CA-NY

Hi there, I've been a lurker on this forum before but our situation has updated recently so wanted to ask a couple of questions. We are married couple in late 30s, no children, currently in the UK, considering the possibility of a move to USA.

Husband has the opportunity to transfer to the NJ office of his company. The proposed transfer is being driven by us rather than his employer. Employer is initially very supportive and husbands skills and experience would make it a mutually beneficial transfer. No further detailed discussions on covering relocation expenses, salaries, health insurance etc. but understand fully the importance of having this all negotiated before any move.

My main question at this stage is how can we go over there to "test the water" so to speak to see how we like it, living and working over there. I don't want to get over there, discover we hate it and want to come back to the UK. Is it possible to go over there for a short period say 3 to 6 months without having to go through visas etc. Kind of try before you buy?!

My ideal scenario would be to go over there on a short term basis, leave our house in the UK as is i.e. not rent it out, take some short term rental accommodation in USA and just see how we get on and whether we feel we want to make it more permanent. Is this a viable option or would we have to go through full visa application even for that short time.

Any advice on how to try it out on a short term basis?

ian-mstm

Short answer: you don't.

Long answer: you can't live or work in the US without the appropriate visa.

That said, on the assumption that you're eligible to use the VWP, the best you can do is visit for 90 days and get a feel for the place. You would not be allowed to work.

Ian

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE.

My husband came over on a L1a visa. It was agreed that if and when we wanted to return to the UK...the company would repatriate us and he would go back to his old position. There was no time limit...but once we applied for green cards...he transferred permanently over to the US company.

It depends on what your husband and his company agrees and how much they value him.

CA-NY

I guess I'm thinking the expense and time involved in getting visas sorted and then we get over there and only stick at it for a short time might not go down very well!

We also have to discuss fully with employer that they will cover all expenses which, given that we are driving the transfer, is possibly something they might assume we will take care of.

Could hubby technically be sent on a 90 day business trip to work in US office? He went on a business trip to Vegas for 9 days, could he go to NJ for three months, still employed as normal by UK employer?

Jerseygirl

Sorry...he cannot work in the US unless he has the appropriate visa...not even for 1 day. If he was working in Vegas he was doing so illegally. He would however be allowed to attend business meetings/conferences on the VWP...perhaps that's what he was doing.

CA-NY

Yes he was at a trade show / conference and meetings before. Didn't realilse that would be classed differently than going to work in the company office over there. Thanks for help so far!

Jerseygirl

Note which type of visa the company will be applying for. Some the spouse can work...others they can't...the L1a fast tracks you to a Green Card...some it's a much more difficult route. Any questions about visas take a look in the BE Wiki and ask questions in the US Immigration forum.

Edit: Before we moved here...my daughter and I spent most of the school holidays over a 2 year period visiting NJ. We thought we knew what living here would be like. Wrong...visiting even staying for several weeks on end...several times a year...is nothing like living here.

Bob

No.

That's what a good repatriation clause in your negotiations about relocating are for. Have them cover your return if you hate it for whatever reason within x number of days or if they let you go. Usually you'll have a sliding scale of how much of the costs you have to reimburse if you return within x number of months, but again, you can negotiate everything and walk away if you don't feel comfortable with things.

fatbrit

Set the testing period at 1 to 2 years and your plan is much more realistic.

penguinsix

Yea, if you are just coming for 3-6 months, you'll be right in the sweet spot of "cold hard reality" which comes after "initial euphoria and excitement" and before "moving forward with a more realistic view and assessment". You will not have had time to make any lasting friendships and you'll still be finding your way around ("I can't find this or that" you'll moan to folks back home only to discover three months later there is a place selling this and that just 2 miles from your house that you didn't know about before).

Unfortunately, with the visas, try before buy is not really an option. If you could swing it, try to get a business trip over here for some reason and then bundle that with a 2 week vacation or something. Do NOT live in a hotel but get a corporate apartment with a kitchen, so you can discover what is needed to live the day-to-day life in America (i.e. a car, drive to the grocery, drive to the pharmacy, drive to a restaurant, price sheets, towels, sundries at the local stores, etc). It's not the same, but it will be a bit different than living a catered lifestyle in a hotel and might help understand how few things work, like the prices of groceries and the fact you have to drive everywhere to do the basic necessities of living.

Good luck.

CA-NY

Excellent advice. We are now working on the basis that we need to get a real feel for what it's like to live there on a regular day to day basis and do everyday things like grocery shopping, deal with household bills, just general living. We've visited many time before but always in vacation mode and I think we know that realistically 3-6 months is not enough time to "settle in".

I think our next stage is to plan a trip over fairly soon there to visit the area where we would be living and working and to try and get a short term rental even if it's for a week or two and try and get a feel for what it would be like to live there. If we come back and feel this is something we want to move forward with, next stage is for him to start more detailed discussions with employer about timescales, visa application and more specific terms of the transfer.

We are going in to this with our eyes open and trying to be as informed as possible. I'm sure this forum will be an invaluable source of help. For the record, our initial research tells us hubby would be on an L1B visa.

I was on this forum late last night and was all doom and gloom, talked myself out of it, what are we thinking...etc etc. But this morning, am feeling more positive about it all! As my husband says, what's the worst that can happen? The pros are definitely outweighing the cons at the moment. It's just difficult not to think too far ahead and get bogged down with the practicalities and forget the fact that this is a huge opportunity for us.

Squirrel

Make sure you get a good medical package and read the details. Once you live in the US you will no longer be eligible for the NHS except emergency treatment. (Unless you move back of course).

Jerseygirl

Use BE's search engine to search for old threads...there's loads about New Jersey. Also search for relocation packages and don't forget the BE Wiki I mentioned earlier. I wish we'd had all the info that's on BE when we moved to NJ 16 years ago.

Give me a shout if you have problems locating the threads.

CA-NY

Thanks jerseygirl. May I ask, where you are in Jersey? We would be in the Glen Rock / Ridgewood area. Any comments on that location?

Jerseygirl

I'm in NW NJ...Morris County. I'm not really familiar with that area...good loco for NYC though.