Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

moderator note: This thread has been split from someone else's immigration thread. Please do not discuss immigration/visa specifics here. This portion of the discussion is OT to immigration, focused on people bad-mouthing the US.

Hi there,we are also looking at moving to the usa {florida} and also posted a questions on here, but i have to say i have nothing but bad feed back with people constantly trying to make there country look crap.If we listened to them i think there country would come to a hault as no one would visit. America is a lovely country {places were we have visited} lovely people, more laid back and house prices and buisness now make it affordable for us.We also have spoke to people who have made the move and would not come back to the uk even 4 a visit. So good luck.:thumbup:

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

Nothing said in this thread is false though.
yes the USA is a lovely country.

but scenic views of the Rocky Mountains can't get you a visa.

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

With all due respect, you don't live in the US... and you can not possibly know what life is like here based on a few visits or talking to friends. If you think you can, you're most likely trying to convince yourself of something that just isn't so.

Ian

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

there lies the problem ... you visited while earning a good wage in the UK ....
once you live here and your income is at florida income ... its not so good

have you ever paid car and house insurance water bill, electric bills did you know there are 9 taxes added to your phone bill... do you have to pay for garbage collection

Yes gas is cheaper but you have to do three times the mileage to get anywhere

Real life is not like those of a tourist

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

I don't think so!!!!

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

I do hate this when people living in the US complain about the bills, yes they are eye openers!!!:eek: NO it isnt a country like the UK, thats full of vicky pollard Welfare/on the dole claiming lazy S**TS, to the extent the UK is. Nor is it wise for anybody to LIVE IN THE USA, if you worry about HEALTHCARE costs. The people that are majorly concerned with the cost of health care, shouldnt even be living there in the first place:rolleyes:
Or at best, stop moaning! :thumbsup: America did not ask you people to go there!

As far as America is concerned, moan about it. great. but your more than welcome to leave and im sure the americans attitude to this would be......
'dont forget to shut the door on your way out':D

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

Thats true but with all due respect you can not tell me its not for the better as you have never lived in the uk and do not know what my life is like here and how hard it is to run a buisness.

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

Yes we do pay car tax, car ins, house ins, building ins, life ins, critical illness ins, health ins- private and national ins also taxed 40% on wages then taxed again when you buy goods and dont forget VAT at 17.5%. So there you go its not just the usa that just gives high taxes and we also pay a council tax which is for our bins to be emptied and for our policing.

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

Bonnie, sometimes people have a habit of not replying to the actual questions that the OP asks:D
But, I'm sure, or, would like to think that, our fellow brits are just trying to advise you on the pitfalls that are not seen from a holiday perspective;)
have you any friends in America? that could perhaps advise you on, general day to day living in the states?
We have recently had another set of friends come back to the UK, because they didn't want to live their lives in constant stress, that the E2 often gives you!
Sometimes it can be for some living in the US, same S**T different country! It does provide a fantastic way of life, IF you have plenty of money. You see in the UK, there are all kinds of things should you fall out of work, to fall back on like unemployment benefits and healthcare that you dont get big bills for. :)

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

So Bonnie, have you paid any money to the person who is "arranging" your E2 visa for you?

I only ask because your initial posts sound rather too similar to this poor person who's lost everything they've paid to a "visa consultant":

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=672995

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

There are good things and bad things about living anywhere in the world. Money is a factor and in the US healthcare and its costs is a huge factor. My daughter has a medical condition that requires hospital visits and tests and the bills are not nice, but, we wanted to come to the US so we either deal with it or move back to the UK.

I don't know a lot about the E2 visas but if you want any kind of visa to get you over to the US the research everything you can. List pros and cons. Look at the likely duration of the visa and the impact it will have on your children. There will always be people telling you not to do it and there will be people saying go for it. Take in all the information and decide what is best for you and your family. The US is one of the hardest places to get a visa for. Be prepared for a lot of hard work.

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck.

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

Yes thats the whole point brits or people that come to the uk that can not be bothered to get a job or come here because they get homes and benefit, and us that work pay high taxes cause the low life get away with it. If you need money then get a job and work like the rest of us.

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

Yeah -- too many bloody scrounging immigrants for my liking in the UK. Anything else of interest in The Mail today?

