Davey5287

hello all and thanks for reading.
I'm a 31 year old married student, with a 7yr old and a 2yr old. my degree subject is in Mechanical engineering and I also have industry experience from working for both Halliburton and Dril-Quip. My desire is to emigrate to the US, and with my work experience and what I am working towards in Uni right now makes the state and desired city pretty easy: Texas and Houston! Looking at what can be bought there property wise is unbelievable when compared to my home town of Aberdeen in Scotland. The little golden nugget of not having any state income taxes to pay is also very appealing.
I really want to be able to do this inside of the next decade, I am in my penultimate year of study just now.
The missus is worried about the upheaval for the kids but I think they will love it. I know about the healthcare differences and I am not the typical Brit who lords the NHS. my wife and I have both been 'victims' of the NHS so I am not attached to it at all, plus any company that I work for in the oil industry in the states will undoubtedly have healthcare benefits as part of the job which I think I will be able to add my family to for a fee (?).

So, the questions I suppose are, what are my chances and what is my best route to this? I'm truly sick of British weather, my recent trip to Mexico convinced me of my love for a daily average temp in the 90s, I look so much healthier with a good tan. I love how in Texas it is still OK to be patriotic, which is becoming a dying concept in the UK. Aaaaaaannnnd I quite like shooting, so these are all contributing factors.

thanks in advance

Davey

SanDiegogirl

Having a degree in Mechanical engineering is a good start to obtaining a job in the oil/gas industry.

You HAVE to get a job offer from an employer in the US, who is prepared to apply for a work visa for you. That is the only way for you to move to the US from the info yo have provided. As the employer has to spend time and money on the visa, they are usually looking for good people with skills and experience.

No easy task to find the right employer, so best to get started on this as soon as possible.

Alternatively, work for UK employer who has US offices for a few years and then transfer over to US if right job comes along.

ivanidea

Have a look at the following links:
REALLY, READ ME: Want to Live & Work in the US?
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulas...ork_in_the_USA

I think your best bet would be to work for a company in the UK which also has offices in the USA.

Become a manager and after a few years, see if you can get a transfer.

Or get a divorce and marry an American......

Davey5287

hahah i'm actually quite good friends with a California girl who now works for BP in London, however the wife is also a good friend of hers so not sure that would go down well :-)

wow quick replies though, thanks.

my work in the industry has always been with multinationals, so I think the option for an internal transfer to the states would be open for me if I showed all the right signs when I go back to work. it's interesting that the degree is going to be helpful though.

what would the moving process be like? should I have enough money stashed to just come in and put a good amount down on a house and get a mortgage? I don't like the idea of renting, although it is what I am currently doing.

Nutmegger

Bachelor's or master's degree? You need to bring something special to the table for an employer to want to spend a lot of money to hire you (and the relevant visa is oversubscribed and thus subject to a lottery), so the prior suggestion that you work for a UK company with a US presence, hoping for an eventual transfer, is right on target. And don't underestimate just how much health insurance can cost you, even if the employer is funding a part or all of your premium. For a family of four, all the co-pays and deductibles will add up quickly and you'll finally realize just how good the NHS really is.

As for "patriotism" in Texas, that is frequently good ole boy talk for xenophobia, racism, and misogyny.

SanDiegogirl

Suggest you rent first ... you might not like the job, the location, the people etc etc.

Sure, have money ready if you want to buy pretty quickly. You'll have no credit history, so be prepared to either has to put down big deposit, pay more for the mortgage or both !!!

Davey5287

Ahhh Nutmegger. <snip>
with regards to the insurance costs though, I played with a tax calculator online (and although I may have not done it correctly) I was getting large deductibles for having a family of 4, 3 of whifc would be dependent on me. Which was cutting my federal income taxes down to like 10k on a 115k salary. Feel free to tell me I'm talking complete nonsense though......

Davey5287

And it's a Bachelor's but I'm giving serious thought to a post-grad Master's in Decommissioning

tom169

I think you're making the moves in the right direction, but this is all likely a 10-15 year plan. Treat it that way... A marathon.

Just to play around with numbers, a state with no income tax will give it with one hand and take it with the other. Nothing is free. Even if you have state tax to pay the federal tax will be the big one.

Octang Frye

Look at Schlumberger. I finished my green card with them in Houston. Or as someone else mentioned, maybe BP.
The US is now the number one oil producing nation in the world. I have a friend who is working ridiculous hours in the oil fields but making bank.

Sounds like you've got the fundamentals of a good plan.

Rete

Hope this was said in jest and not a promotion for fraudulent conduct for the sake of a green card.

petitefrancaise

indeed. Property tax.
Not a big deal if you are renting because it's included but otherwise, Property tax pays for what state income tax would have done.

scrubbedexpat097

Houston has thrived on the Oil and Gas industry in the last 30 years or more. It was fairly easy to move here with an oil and gas company sponsoring you. Unfortunately the last couple of years many of the expat workers are heading back as the biggest companies have been laying off people.

You will need a special skill and have a certain amount of experience to find a way now. If your plan is for a few years time then it may pick up again.

Texas is an interesting place to live. It's been our home for close to 30 years now but it's not going to be forever I hope. The dislikes have well passed the likes for us now. Retirement in the near future means a new adventure somewhere else.

Good luck with your plans but beware of rose tinted glasses!

Davey5287

With regards to property taxes, we really wouldn't need a big house. We currently live in a 650 sq. ft. 2nd floor flat. I would not buy anything over 3000 sq. ft and I'm looking at Katy and other cities on the west side of Houston, outside of the city itself. Does that help?

christmasoompa

Hopefully forum members 'Weeze' or 'Mr Weeze' will pop along and see this thread (to that end, I'll re-title is to they're more likely to see it and click on it), they moved from Aberdeen to Katy I believe. Worth having a hunt for their previous posts too, tons of useful posts from them on property taxes etc in Texas, such as this one - cost of living in Houston

There are a few other forum members in the Katy area, worth searching for their posts too (another one here as an example - Bonnie Scotland to the Old USA)

HTH, good luck.