Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Morning all!
I'm 24 and I was born and raised in the UK (Irish mother and American father). In addition to my UK passport I also have a US passport which I suppose I had an automatic right to because my Dad is a US citizen.
My question is what process would I need to follow if I wanted to move to the US and establish residency? I really struggle to find information relating to my circumstances - for example if I want to apply for jobs or submit tenancy applications being a US citizen but not yet (and never was) a resident?
It's not something I'm in a position to do right now - I'm currently getting a diploma in electrical engineering through my employer which will be at least two years, part time. And I don't yet have a sufficient amount of money saved (I have no idea what figure I should be aiming for?). I would have to rent rather than buy.
I would love to move to a State that has a hot climate year-round but also a reasonable cost of living...I had my eye on Arizona, though it's probably just a pipe-dream! But any advice would be much appreciated - you would be answering questions I have pondered for years!
Thank you :)

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

There is nothing special you would need to do. You are a USC and have the right to live and work in the USA anytime you wish.

You should know that as a USC, you are required to file a US tax return and report worldwide income each year. You most likely won't owe any tax, but you are supposed to file.

Rene

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Just to clarify your comment. You did not get a US passport just because your father is a US citizen. You had the right to get a US Passport because your birth father was able to pass his US citizenship on to you at your birth. Not all people with US Citizenship have the ability to pass on US citizenship to their children.

All you need to do is move to the US whenever you want. Nothing needs to be done or said to the US Government. Rene has told you about your requirement to file US taxes on worldwide income.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Legally you could get on a plane today and move to the US. Practically, if you don’t have a US social security number, like a National Insurance number, then you should apply for one from the US embassy, and it would probably be a good idea to get your US tax filings up to date; you’re very unlikely to owe any actual tax to the US. In terms of how much money you’d need realistically to get started, well typically apartment rentals require three months’ rent up front (first and last month and a month’s-worth as a deposit). However, with no US credit history you might be required to pre-pay more, maybe 6 months’, a year’s if you’re unlucky.

If your mother is Irish-born (north or south) be aware that you are also an Irish citizen so you’ll continue to have access to the EU no matter what happens with Brexit.

Don’t say this is a pipe-dream. As an actual US citizen you are in a far more realistic position to move to the US than a lot of the people who pop up here with such ambitions from time to time.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

The procedure is, when your flight lands in the US, you hand your American Passport to the Immigration Officer.

On all forms and applications you tick "yes" for "US Citizen."

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

One thing I noted was that you are 24 and going for a diploma in electrical engineering through your employer. Depending on what you mean by an electrical engineer, I don't know if this skill is transferrable in the US and will allow you to use that skill for employment in the US without additional schooling or trade classes. Perhaps you might want to expand on what this skill set is applicable to in terms of employment.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Have you signed up for Selective Service?

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

:goodpost:

Forgot about that and he is only 24 so he has to sign up.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Hi all!
Wow thank you for your informative responses! I did not realise I had to file a US tax return so I'll go to my Dad as soon as I can to get advice about that as I really don't know how much I have earned in the last seven years (I'm 25 in April).

So judging by your responses, as I don't have to go through any lengthy procedure, my biggest hurdle would be applying for jobs and convincing the employer not only that I'm worthy of employment but that it wouldn't be a huge headache hiring me! I obviously couldn't make the move until I secured a job. If I found myself fortunate enough to land a job in a state with a low cost of living index I may have enough savings for a down payment on my own apartment. It *seems* much more affordable than here in the UK. But I understand it's all relative and I earn a pretty good salary for where I live and being that it's unskilled work (I do not have a degree).

I do have a social security number so that's good. As for the diploma, I should have clarified; I work as a dispatcher for the electricity company (I really enjoy it). And because I speak to the field personnel regularly my employer is paying for me to undertake a diploma - the natural progression in my company is to the position of controller where you, in a nutshell, authorise or decline permission to carry out switching/linking on the network. I would have to pay my company back should I leave within 2 years of completion. I know the distribution network is probably quite different in the US but hopefully electrical/engineering principles would still translate? 😕 I don't really know what to expect as I don't have a degree, whether I would realistically find a decent job. I think I have a lot to offer but I know there are plenty of out-of-work Americans who also have a lot they could contribute given the opportunity.