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

Most of us here are British ex-pats who have lived in the UK. :)

Even Ian with that weird dog thing.

Re: help on moving to USA on E2 visa
 

I think the point is you have never paid those in the US whilst earning a US salary. Also, most people on the boards are British expats, hence the name of the board, so lived in the US for usually a considerable amount of time so can give a pretty good view of the things that people don't even consider when they are looking at immigrating here. Things like being charged for incoming calls on your cell phone, inflated insurance costs, charges and/or taxes for pretty much everything, etc. No one is trying to crush your dreams or convince you not to try, or bad mouthing the US, just pointing out the reality compared to the fantasy.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

is there anyone out there that could tell me what the bills honestly are for healthcare, insurance and any other taxes, instead of just saying that they are sky high
can someone please have something good to say as iam about to call the samaritans for help

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

By asking that question, you are showing that you do not understand how things work in the US. No-one can answer what 'the bill for healthcare' will be. It depends on whom you can find to insure you and what your health history is like.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

we are a family of 3
as far as we are concerned of normal standing
my husband is very early 40s with no medical history and of very good health and never smoked
iam late 30s and recently had an operation to remove a benine tuma removed but otherwise of good healt but did smoke for about 10 years but no more than 10 a day
our son is 4 and no medical problems
surely someone out there has a simlar medicalhistoy and of simlar age
Help!!!!

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

Ever heard that old saying "If you have to ask, you can't afford it?"

Moving to the USA with limited funds is a bit like looking round one of those shops that don't have price tags on the items for sale :(

Nobody can give you a "price list" other than to say estimate as best you can, then double it.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

Many people on this site get health insurance through their employer. If you are running your own busuness, you will have to pay for it yourselves, as was mentioned in the previous thread. Do the people you have spoken to about businesses in Florida have any information on this that they could give you?

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

about $12,000 a year health insurance for the family there or there abouts..

maybe less if you waive the right to EVER have surgery on anything resembling a tumor ever again.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

That's great that you are all fit and healthy. So was my husband until last year when he fell off a roof. He has health insurance but (and this is exactly a year after this accident) we are still fighting insurance, doctors, hospitals over the bills. I'm not talking a few hundred dollars, it's in the thousands and this is with insurance.

Never take the NHS for granted!

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

yeah got funds to buy a house without the need for a mortgage, along with the money for a small business to buy for $60k with a monthly income of $4k a month
could i live on this income ?

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

How the hell do you intend to get an E2 with 60k down?

4k a month w/ Manc's estimate for your insurance (and as he used to flog insurance it'll be a good estimate) means that 25% of your income goes on health care.

What Manc didn't explain is that if you're actually ill or need a doctor, there will be considerable out-of-pocket expenses to add to it.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

Why not ditch the idea of buying a house and use your capital for your business needs? It's always a good idea to rent for a while first anyway, get a feel for where you might want to live, and your business should dictate where you live anyway.

I'm thinking $60k for a business won't impress the powers-that-be anyway, with regard to a visa.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

to coopa-troopa
i did not think that there was a minimum to get a visa- i was led to believe that this is a myth
we do intend to have a small mortgage after a year renting
what sort of investment do you think will satisfy the authorities
we want to live in Florida ideally around davenport in kissemee

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

I am fit and healthy but after a well woman check up with my Dr who then referred me to a dermatologist I had to have a mole removed. The total cost of the operation to remove it was over $6k of which I had to pay $1,200 and this is after the insurance made their payments. I was told the mole was pre cancerous and I will need to see a dermatologist for the rest of my life. You cannot anticipate health care costs and you don't know what will happen. My daughter has a kidney issue and her hospital appts, scans and blood/urine tests have totaled about $1,200, so far, of which we have had to pay about $350.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

When I was putting together a day to day budget ahead of our move to Texas a couple of years ago, I found the forums on http://www.city-data.com/ very useful.

With some digging around, you can probably find out what property taxes are in your area, plus how much people are paying for gas, electric, tv etc for houses with similar sq footage. Even some idea of grocery costs, perhaps. I started with my UK budget listing every day items and started plugging in rough US figures as I found them.

