hello
 

First time poster here, I've enjoyed lurking and reading for a while. I'm not strictly an expat as I'm still here in rainy Scotland.
Lived for three years in PA, loved it and now ten years later I'm thinking of returning to the States. This time my wife and I are looking at Eureka Springs Arkansas. Immigration not a problem as I have my Green card.
What I would like know is how much living costs have increased since I left? I would be bringing over a decent sum, so would have my house paid off, but how much are the little day to day expenses? Is it still cheaper to live than the UK or has the gap dissapeared? Thanks for your help! :thumbup:

Re: hello
 

WTF do you mean immigration is not a problem?

If you've been out of the US for 10 years, you will have lost your GC...

In any case....... Arkansas............... are you nuts... :blink:

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I've not checked, but when I lived in the US, I got updated the card so It would last for good. Btw my wife is American.
Still not sure about Arkansas but want somewhere warm, cheap, historic and safe!

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No GC lasts 'for good' unless you remain a PR.

Talk to a lawyer if you do not believe me.

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Elvira's right, unless you became a citizen, you could be construed as having given up your choice to reside here.

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Agh! It would be a mare going through all that nonsense again. Thanks for the info, I guess I'll have to look out my paperwork.

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You really don't have a green card anymore. You've abandoned it (even though you didn't really). Going overseas (i.e. NOT a resident of the USA) for a year or more pretty much constitutes abandonment, UNLESS you have taken some precautions to keep it alive. Filing US taxes, maintaining a US residence, bank accounts, expenses, or filing a special form with the embassy saying you are gone for only a bit but will be back.

That's not to say you can't get another Green Card (warning: the prices went up about 3x last Summer) but you run the very real risk of being denied entry with your current GC.

Do some searches on 'Green Card Abandonment' and you'll learn a lot more.

As for Arkansas...umm...that's a bit of an adjustment, even from Pennsylvania. But if you are up for it give it a try.

Good luck

Re: hello
 

Well as long as you haven't bought any tickets yet, etc, you can see where you stand.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger, my DH (a Brit) was 1 month away from moving here when we found out he just couldn't do that without a visa ahead of time. The Immigration folks here locally had told us he could "just come on over, and adjust status." :blink:

Re: hello
 

Alright I will ask as we are all thinking the same what the heck is there in Akanasas that we don't know about is it the Mrs's family!! can't imagine any other reason then that :eek:
Warm, Cheap, Historic and Safe this is a wind up right !!

Re: hello
 

It's your nightmare, dear. Have wifey-poo refile for your green card with the US Consulate in London when you are ready to return. A PR has to maintain their residency in the US while outside of it and can only be outside of it for two years IF they have applied for a re-entry permit before leaving.

Figure on spending a nice chunk of money, honey for your shiny new non-green green card.

Re: hello
 

If you want to live in the Ozarks I would choose Branson, MO, over Eureka Springs. There's more to do and see and you can do the Springs as a day trip, if you really have to.

Edit: Oops......welcome to the Madhouse, by the way.

Jim.

Re: hello
 

I've heard good things about Mountain Home, Arkansas.

Good luck with your green card.

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Welcome to BE :)

DCF ain't so bad at least, not cheap....but the boonies, that's a brave choice...low cost of living and that's about the only plus surely? What about work?

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Just to make sure you're 100% clear on this:

It doesn't matter what expiry date your Green Card has on it.

The paperwork can tell you that the Green Card is valid until the year 9999, but you still don't have Permanent Resident status anymore, since you ceased by be permanently resident in the US.

It sucks, but the clue is in the name. You can't be Permanently Resident in the US and reside in some other country. It just doesn't work like that.

Good luck with getting it sorted out.

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Also have you been filing US taxes and since your wife is a Yank, has she?

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Don't listen to all these people.

If your green card has expired, it's now recommended that you fly to Mexico and enter the country by climbing over the fence at the border.

Assuming you survive the heat, desert, coyotes and small-penised 'Minute Men' stalking the border with the large guns that compensate for their shortcomings, you will be welcomed to America and given a green card and a place of resident.

Don't worry about driver's licence, health insurance or any of that. None of the others do.

If by some small chance you do run into immigration problems, sue somebody. That'll be sure to let you stick around.

Apparently only losers and wimps (like, me, apparently) do the dumb thing and actually go through the legal immigration process.

In order to dscourage illegal immigration, the American government gives illegal immigrants harsh punishments, like free schooling and medical care and the right to apply for citizenship after so many years.

Yeah, that'll teach 'em.

Re: hello
 

I see a crack in at least one lens of your rose-tinted specs, Roland.

Anyway, you're a fine one to talk, in your marriage-of-convenience!

I mean I know you say you love her...

:rofl:

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well it can in certain circumstances, like a military posting :D

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California, New York, New Jersey, etc are not the only livable states in this country. You cannot form an opinion on any state you have never lived in or just visited. Typical.

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If I can endure her changing radio stations 120 times in a single 18 minute car journey (I know, I counted) then sadly, it MUST be love.

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Where have you been, Seahorse? This is BE! We're all qualified to wax lyrical about stuff we don't have a single bloomin' clue about.