As for selective service; heard, understood, acknowledged 😂 Also, I'm female.
Thanks!!

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Arizona definitely fits the bill as a place with a hot climate year-round and a reasonable cost of living. It gets colder further north in the winter. You can snow-ski and water-ski in the same day if you so choose! Good luck with your decision making!

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

You'd be no more or less a headache than any other US citizen.

That might be the show-stopper then: most US employers will just toss an application from someone overseas, even if they do have US citizenship.

Then you don't need to register - it's for men only. There have been some noises about changing this, but it's unlikely to happen any time soon.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

You will find that the US is pretty college-degree-obsessed. The minimum qualification for a lot of jobs is an Associate degree, which is possibly something like what you are undertaking now. As part of your background research, you will want to understand if/how your current studies will transfer over. If your program can be certified as equivalent (see services like WES), you may very well be landing with "an Associate's degree or equivalent". If not, your plan to move may need to feature some time at college. It's not all bad news, though - there's a reasonable chance of getting some credits for the study you have already completed.

As others have said, you have very little chance of picking up a job from the UK. Is there any possibility of an extended stay in the US? A month or two in AZ would go a long way in helping you feel out the living situation, talk to colleges, get some interviews under your belt, etc. You would be able to take on temporary work to support yourself while doing this.

Since no one else has said it: please read up on health insurance in this country. It is not in any way comparable to private health insurance in the UK and is potentially a very big factor in your line of work (broadly speaking, the higher up the qualification chain you go, the more likely you are to get a sweet deal from your employer). Personally, I consider this to be a deal-breaker topic, so you will want to establish in advance where your comfort zone lies, and find out if you have a chance of getting a job within it.

Overall, the move is eminently do-able immigration-wise, but the reality of day-to-day living here may make it less than desirable. Instead of thinking about a permanent move, perhaps you can think of it as a year abroad? After that, you should be in a good position to decide where you want to be long-term.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

If your mother was born on the island of Ireland and you were born in the UK then it would be smart to ensure you have all three valid passports before you depart (British, Irish, US). You seem to already have a valid British and US passport so that leaves your Irish passport. Not that you couldn't apply for it from the US but it if's a first time application then it is likely to be much easier to do it from the UK with your mother close to hand to help you with the relevant documentation. After that it would be simply a case of renewing it when it expires. An Irish passport will be useful if you want to work in the EU/EEA post-Brexit and you will often find that an Irish passport will mean cheaper visa fees for certain countries when compared to a British or US passport.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

I have no idea what that position in the US would require, but you could certainly find out.

The general view on here is that it is much easier to get a job once you are here.

There seem to be lots of jobs available without qualification, I have noticed the competency in Home Depot has gone down and they are hiring, a sure sign.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

It is very hard to get a job unless you are on-the-ground. That can be true, even for those already in the US, trying to move from one city to another.

Get your tax situation sorted, but I suspect you won't owe anything. The US has what is called a "foreign earned income exclusion" and I don't believe you've been doing things like renting out a house in Chicago or earning dividends from stocks. Read up on tax situation and I would hire a US-UK tax attorney to deal with the situation, and then handle it on your own in the future.

You can also do what many Americans your age do, get a job at a coffee shop or waiting tables and work your way up.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

It's a bit out of date now (there is no longer an IRS office at the London embassy now, for instance, you have to file direct with the IRS in the US), but the Taxes filing with the US IRS in London British Expats Wiki page is still quite a useful guide, especially in regard of what forms need to be filed and what to put in them.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

As there is currently (tax year 2017), a foreign earned income exemption of $102,000, I suspect that it is highly unlikely that the OP will actually have any tax to pay!

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

True, but if one comes here to study and was looking for any grants etc to help off set those kind of costs, there is usually a requirement that one has at least filed regardless.

To the OP, definitely worth looking into whatever the state requirements are to be certified to do what ever you are interested in doing.