It will take a bit of leg work on your part, but I should imagine the info is out there - same with health/medical costs. There are a ton of threads here - do a few searches and see what you can find.

At the end of the day, no one can answer your question with a simple 'yes' or 'no' - you've really got to do some specific, tailored research on your own.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

I'm not qualified to advise you on figures, save to say there's no definitive "minimum" figure. But I'm sure others will be along to suggest $60K won't cut it.

However, if you want any info on the area you mention, I might be able to help out as that's where I live :)

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

Out of London and a regular sort of business, you're looking at $200k.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

I live in Davenport and can honestly tell you the water bill isn't high about $50 (double that in the next city over) a month and that's with a pool, my electric is averaging $200 a month, there is a considerable amount of poverty around here and a lot of businesses have gone bust here, there are empty building lots everywhere, orange growers are selling their land etc. There are tons of restaurants etc and from what I see alot of them have to give free meals to kids to entice custom these days.

Medial bills I can only tell you of my experience. When my son was born his medical bills alone were just shy of $100,000, we were very lucky because of the state we lived at the time, their state insurance covered everything. Now that was his initial bill, after that we had x-rays, surgeon consults you name it, those bills were another $50,000 on top. Had we not had state insurance I dread to think what we would have had to pay out, we would have lost everything and I mean everything, btw that happens a lot to people over here.

Don't get me wrong I love the US, but seriously think hard about it all, you need money to live here, we have nothing like back home in the UK, no Dole money, no income support or any of that other stuff here now. Also if you work for a company (I don't actually know how many states this applies to) and they need to make lay offs, rather than lay you off they will fire you and most of the time they don't have to give you a reason, the reason they do it is so they don't have to contribute to your unemployment pay, so you get screwed. Honestly think carefully, if you think you have what it takes to move here then do, as I said I love it here, but you do need money to live here comfortably.

Good Luck with your decision, it really isn't an easy one.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

to dudette
i have been told it is hard to make friends and the schools are rubbish-how do you find these
;)

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

Most of us have lived in the UK and the US so are very qualified to have an opinion. this forum has provided me with enormous help and support, we do not spend our days bitching to our american friends that would be impolite, we come here and talk to people who understand.

I am amazed that people who have been here on holiday feel they have the right to tell people who have experience of LIVING here that they know better.
Oh and just be aware the medical issues are every bit as scary as people make out, when you have a procedure you sign to say you will pay if the insurance wont and there are no guarantees with insurance. My friends sons car accident cost $265,000.00 just for the hospital not counting rehabilitation, imagine if you are paying upwards of 20% copay.
Oh and an irregular smear test when you were 17 or a weight problem, or high blood pressure or pretty much anything you may not even get insurance.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

Before you worry about making friends there's the small issue of getting the visa and running a successful business.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

Party pooper!

I'm sure there's a thesis to be done on E2 Floridian wannabes. I could see a follow-up conference or three, too.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

I would figure that for an own business about 50-60% would be gone in taxes, insurance and retirement. For a family of 3 working your own business, 4k a month will be very tight.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

the reason i mention friends and schools is that someone said to us whilst we were overthere lasst month that he loved the americans and the schools are brilliant with only 16 children in a class

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

It is really hard to make friends and as yet I haven't managed to make friends, but then again I haven't been here that long, I've met a few implants from other states, I guess if you work here you make work acquaintances but I don't work, I take care of the house and our son.

My son will be going to the equivalent of a British Public School here in the US, the schools I believe around here aren't too great, but we won't be here when it's time for my son to go to school. I have been told that there are some great Charter schools around and about, but again I have no first hand experience.

Should you wish to come to this area, make sure to get a pool as it gets very hot and the pool is great for cooling off. Here's how I feel about it, I used to fly here to the US once a week with work, I loved it but never saw myself living here, I met my husband he is a USC and we still aren't sure we are going to spend our lives here. I don't regret coming here, I at times miss the UK, but when I go back I realize I couldn't live there any more. Way up the pros and cons of it carefully, understand what you would be coming here for, what you would lose in coming here and what you would gain from coming here. There are many other places/states in the US that you could live, FL is not the be all and end all.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

This cannot be for real.

Re: Considering a move to the US- NON immigration discussion
 

Why do you think folks like Graham Copley are so successful?