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You do have a point! :lol:

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How dare people want to protect the border, their homes and communities?..
Speak to someone from a town which has lost its medical facility because it went out of business because it treated illegals and noone picked up the tab.

You're a fine one to talk about small penises. Posing, legs akimbo, on the hoods of really naff muscle cars. (Inserts ad hominem attack.) But what should I expect? Everyone knows gingers don't have souls. Are you a daywalker, by any chance?

Re: hello
 

Wow, take a chill pill.

Minutemen do a far better job of protecting the border than building a giant fence (which takes all of an extra three minutes to climb over.)

I was making a joke about men who have fetishes for enormous guns and what they're possibly compensating for.

However, I was also complaining about the same thing that you are - that there seems to be a system of reward, rather than punishment, for illegal immigrants and doing things the right way - the legal route that I took.

All these illegal immigrants are having an enormous effect on America and we're ignoring it - healthcare costs have more than doubled in many parts of America because paying 'customers' have to cover the costs for the treatment of uninsured, undocumented aliens.

The roads are becoming a nightmare as undocumented, unlicenced, uninsured drivers zoom about in clapped out, uninspected cars.

Crime shoots up - in Mas. a sheriff disovered that 25% off all criminals her arrested were actually illegal immigrants.

All in all, it's a bad situation.

But you know what? I'm not so fond of the Minuteman movement since they're vigilantes with guns and when they protest, there's a strange pattern of neo-nazis and white supremecists showing up at the same time.

Also, I didn't like that youtube video they made staging the fake shooting of an immigrant crossing the border.

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I just object to the "compensating" tag. It's so overused.

I have a small tallywhacker, and I also have guns. There is absolutely no correlation between the two. I'm not compensating for anything.

I also drive a Jetta. Hardly compensating there either.

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I'm an environmentalist. All my jokes are 100% recycled!

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Well at least you have a way "in" if your greencard has expired/been abandoned.

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Thank you for supporting the Mexican way of life;)

Jim.

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Thanks for all the replies. Guess i'll have to re-apply. I have no set timescale for coming over anyway! We have not filed our taxes but I have renewed my Drivers license!
Anyone care to comment on the cost of living/prices of food etc. This would have more bearing on my decision than the GC.

Re: hello
 

Not having filed your taxes may have more bearing on your decision than any of the above.

You are aware that your wife, as a USC, is legally obliged to file US taxes every year, aren't you? And that for as long as you claim to be a Permanent Resident, so do you? In fact, had you filed your taxes throughout the time you were out of the country, you would have a (very) slim chance of claiming that you were still a Permanent Resident.

As it is, you may be looking at some hefty IRS fines and years of being audited... which sucks, so I hear!

Re: hello
 

Ok...Supposing I sort out my GC. Pay my massive IRS fines. Avoid being killed/beaten by hillbillies. Survive the yearly audit. Manage to avoid the men with small dicks an guns at the Mexican border.

Can anyone tell me the price of gas? How much would you need yearly for a comfortable lifestyle?

This thread is like something from Monty Python:lol:

Re: hello
 

Don't cross the border.... this is called "entering without inspection" and means you can never become a PR/citizen.

Price of gas is approx $3 and change per USD. "Comfortable lifestyle" means different things to different people. However, one of you might have to work to get health insurance cover, even if you are "comfortable" now.

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Aren't them all! :eek:

Welcome to BE lovely Scot :)

Re: hello
 

PMSL Monty Python indeed.

Cost of living varies wildly from place to place here. Arkansas is fairly inexpensive - a lot of folks from Chicago have retired to Mountain Home, hence why I was aware of that area.

Realtor.com is good for looking at house prices - pick an area you're interested in, and search and see the prices come up.

Search for the type of car you might want - you should be able to see basic prices online.

Gas would be similar everywhere, but some counties tax it more.

How much do you need? Really hard to answer I'm afraid...

Re: hello
 

Are you attempting to prove the sterotype about Americans and Irony? :p It was a joke, I swear! I really don't recommend doing ANYTHING to piss off the Immigration Dudes.

Also, don't accuse men with big guns of having small penises. Just whisper it to all their friends behind their backs.

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Arkansas mean trucks .....

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Would you say he should take shooting lessons before or after moving? :lol:

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Also, don't accuse men with big guns of having small penises. Just whisper it to all their friends behind their backs.[/QUOTE]

:rofl::rofl:

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I think you need a few months after for training ...

Re: hello
 

Arkansas - if you want to totally avoid UK culture and immerse yourself in an American way of living, well, you probably couldn't do much better. Its excruciatingly Southern, slightly milder in climate than the surface of the Sun but the people are very friendly (if they will understand you) and the Summer thunderstorms are incredible.

If you want nature - you got it. Uncomplicated friendly people - you got that too. Toothless hicks straight out of Deliverance - Hayupp!

Its places like Arkansas which are perfect for a Brit who wants nothing ever to do with the UK again. If it sank into the sea, it'd make news in Arkansas. Possibly.
But did I mention the locals are really friendly? :)

Bon Chance.