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can i move??????

can i move??????

Old Oct 6th 2014, 8:20 pm
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Default can i move??????

hi i was wondering if anyone could help me? i am 29 years old english and married to a woman from n.ireland with 2 children. we were really wanting to move to the us and was wondering if it was even possible? maybe on a skilled worker visa....... or as my wife is from northern ireland we could always try the diversity lotterty which is far from ideal. so my real question is can someone just move from the uk to the us? i am a floorlayer by trade. its been something we have been talking about for a long time but only just started to act on it. any information or experiances would be really appreceated many thanks lee
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 8:39 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

Originally Posted by Bridges01
so my real question is can someone just move from the uk to the us?
Sorry, but the only people who can "just move to the US" are people who are already US citizens ...
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 8:39 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

This link should give you some help:

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

I think Diversity Lottery should be possible if your wife was born in NI.

There is no skilled worker visa. No, you can't just move.

Usual questions: what is the pull? Are you familiar with the country? Do you realise life can be tough for ordinary people, with few employment rights and limited access to healthcare, for example? Do you actually have job leads in the US?
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 9:42 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

thanks. yes we have a lot of friends and friends of friends that have made the move, yeah the wife does qualify as being from n.ireland, and as i say it is the very early stages of us actually acting on our feelings and were litterally posting just to get some advice really. we have done quite abit of research into the pros and cons of both countries and feel that the us has more to offer us and our lifestyle. as for job opertunities there is a healthy employment situation with a positive future market in the flooring trade/industry so im pretty confident i could find work. if i knew where how etc.... hence posting on here
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 9:58 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

Originally Posted by Bridges01
thanks. yes we have a lot of friends and friends of friends that have made the move, yeah the wife does qualify as being from n.ireland, and as i say it is the very early stages of us actually acting on our feelings and were litterally posting just to get some advice really. we have done quite abit of research into the pros and cons of both countries and feel that the us has more to offer us and our lifestyle. as for job opertunities there is a healthy employment situation with a positive future market in the flooring trade/industry so im pretty confident i could find work. if i knew where how etc.... hence posting on here
Unfortunately flooring won't get you a visa.

How did your friends get over there?
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 10:00 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

Originally Posted by Bridges01
as for job opertunities there is a healthy employment situation with a positive future market in the flooring trade/industry so im pretty confident i could find work.
Where exactly have you been doing your research?
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 10:05 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

just been all over the internet
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 10:11 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

Originally Posted by Bridges01
just been all over the internet
Do you have any route to a visa other than the Diversity Lottery? Is your wife's job more likely to lead to a visa, what does she do?
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 10:17 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

In LA, flooring is done by Latino guys who travel long distances to work and might put in a full day and then go on to another job in the evening. Their pay level is pretty low I imagine.

Maybe there are more amenable parts of the country for this type of work. Is it what your friends are doing?
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 10:52 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

Lottery, bags of cash, or holidays it is then.
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Old Oct 6th 2014, 11:16 pm
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Default Re: can i move??????

The link provided will outline the various ways toward a visa.

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

It's not as easy as it might seem, or how "friends in a pub" did it. Some of them may have a family connection that sponsored them or might have just come over "illegally" and not left (there are quite a few 'undocumented' Irish working in the Northeast).

Take a look at the list and if there is any you think you might qualify for let us know and we can guide you through some of those steps.

And also take a look through the Moving Back to the UK forum on this site, which has some posts by people who came here seeking "a better life" frequently to discover the life they had back in the UK wasn't as bad as they thought. There might be some insight in that forum which will help you in your decisions.
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Old Oct 7th 2014, 1:05 am
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Default Re: can i move??????

Originally Posted by Bridges01
...as for job opertunities there is a healthy employment situation with a positive future market in the flooring trade/industry so im pretty confident i could find work. if i knew where how etc.... hence posting on here
Which state are you referring to, because this is not true of every state? Positive future market based on what? Unemployment numbers are better but certainly not at a comfortable level, people are still struggling. Are you aware of the wage you would get paid for such work?

One big bill will be your medical, for example my medical insurance at work just went up to $550 per month for the monthly premium, there is a co pay you pay every time you go to the doctor $35 for us per person per visit, $250 for a visit to the emergency room, $150 for ambulance service, $30 per generic prescription ... And this is with insurance. Thankfully I use my husbands insurance. So when you factor rent, food, child care if you have kids, cars, petrol, you have very little left. Going without health insurance is now illegal.

As Sally mentioned, 46 states have the 'right to work' law which means you can be dismissed at any time, for no reason and you may not even get time owed to you (in vacation/holiday time accrued) I have 2 family members that just went through this in the past 2 weeks. One had been at his job for 23 years and the other for 7 years.

This is not to scare you but give you some things to think about. Please do your research before making the move.
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Old Oct 7th 2014, 2:55 am
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Default Re: can i move??????

Just a point on terminology, since this point often gets raised.

"Right to Work" does not mean you can be dismissed at any time. In the US, "right to work" laws mean that individuals do not have to pay union dues unless they join a labor union. Previously, unions could negotiate a contract on behalf of a large group of people and then force even non-members to pay for that. From wikipedia:

A "right-to-work" law is a statute in the United States that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers, that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment...

"Employment at will" is the proper terminology in the US. That means you are employed "at will" and can be dismissed at any time. Conversely, you can leave at any time and don't have to give notice (unless of course, you have negotiated that into your employment agreement). Other benefits can also be affected such that you won't get holiday or vacation time, etc. All of this is negotiable in your contract however and part of the company's benefits policy.
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Old Oct 7th 2014, 3:33 am
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Default Re: can i move??????

In Arizona we have loads of day laborers who stand on street corners (like Circle K) and local construction companies, painters, roofers, landscaping outfits pull up in their trucks and hire however many they need. I've had my friend who speaks Spanish help me hire day laborers before and they were marvellous. Worked their arses off and when you speak to them find out usually they have many skills. So no shortage of skilled labor IMHO in SW..
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Old Oct 7th 2014, 6:55 am
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Default Re: can i move??????

Originally Posted by penguinsix
Just a point on terminology, since this point often gets raised.

"Right to Work" does not mean you can be dismissed at any time. In the US, "right to work" laws mean that individuals do not have to pay union dues unless they join a labor union. Previously, unions could negotiate a contract on behalf of a large group of people and then force even non-members to pay for that. From wikipedia:

A "right-to-work" law is a statute in the United States that prohibits union security agreements, or agreements between labor unions and employers, that govern the extent to which an established union can require employees' membership, payment of union dues, or fees as a condition of employment...

"Employment at will" is the proper terminology in the US. That means you are employed "at will" and can be dismissed at any time. Conversely, you can leave at any time and don't have to give notice (unless of course, you have negotiated that into your employment agreement). Other benefits can also be affected such that you won't get holiday or vacation time, etc. All of this is negotiable in your contract however and part of the company's benefits policy.
I doubt that a floor-layer gets a benefits package.
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