax but tax is the least of your worries. We all have to pay it and it won't go away. And without knowing the salary and the county and city where the job is we can't even guess how much tax you'll pay. Tax is a complex issue here in that there is no PAYE scheme where everyone earning a certain amount pays the same tax and NI. You'll find that if there are 10 people doing the same job being paid exactly the same salary they will all be paying different tax depending on how many dependents they have, how much they can write off, what their healthcare arrangements are (people on a high-deductible plan make tax savings by having money put into their HSA each month, for example).

To sum up, here we are at 20+ posts on this thread and we know no more than we did at the start.

Why do you only have a little time to accept the post? If this is an H-1B visa then the job won't be starting until October 2018 anyway. So what's the rush?

Telic

Thanks
Sorry I thought I was being specific, my question originally was just around people's opinions of good family friendly areas to live with good schools within a specific rental price range.
I get there are many other factors to deal with in factoring daily living and applications for residency (or not). But surely a forum such as this would break down if every thread covered every topic, surely no one would get anything answered?

I appreciate everyone's time and effort, and I don't want to waste anymore.
Thanks again for you input, I'll stick to google for websites of school ratings and then search surrounding neighbourhoods.

All the very best

T

yellowroom

Telic, if you stick around then people will be willing to help you - as Twinkle says, many people here have done what you are doing and can help you with collective wisdom such as negotiating your expat relocation package.

But what you are doing at the moment is treating it like a job offer in the U.K., i.e. will I like the area and can I afford to move there. What we are saying is - that is putting the cart before the horse. Make sure you can actually take the job in the first place, the rest is detail. If the salary really is as good as you say, you could find somewhere suitable to live virtually anywhere in the USA.

Telic

Thanks
On the offer side I'm awaiting confirmation back on the expected visa timescale.
The reloc package includes moving of all our stuff, a hired person to tour us around and find a place to live, initial housing covered in the package for the first 8-12 weeks with a prior to move 4 day visit for the full family funded to choose. A gifted months salary to cover incidentals of the move. A family health package (I have a choice of a few but that's a whole new thread!) tax accountant assistance, family counsellors, bonus for sale of cars in the uk, bonus for house sale in uk (if I do that), hotels and travel covered one way when we move.
An equity bonus paid out at 25% if it's full value over 4 years, an additional new starter equity bonus at the same payment terms. A 30% prorata annual bonus.

Is there anything else typical you would expect in the folic package?

CA-NY

Ridgewood is a really great town for a family. It has a walkable town center with lots of shops, a thriving restaurant scene (mostly BYOB), good schools and lots of activities and events for kids and families. Look at New Jersey Multiple Listing Service - Search for Homes in New Jersey for rentals. Expect to pay around $4000 a month upwards for a single family home. One months rent is payable to the rental agent in NJ. Neighboring town such as Glen Rock, Wyckoff, Allendale and Ho-Ho-Kus are also worth a look if you're interested in Bergen County.

Telic

Thanks for the reply and link, I'll take a look. Obviously we'd like to pay as little as poss for a home that's nice (like everyone) but i realise NJ is expensive!