Bethany

Hi,

it's great living abroad but it "don't half" confuse life!
Does anyone know of a good current book which discusses social/legal issues of choosing to move to the US permanently? I've been here 5 years and considering marrying my US boyfriend but can't find a good reference book on issues such as:

Should I contribute to Nat. Ins payments in UK?
When is the best time to consider citizenship and what British "perks " (pensions/benefits etc) do you lose?
What happens if you get divorced or want to return to the UK with US kids?
What is available to children of UK/US union.?

My partner is currently reluctant to consider ever living in Europe but all my family are still there and i don't want to be stranded here (much as i love it), if something ever goes wrong. I'd be very grateful if you have any good suggestions or leads?
Cheers,

Bethany

Yorkieabroad

To answer your real question re books - I don't know.

I'm in a similar position - UK married to US, with kids, I've just received PR status, but not sure where our long term home will be, so want to keep options open.

On the other points....NI payments - I'm keeping up the minimum to protect my pension rights - its small in the scheme of things, and don't know what the future may hold.

Kids rights - ours hold US and UK passports, but being under 2, I haven't really looked too closely at how long they will be able to keep both passports. I seem to remember reading somewhere that unless they do something specific to renounce one of them, that they will be able to keep them both indefinitely - worth checking that one out with the Embassy though.

Don't know if you've thought about it, but another thing worth checking out is your inheritance tax position - we're going thru that at the moment. We thought we were going back to the UK and had our wills drawn on that basis to be as tax efficient as possible - now that we're likely to be in the US for at least the next few years, its all back with the lawyers now trying to sort out. Apparently the IHT rates are a lot higher here, and it is (not surprisingly) a little harder to hide things in offshore trusts. One of the problems we have is in finding a lawyer who can advise on both sides of the atlantic - we are currently using one UK lawyer and one US lawyer, and the interface sometimes isn't as easy as it could be - if anyone has any good contacts on this, I'd love to hear them!

Englishmum

I'd love to see a book like that too! Most books only seem to concern the practical concerns of setting up in the US but not those medium to long-term matters.

Have you seen the British Embassy website for Brits in the US? It has loads of links to the UK agencies (eg. for NI contributions) and other consular information:

http://www.britain-info.org

Bethany

Thanks to you both for the info! If i find any more relevant information I will post it here, and maybe even compile it into a small online handbook over coming months. There must be thousands of expats who could list all the unexpected ssues they've had to deal with since moving here, and so I'm surprised I can't find any books brimming with advice. I'm in CT at the moment, but surpsingly, I don't know any Brits (every other nationality mind you!) to discuss this with.

Cheers, Bethany

Rob S

As far as the kids go...
anyone born in the US is a US citizen
anyone with a US parent can be a USC
anyone with a British parent can be a UKC

if you fulfill more than one of the above you have dual nationality - the US does have an oath for people naturalizing which includes a renunciation - but as far as UKC's are concerned - the Queen doesn't recognise it and it is almost impossible to lose UKC status.

In any event the latter part doesn't apply to children who have aquired status through birth (as far as I'm aware).

As to pensions - keeping a UK pension after leaving the UK is restricted - certainly beyond five years - speak with your pension provider for details.

Englishmum

I live in New Jersey but went over to Mystic in the Summer with my family as there was a big Queens Golden Jubilee expat celebration at an English couple's home near Mystic. There seems to be quite a contingent living around Mystic/near the Mohegan Sun/New Haven/Fairfield co. etc. plus others in MA. They're a very friendly bunch and often get together for a curry, meal out or drinks etc. Just pop over to the Discussion Forum (Britnet) and say Hi! You will get a big welcome!

The only decent book I've seen for expats in the US is called "Living and Working in the USA" by David Hampshire (you can get it from amazon.com or similar). It is very detailed, but again is more useful for when you first arrive in the States, but I still refer to it from time to time even though I've been here for 2+ years.

In fact, it would be nice to get a book for Brit expats not only in the US but worldwide (we were in the Far East before coming to the US) but still retain our links to the UK as all our family live there and we still have a house which we rent out....we're here on L1 & L2 visas and still trying to decide whether or not to go for Green Cards or not....worried about the huge expense for a decent university education here compared to the almost negligible cost in the UK.

Also did you know that the on-line version of the UK 'Daily Telegraph' also has an Expat section? It also has Forum and Information pages not only for the Americas but for worldwide; you might want to post your original question there as you may find that a long-term expat can help!

Bethany

Yep, I checked out the site and its links thanks!. After finding this site I looked more thoroughly and found many more places on line for expats. I'll be using them all more frequently in future. When i arrived here, I thought seeking out other Brits seemed like a "cop out" and that i should focus on meeting americans. After 5 years, i can honestly say i would enjoy the likeminded company again. I am beginning to laugh at US jokes more than Brit TV !

Re. the college issue, I think this is a huge difference between the US and UK (although maybe it is getting worse in the UK these days with loans anyhow). I am a scientist at Yale. My parents were uneducated factory workers. I have experienced so much more in life because the British goverment educated me and I will be eternally grateful, and proud of my country for this. Here in the US, there are scholarship programs but many people go into 10s or 100s of thousands of debt to get through med or law school. Some of them can never pay it off. I've lived with many of these people and watched both with admiration and horror at the extent they have to go through to pay for further education. Maybe it is the way of the future, but it saddens me. Coming from a lower income background, I have always been hugely fearful of debt. I could never have willingly put myself into debt to go to college when my family would have been quite happy for me to start work at 16. On a VERY positive note though, if you can face the fees, anyone can do it and make a new life for themselves. Sermon over!
cheers, Bethany

Bethany

er, oops- i posted the former reply in the wrong forum so it makes no sense here! it was getting late....

Pulaski

Really?!? I heard that they are a cliquey bunch, and judging by the posts on britnet, two or three are obnoxious witches. They may be your sort (having a PhD may help ), or they may not, but tread with care!