Chandler

A lot of talk on this board often concerns the difficultly of getting started (credit score) or the unexpected costs (medical) combined with the joys of US State Dept Administration (various).

My question is this: At what point did you actually think that yes, it's all going to be okay after all?

elfman

When I got my job. Personally I found the whole visa/immigration process itself trouble-free, but from arrival in the US to day one at work it basically took seven months of working the phone and emailing/faxing stacks of CVs to get a job in my particular field. There were a few times in that seven months when we wondered if we'd done the right thing in moving over here: I broke my ankle, we were living in a small but pricey studio flat on just my wife's salary (although I did get a part time job for a few months), and all my job applications/approaches just seemed to be going into a big black hole. When I finally managed to get my CV under the nose of someone who would understand it I was hired fairly quickly. Not saying life has been idyllic since then - but at least from then on we were able to let ourselves believe it would all be ok.

anotherlimey

I'm an intra-company transferee so the only thing that worried me was the length of time it took to get my visa. When it finally came it was a big relief, the trouble started when I set myself up over here with a place to live, credit cards etc...

ImHere

It does go right at some point then?

Bob

I'm still waiting....thinking it was wrong idea now though...

rincewind

I'll let you know when I get there

rincewind

Bob, if you ever wanna visit Georgia, you are more than welcome to stay with us. We can drink a few and discuss Carlin quotes and bitch about the situation. Let it all out so we can move on.

Brit'n'TX

similar to elfman, though it was 10 months before I got my first job - savings were running low and we had actually discussed whether we should cut our losses and decamp to blighty ...money is still tight a couple of years later, but I wouldn't go back now - life is good!

ukemigrant

When I got the Visa in the UK - everything else has been a cakewalk except for the waster solicitor in the UK who handled my house sale. Rarely returned calls and took ages to deposit the funds from the sale of my house.

RoB1833

Things have got better on the financial and settling in front since I got my most recent job and moved from NC to Ma. This took about 15 months and before that money was tight and I was bored to tears living out in the boonies.

On the immigration front its coming up to two years since we filed for the green card and over six months since I gave up on that and tried to AOS internally and still nothing. Because of that we have just had to send in for a new work permit. Having no green card makes it more difficult as no-one will touch someone here on a visa for credit, although I did manage to blag a credit card about a year ago by making Edward Jones think they could get their hands on my pension from the UK.

New in NY

Based on my experience of having moved several times, it takes me around 2 years to feel fully comfortable in any new country. Fully comfortable includes all the small things like knowing which yoghurt to buy, where to get an electrician, having a sort of routine, establishing a circle of friends. Usually after two years I get to a point where I feel I don't want to move anywhere.

Elvira

I'm still wondering when I'll get that 'it'll-be-okay' feeling...

Husband's employer told us getting GC was just a formality and would take a few months. Nearly 4 years later we are still stuck in red-tape hell - only just getting to the point where we can actually apply for said GC.

And without a SS# one might just as well not exist.

One of our kids has settled in well, one is okay, # 3 hates it.

All my friends are 'aliens' like myself.

Hubby loves his job, so that's good.

Rockgurl

I had to adjust twice..once in Phoenix when I first arrived and then once again when I moved to the East Coast. I loved Phoenix and it was a great big adventure, but I was very scared and nervy the whole time and couldn't quite settle down because it was all so unfamiliar and I was alone there. The job I had was a bit crap although I loved the people. I missed my partner terribly and that was very difficult.

When I moved to the East Coast I had a lot of difficulty adjusting, as I had a bad experience with a job and I really didn't know who I was anymore. I thought I'd lost the point and felt in limbo for months. I took stock of myself, hit the gym in a big way and tried to get my life back on track. I got a fantastic job, and then virtually the same week, managed to join my dream band. I am now the happiest I've ever been, and the band is so important to me. I really feel like I'm living the American Dream I always fantasized about when I was a kid. I have it all...the job, the partner, the band. I just don't think I could go back to England to live after experiencing everything I have over here. None of this would have been possible in England. I do miss the old place though. Going home for a visit in April.

TouristTrap

It can take from 2 to 5 years to actually get on your 'feet', financially and otherwise.

How long have you been here?

Eskimo

Chandler we have been here in LA for just 9 months now. At 3 months the wife and kids would have left on first plane. However we went home to the UK at Xmas and rather than making us feel homesick we couldn’t wait to come back. I think you get a very rose tinted view of the UK and it reminded me in general what a shithole it is.
Coming back after Xmas has been great - we have started making friends (some of them reprobates from this forum - god forbid - and 90% of them English which is a bit sad) and the eldest is really getting into school.
Some of the issues others talk about we have been lucky not to experience. I am an interco transfer so we where very well looked after (and still are) we got some credit almost immediately and a mortgage.
We are going through GC hell at the moment and I will be relived when we have filed but I think things are starting to click into place. I think we have climbed the hill