dannyjebb

Hi all.
Is there any site that explains the requirements for getting a visa in an understandable form. I work as a pharmacy technician here in the UK but being young and not yet on the property ladder it is impossible to get a mortgage we have 15k saved but not even close to the 20% needed for a house costing 150k (basic 2 up 2 down terrace) and thats living in manchester. Wages in NC are on a similar level to what I am paid now in the NHS and we could actually afford a house, although I know you cant buy straight away My OH is a pet groomer and have decided after a few trips that we would love to move to north carolina Have looked into visa applications and they are so confusing, have contacted companies online who say we would be successful after only telling them our names, ages and jobs but need to fill in a full assessment at a cost of £xxx but if I look at the visa requirements it states you need a degree which neither of us have. If we are sponsored then the other cant work and I cant see many people wanting to sponsor a pharmacy technician. There seems to be loads of jobs going and have read articles saying techs are in high demand so hopefully I wouldn't have a problem "taking a job from a US citizen" I have contacted NC pharmacy board who say I could work as a technician there for a year with a temporary certification and would need to take the national cert exam if I wanted to stay for more than a year, have already got all the information on that and am quite confident I would pass it with no problems, not as in depth as the training in the UK, but I cant apply for a job before I know if I would get a work visa. I dont want to pay a company £100's for something that can be done by myself just need some help for it to all make sense in my head

thanks for reading and any help anyone can offer

Danny

nettlebed

This is a very simple guide to see if you are likely to be eligible or not.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulaski_Simplified

To me, it sounds like you are not. Getting a company to sponsor you is VERY difficult if there are lots of people looking for similar jobs.

Edited to add: the NC board are being technically accurate, but unhelpful. They are telling you whether you could get a temporary cert. To them it is entirely immaterial how big a hill you have to climb to get a visa: the two are different things.

Duncan Roberts

Try going back to school and training to be pharmacist, then you might have a shot.

Rete

Any chance that either you or your wife have citizenship from another country, other than the UK, that is eligible to submit an application to the diversity lottery for a green card, i.e. Northern Ireland.

N1cky

Do not pay a company to get you a visa, it'll be a scam, no company can guarantee you a visa

dannyjebb

yeh I wont be paying any companies my other half is Irish (southern) dunno if that makes a difference as technically northern irish are british arnt they? Do you think the siuation is likely to change in the next 10 years or so? or is it going to get harder? As I say we are only young and got time on our side but hopefully want to leave England before it becomes a 3rd world country as thats the way its looking at the moment. Its just our luck that there letting every tom dick and harry into our country and no one can leave house prices are stupidly high, cost of living increasing, pay decreasing if you work in the public sector, taxes increasing to pay for the numerous people who live off benefits.

I couldnt really afford to go back to Uni for four years to do my pharmacy degree and not sure if I would want to be a pharmacist there all a bit weird if you ask me spent too much time with the meds hehe

Danny

Marocco

Eligibility for the diversity visa lottery is by birthplace, not citizenship. People born anywhere on the island of Ireland are eligible.

dannyjebb

ah right well she was born in England and here till she was 2 but then moved back to Ireland till she was 15 lol all her family are Irish but guess she wont qualify. all is not looking well

tonrob

Here we go again....

dannyjebb

Huh?? what did I say??

And we have always got Ireland as a back up plan

SultanOfSwing

Is it possible that another area of the UK might offer an option for you? As British (and Irish) citizens, you also have the entire EU open to explore, and Australia or Canada may prove easier for immigration purposes (don't quote me )

Let me address one point you made in the first post about being able to afford a house in the USA on your wages, comparable to what you make in the UK. This is true on the surface. I make here just a little more than I did in the UK, and just purchased a house last year. Here is the thing though - I am married to a US citizen with a long credit history who makes more than me, and I had to spend the 3 years I had been working building up my own credit. While we were able to buy a decent sized house, it was after a credit check, and a mortgage pre-approval based on that. Unfortunately you would not have that luxury as neither of you will have a US credit history so you would be unlikely to get a mortgage unless there was a hefty deposit, or a huge interest rate or both.

I know house prices are high in the UK, believe me, it was one of the few reasons I had for moving here as opposed to staying at home. My sister, who is 29, is only now buying her first house and it is a small end terrace.

One final thing to consider, something that is a big deciding factor in accepting employment in the USA, and will determine your cost of living is health insurance. You won't have the NHS anymore, and unless your employer has a good plan, you need to factor in money for that. You might be young and healthy but get in a car accident that is even slightly serious and that could be $100k or more, and you may only be covered for 80% of that. I'm no expert on insurance plans, but I know they can be a rip off if you're not careful. I have a decent plan in work (HMO employee only so nothing taken out of my paycheck) but I pay for it in a limited pool of docs, I need referrals for everything and pay slightly higher copays and that. But, on the other hand, I rarely need to see a doctor, if at all, so I can take the risk. Not trying to piss on your parade but it's another thing to consider.

I can't comment on your remark about the UK becoming a 3rd world country, or the irony of your statement regarding immigrants, but I have lived here for 5 years, and I can tell you with all honesty, hand on heart, the grass isn't greener here. Some people may disagree, but I married a USC, I am here through necessity alone. I truly miss NI (and yes, we are Brits, technically or otherwise ), and it is my dream to move us all back to my home town so our children can experience life on the east side of the pond, but because I fell for the 'life is better in the US' trick I am not sure that will ever become a reality.

That may come across as harsh, or blunt, but I'm not trying to be a d*ck, mate, just realistic. I wish you all the best and I hope you can find the country to make it work .

N1cky

England is not and will not any time soon be a 3rd world country.

We see on here all the time, people who think that England is awful and America is wonderful, reality is its not that way at all.

You are trying to leave England as you believe you will have a better life, exactly the same as people who have moved to England from other countries have done so because they believe it will give them and their family a better life. America is also full of immigrants, most of us on this board are immigrants. I live in California, its full of immigrants mainly Mexicans who people also like to bash, but actually lots of them work a damn sight harder than I do for a lot less.

House prices are increasing slowly back to where they were a few years ago. Cost of living is increasing EVERYWHERE not just in the UK. Working conditions and benefits in America can be like living in a 3rd world country if you are at the wrong end of the payscale. It is also a common misconception that you are not taxed much in the US, very wrong.

dannyjebb

Hi thanks for all that info and I wasn't commenting on England being a 3rd world country due to immigrants but due to the general life people have unless your rich! And the amount of immigrants here who don't work but claim benefits is unreal! I am sure in america it isn't possible for you to bring over your entire family and them all claim benefits straight away? Obviously it was an over exageratin but people struggle to have a night out these days as they are living off there savings


The plan would be to move over in 5-10 years and we would have saved up enough money to buy a house outright, and am I right in thinking you can't buy a house unless your a permanent resident??

Danny

Noorah101

You are free to buy a house in the USA at any time, if you can manage it (i.e., might be hard to get a mortgage going with no US credit history). You do not have to be a US PR in order to own property in the USA.

Rene

nettlebed

A couple of things that spring immediately to mind that people might not have considered are:

1. Holiday allowance (you typically start at two weeks in most jobs - some give you zero days)
2. Health insurance - no NHS or socialized medicine here for most people. If you are working, you MAY be lucky and get a good plan. Most likely you won't. I am a senior manager for an extremely large online retailer, and the health plan is barely OK. I'm glad that my wife also has a plan that I can join. Oh, and the insurance companies have LEGIONS of staff looking for the slightest excuse not to pay your claims.