If your goal is to move to the US and what you're studying is going to be worthless in the states you are looking at, so that you would have to start from scratch, then you might as well save yourself the time and money by rethinking things now.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Thanks all for the responses, you've been very helpful and given me a lot to consider. I'll continue with my diploma because electricity distribution isn't going to be vastly different in the US, other than domestic supplies being half the voltage, the method(s) of delivery and principles are the same. I'm not saying at all that it's going to stand me in good stead but I can continue saving money and it's better than no further education at all.
On initial analysis of your responses, I've got a sinking feeling I'm going to be pretty SOL getting a job in the same industry I'm currently working in...I check from time to time, all the distributor's websites for the states I'm interested in and nada. And I find the idea of packing up with no job waiting for me extremely scary and (for me) idealistic. I do feel miserable in my life here (for many reasons) so maybe a smaller salary in a much brighter place would be worth the trade-off...but I don't want to be naïve!
Also, are health insurance payments in the US akin in any way, shape or form to our national insurance contributions in terms of additional monthly deductions?

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

And I've only carried out some cursory searches but I don't think my diploma is gonna mean squat in the US.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

No

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

No, I didn't think it would. However, it holds you in good stead employment wise in the UK as that is where you are currently residing, that is what matters most at the moment.

You can always think about what you might want to pursue as a career here in the US. You are young and intelligent and a USC. The door is open to you so check out what employment options you might want to pursue or perhaps attend college in the US. After residing in an area for a period of 3 months to 1 year you would qualify for lower tuition at a community college and a higher degree could be yours. Oft times, one must work at something you don't particularly want to do in order to reach an end goal.

As for healthcare insurance, nothing like the UK. However, with little financial resources you probably would qualify for a state run program or Medicaid for a while until you are on your feet with a job, and if lucky healthcare offered by your employer.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

No, NI contributions counterpart in the US is Social Security taxes. .... Health insurance premiums are something entirely additional to what you pay in the UK.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Sure, the knowledge is the same, but you might be required to study from scratch over here, if you want to be certified to work in a particular state. That was what I was getting at. So it's worth a lot more research now because there is no point studying it in the UK, just to have to redo it over here to get certified. Each state will have different requirements.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

There's so much good advice and information, I really appreciate it and I'm taking it all in!
I think I could definitely get myself a job as a dispatcher because I have a lot of experience! Just not necessarily for the electricity board. I see several positions for 911 dispatchers so that would be a good way to get on my feet, though the intensity level would certainly be kicked up a notch.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Depends on the state and city you are hoping to live in. Now if you wanted to be a 911 operator in New York City, then yes, there is going to be a great deal of stress.

Unless you know where you want to live, then use the next few years to further yourself in the UK and vacation in the US and look around various states and cities. You'll find your place.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Its probably safe to say craft qualifications like a Diploma are not very transferable, a degree is.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

As a US citizen, a few things:

1) you have to file US taxes every year. You won't necessarily owe any money, but you will have to go through the paperwork exercise of filing. In fact, if you haven't yet, you probably need to catch up.

2) FBAR. If you have >$10,000 USD in a bank account (or combination of accounts) you need to file a Bank Account disclosure every year.

3) FATCA. If you have more than ~$250,000 USD in the bank or other accounts you have to file another form.

4) When you enter the USA you need to do so on your US passport, not your Ireland passport.

If you want to start hunting for a job in the USA, one suggestion is to get a USA-based Skype phone number that will ring on your computer in Ireland. People will see a USA number and be more inclined to call than an international one. Also if you can get a USA mailing address (uncle, cousin, etc) and use that for the resume it can help.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Is this what you do?

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/p...hers.htm#tab-1


https://www.bls.gov/ooh/office-and-a...ispatchers.htm

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes435032.htm

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Another option to at least check out is military. Air Force is not that different than civilian job, free health care, job training plus GI bill to help pay for future college. Chance to see much of US during enlistment which is four years.
I joined Air Force out of high school in 1966/67 with the idea of later using GI bill for college which I did. I followed this with a full scholarship from Navy for dental school. Stayed in reserves and retired. In short I got a govt check to attend college for nine years.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

For the sake of correctness, the OP does not have a passport from Ireland (although her mother is/was Irish) nor does she current live or has ever lived in Ireland.

The OP is British with a UK Passport and a US Passport. She resides in the UK.

For the OP, just substitute UK for Ireland on this great advice.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Very correct. If you wish to stay in an engineering discipline of some kind I'd advise you to study in the US if possible. Once you get here with that UK diploma it is unlikely that it will really get you anywhere.

I say unlikely as I have the same qualifications roughly but I have done remarkably well so far, though I have a feeling my broad northern accent has opened more doors for me than any professional qualification I have..

