Grimfango

Hi there!

My boyfriend and I currently live together in London and want to move to NY. Having never moved abroad before, I'm completely stuck on where to start. We are both UK residents and were born in the UK.
We'd mostly likely stay short term, anywhere from 3-12 months. We may be working in NY, but instead we may continue working for same company's we currently work for in the UK on a remote basis.

What are visa options if staying longer than 3 months?
What are the options for moving your things over?
How do you find a place to live before you move?
How do we set up US bank accounts?
Do we need to buy health insurance before we go?
Any idea of the money needed for a move like this?

I just need a starting point as I'm not really finding all the information I need at present, mostly because I don't know where to begin!

Many thanks.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

What do you both do? Getting a visa for the US is notoriously tricky, so that needs to be your first step, there really is no point in worrying about where to live or moving your belongings until you know if you've got any chance. You can't just move and keep working for your UK company, as you're not allowed to work at all (regardless of where the company is located or where you're paid) if you're in the US as a visitor.

Have a look here for info on the various visa routes, and then once you've figured out which (if any) you may be eligible for you can ask more questions about it. Pulaski's Ways: How to Live and Work in the USA : British Expat Wiki

Do also note that you'd need to be married if one person gets a job offer/visa and the other wants to go as a dependent on that visa - there is no option for doing that if you are not married.

I'll move your thread to the US immi forums, if you can give more info about what you do and what your highest education level is, then hopefully people that can advise of your chances.

Best of luck.

Grimfango

Thanks for your reply! I have a uni degree and my boyfriend went to college and then did a short course. He is currently an animator (mid 30's) and I a graphic designer (mid 20's). Both our jobs are currently full time PAYE. Would the situation change drastically if we were freelance? We have been together 8 years but are not married so would get our own visas. If we just moved for 3 months, would we be able to work remotely for our UK companies without getting a visa? I know they have the 90 days policy but am not sure about all the detail.

christmasoompa

Not that I'm aware of. I'm afraid I don't know your chances of getting a company to sponsor you for a visa in those jobs, but hopefully the forum pros will be along shortly to help out with some advice. Which of the visas is the link do you think is your best option? Any chance of a company transfer for either of you?

In all honesty, getting one job offer from a company prepared to spend thousands on sponsoring your visa (not to mention waiting quite some time for you to be able to start work) is going to be tricky, even if your skills are in demand, getting two is not terribly realistic I'm afraid. I suspect marriage will be heck of a lot easier!

No, as above, you can't work at all on the VWP. You can visit, and have fun, but you'd need enough funds to support yourself without working.

HTH, best of luck.

Grimfango

Hmm okay. I'm not familiar with this system of getting companies to sponsor you?

I thought we would pay for a own visas - but I have no idea about costs involved. My company is a very small company, so although I could most likely arrange to work remotely for them on a short term basis, they probably wouldn't pay for my visa..

civilservant

You're looking at this all wrong. You have to find a company that will sponsor you for a visa, then you can move.

Look at this thread, see if you qualify, then go from there:

Pulaski's Ways: How to Live and Work in the USA : British Expat Wiki

This is the second time this has been linked in this thread.

Based on what you've said, I don't see you getting a visa to live and work in the US anytime soon. Even if you were successfully sponsored for an H1B (which is full for this year) you'd be looking at an April 2016 application for an October 2016 start.

Your partner cannot get a work visa without a degree in all likelihood. Not only that, but you'd have to be married for him to get a visa based on yours - he'd get an H4 and could not work. At all. Not even remotely.

christmasoompa

Have you read the link given in post no. 2 above? It will give you info on the employment based visas (they're not something you can apply for yourself generally).

scrubbedexpat099

You can visit for up to 90 dàys on the VWP.

ian-mstm

No, that's not how things work with US immigration. You must have a US company sponsor you for a visa - which means you must first have a bona fide job offer and they must be willing to pay several $thousand on your behalf for the visa. You can't start the visa process on your own... a US company must start the process on your behalf.

Given the information posted so far, neither of you will be getting a US visa anytime soon. Is it doable? Yes - but this will be a long-term project... because, quite frankly, it isn't going to happen in the short-term.

As for this bit, "My boyfriend and I ... want to move to NY" - the US has no interest in what you want. You can only do what is allowed under US immigration law. Sorry to be harsh, but that's the reality of your situation.

Ian

IlAlfie

To put it simply, you both need to apply for a job in NYC. Problem is, chances of even getting a phone interview, let alone the job, are virtually nil because unless you are THE most amazing candidate with an amazing reputation, no US company is going to take the several months and $$$$ to apply for a visa for you to work. Even if they did, you have to prove that you're an exceptional candidate and better than the graphic designers already here...There are lots of graphic designers in the US....On top of that, even if you did find a job, the most likely visa that a potential employer would apply for is massively oversubscribed and so you wouldn't be moving any time soon and there's a good chance you'd not be selected the next year.

You can't work remotely on the 90 day visa waiver program. Not in the way that you're hoping for. You can come to the US on the visa waiver to attend a business meeting, consult with colleagues and so on but not to work remotely for 3 months. The way they look at is that if you can work here remotely for 3 months, then that short job should go to someone who is a legal resident here i.e. an American or a green card holder and who will be paying taxes.

Look at the info that the other have provided. Depending on where you were born you may be eligible for the 'green card lottery' but again, this is a longer term proposition. Sorry, it's not that easy to work in the US. If your company had a US branch, then that might be a possibility too but otherwise you're out of luck.

ian-mstm

With respect, I suggest you refrain from making up shit and posting it.

Ian

IlAlfie

I think that's probably true. It's what I was told by an immigration attorney when I looked into consulting in the US when I held a B-2.

So there! Keep taking them happy pills...

scrubbedexpat099

It is a grey area, asking for a visa to do it would not be a good idea.

kimilseung

You need a company in America or with an American presence. A business in the UK can not sponsor you for a visa for a foreign country.

excpomea

Just come over on a vacation and enjoy your time here.
No one can see any way that you could ever actually emigrate here.