Mattw7

We are currently negotiating our moving package for later in the year (Covid dependant!). We have been asked to draw up a list of approximate costs by my wife’s company (she will be the first UK person to work there).

We have looked online so have a rough idea of the main costs of moving but with lots of places closed at the moment we were hoping to get some first hand experience to let us know things we may have forgotten/ budgeted incorrectly.

Removal- quotes online of about £4000 for a door to door service of a two bedroom house

Visa- we have the cost of the I-130 and will also need to add the CR1 and travel to London costs- £800

Pet transportation- we are taking our Labrador and have various quotes for around £2000

Personal flights- About £500 including additional baggage

We are going to ask about some set up fees, car rental, house deposits etc but understand this will be unlikely to be successful.

Have we missed any key costs out that the company may pay for?

christmasoompa

This might help - https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Compa...on_Packages_US

Other things that you've not mentioned that my husband's company offers in their standard relocation package are flights home once a year (can also choose not to fly business class when moving, but premium economy instead, which then gets an extra flight to be used during the time in US), car hire for 2 weeks, a 5 day familiarisation trip to look at area and houses etc, a relocation agent to manage the whole move, 5 days extra holiday when you move, 15 days temp accommodation (can be used in either country or split between both), tax returns in both countries done by accountants, 2 months of rental furniture to cover until shipping container arrives & one off tax free payment of £8000 to cover 'incidental expenses'.

There are other things offered by his company like school fees if children are aged 14 or over, one flight a year for any children left at uni in the UK to visit their parents, etc, but as you don't mention children I assume they wouldn't be relevant. There are also other things for if it's just a temporary assignment rather than a permanent move, but again I assume the plan is for this to be permanent?

Hope the above helps, you may not get all of it, but could be worth asking just in case. Best of luck.

SanDiegogirl

What you are likely to get in your package,depends on whether it is the company that has asked for the move or whether the employee has asked for the move.

Most common packages include: shipping costs for household good etc., accommodation for a couple of months, car rental for a couple of months, all visa costs, flight costs to US, a sum between $5K and $10 for 'other expenses'

You mention your company is paying for a CR1 visa so presume no children costs.

Other goodies in a package could include: flights home to UK for vacations, schooling fees, paying for getting your taxes done..... all to be negotiated.

civilservant

I guess I'm confused. You mention a CR1, which suggests that someone in the family is a USC and are going to sponsor their spouse to move to the US as a Permanent Resident.

With that being said, why are the company footing the bill for anything? Just to be nice? Seems odd - since you can quit working for them and work for another US employer literally the second you leave the airport.

A company paying for a spousal immigrant visa. That's a new one on me.

SanDiegogirl

Mattw7 is a US/UK citizen and looks like they have filed DCF in London.

Not sure therefore where the moving package comes in if they are already doing a partner/spouse sponsorship.....

Mattw7

Thanks all for your insights. I am a USC.

My wife’s company initially were going to sponsor her for a Visa, but we are now married and no longer require the sponsorship. So technically the company are calling it a sign on bonus but are basing it on the costs that we will accrue whilst moving.

We were expecting to have some costs covered by my company but due to the current economic climate I think that is unlikely as I have requested to move.

SanDiegogirl

From your earlier posts it seems you visited the US to take a look at NJ and your partner (now wife) was offered a job locally.

If she applied for the job, then, what you get as a moving package is really up to the company,

Mattw7

As the company have never recruited anyone from the UK they have asked us to provide them with an approximation of the associated costs, in order to inform their offer.

Pulaski

If they're hiring a USC from outside the US with a non-USC spouse, I don't see what the alternative would be.

The trailing spouse usually gets an L-2, H-4, O-3, derivative E-2, etc., but clearly none of those apply if the employee is a USC.

SanDiegogirl

From the sounds of it is the non-us person who has been offered the job and the company was applying for a visa for them. However, the non-us person is now married to a US citizen and they have filed the I-130 in London (DCF). They no longer need the company sponsorship, but are still looking at some sort of moving package.

Pulaski

OK, yeah, I see now.

tom169

Do they give sign on bonuses to local people that apply? If it's a decent job and company then the answer might well be "yes". As such I would negotiate the best deal for you and your worth, rather than basing it on relocation numbers.