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Well the laws of physics are the same, but otherwise it depends what you mean by "vastly different". Based on your comment above, it appears that you unaware that all US homes receive a 240v supply, which is used to power things such as the cooker, clothes dryer, AC unit, and maybe a few other things, such as a well pump and some microwaves. The 120v supply inside the home is tapped off one of the two live wires feeding the house.

However that 240v supply comprises 2×120v, so wiring to the above listed appliances includes two live wires, plus a neutral, .... but not necessarily a ground wire!!! Prior to the mid 1990's clothes dryers used a three pin plug, comprising 2×120v live connections, and a neutral, and so US homes built prior to that time often still have a dryer connected with a three-pin plug, and no ground. At that point alone, you will see that US electrical supplies are quite different from those in the UK.

While the use of earth/ground wires is almost universal in wiring homes in the UK, in the US it is still fairly common to find circuits without a ground wire, and even sockets which don't have a hole for the ground pin - so Americans sometimes just snap the ground pin off the plug to make it fit! :rolleyes: I fact I have an extension cable that my F-I-L gave me with the ground pin snapped off the plug. It is even possible to buy an adapter that you can plug a three pin plug into, which only has two pins, to facilitate the use of two pin sockets!!! :scaredhair:

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Didn't they lower the threshold down to $8k? I know they did for money transfers as part of the banking notification at least.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

FBAR is still $10k. I am not aware that the banking notification of money transfers has changed to $8k.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

I actually did my FBAR yesterday and the limit for reporting is still $10k. I don’t know about money transfers, today I just transferred $10k from the US to UK using Transferwise and answered the usual question “where is the money coming from?” I assume the transfer will be reported to the authorities.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Hi everybody, thank you once again for the great replies!

Pulaski - Wow, that system is WHOLLY different to ours! I did know about the widespread absence of a ground wire because I once asked my father why I always see tiny flashes from the sockets when I plug in appliances over there!! That's very interesting.

ddsrph - Air Force (they recruit from my county, Suffolk!) or Army (they recruit from Germany) was always my plan as a teenager. At 19 I developed a condition that I won't go in to (non life-threatening) but still a DQ. My dad is US military so that was always the dream, you're definitely right in that it would be the best way to get to the US!

jeepster - Yes! Well, what I do is a combination of the first two links you posted! The first link describes more the role of a control engineer than a dispatcher which is the next rung on the ladder, at my company anyway. But requires many years of experience and at least 3 - 5 years of part-time education. Or a degree of course. In my organisation a low voltage engineer would be more of an attainable goal for me than a high voltage engineer due to the systems used by the latter being much more complex (eg those that facilitate remote switching).

penguinsix - Thank you so much for the advice about Skype and a forwarding address for my resume, both excellent ideas that I will definitely utilise! I've really got my heart set on Arizona, but my family live in North Carolina however it's certainly still worth a try! I'm definitely not looking forward to catching up on filing taxes/FBAR fiasco. I wonder how much it would cost me to hire an attorney to help?😩

Rete - Thank you so much for the words of encouragement! I certainly hope I find, and earn, my place. I went through all my monthly outgoings to figure out where I can save money and have set myself a 2-year saving plan. I hope to move before I'm 27 and I turn 25 in April 😄 I have no inkling what I see myself doing in terms of studying and having a career. I just wound up in the electricity industry and I have grown extremely interested in the subject so I'd like to continue it if I have the aptitude. That's really good news about the tuition discount for community college! I suppose my current plan is to find a job similar to mine, dispatching for any company or the emergency services, until I can work my way back in to the electricity industry (office based NOT field based, just to clarify lol!) But if I want to do that I'll really need to figure out where in Arizona I should settle. As for healthcare, the only thing I haven't yet mentioned is that I do have a (non life-threatening) pre existing condition so I'm sure to encounter some big expenses there but I'm hoping I can't be penalised too heavily for it (it doesn't prevent me from working)

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Please please please look into this. There is no 'can't be' anything in US healthcare :unsure:

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

Apparently it came in the new year after being in the works a little while.

Re: Dual citizen wishing to move to USA
 

think of the health insurance as like Bupa - private. There is no NHS to fall back on for the day to day. You only get the bupa equivalent if you (or your employer or both PAY)