A Fresh Start?
 

Hi all,

My name is Adam. I'm 25 years old and currently live in London, England. I have considered moving abroad for a long time. Naturally, it is difficult to know where to begin when it comes to moving abroad. I have always had a soft spot for the USA. It's my dream to spend some time in Florida. I have been working in various roles in the insurance industry. Is getting a similar job realistic? Do I need a lot of money to move to the USA? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Start by reading this https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Pulas...ork_in_the_USA and see if you fit one of the ways.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Thank you lansbury. Are you currently in the US?

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Hi, welcome to BE.

Can you be a bit more specific about your job, when you say ‘various roles in the insurance industry’, what kind of roles do you mean? As you can see from the link given above your chances will depend on your job and education level.

Do you by any chance work for a company with offices in the US?

Yes, you’ll need quite a lot of money for a move to the US, or to most other countries - emigration certainly isn’t cheap!

Good luck to you.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

I am yes, been here since 2006.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Hi Christmasoompa, sorry being a new member I can't quote your message, so I have to respond that way. Yes, looking at the link I can see it is not easy to move to the US. My roles insurance have varied from working on Life Insurance to Property Insurance. My role involves working on niche databases, Microsoft Execel and understanding the Law, with regards to Legal Requirements for Insurance policies. I have currently £15,000 in savings, I have been saving for the last 2 years. If I was to attempt the big move, I would try to secure a job before then. Unfortunately, my company doesn't have US offices.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

I have no idea about insurance jobs unfortunately, hopefully those in the industry will know if there’s any chance. Do you have a degree?

If you read the link you’ll see that you’ll need a job offer from a sponsoring employer, you can’t get an employment based visa without one, so yes, you’ll need the job first.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Yes that would be ideal, to find a job from a sponsoring employer. I'm planning on searching thoroughly for my industry. Hopefully, I will get a better idea if working over in the US is possible or not.

I don't have a degree, I have 3 A Levels. After I left college, I went straight into work. I'm not sure how A Levels would be viewed in the US, especially as the UK college system is of course different to over in the US

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Unfortunately A levels don't directly correlate. Unless you are looking to attend a US university.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

I'm afraid A levels are not understood or valued at all. They would be viewed as being at the same level as a US High School graduate. Unless you have some highly technical and specialist skills, and employment experience in those areas, or a very strong track record in your area of work that truly makes you stand out (eg as a salesman who regularly smashes his/her sales goals) imo you would absolutely need a degree for any professional level job. The US is very degree-dependent, to an annoying extent.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Thank you for your replies. Seems like my best bet is to work for a company that has offices in the US :(

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

You should consider getting on a path to getting a degree too. Employment in many sectors in the US, especially in corporate businesses and offices, is heavily skewed towards favouring someone with a degree, both at the hiring stage and for promotions. If you find yourself in the US without a degree, you may find that opportunities open to you are limited in both numbers and seniority.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

That is a better option route, but even this will require good skills and experience which is valuable to US employers. Management and executive roles usually fit this visa's requirements.

Even a transfer to the US costs employers time and money....... The L-1A/B (which is the usual transfer visa) requires a minimum of working for the UK employer for a year. The lack of a degree can be overcome by 10 to 12 years of experience.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Thank you both for your responses. I have 7 years experience in the corporate industry, so maybe if I can get to management level in my field that could help my career going forward.

My area of work is Lloyd's Insurance in the City of London, not sure if that will stand out.

Is each state different with regards to what they are looking for in an employee?
Also, how did you all manage to move over to the US. Do you all have degrees or does it vary?

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

A good percentage of us are married to US Citizens, which provides a pathway to permanent residence and citizenship.

it sounds like a work pathway would be difficult, impossible, or take 5-10 years to achieve at a minimum in your case.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

It varies, but in my own case I did have a degree in a relevant technical field.

This made me eligible for a Blanket L-1, which meant I was able to obtain my visa and move to the US within only a few weeks of my employer agreeing to relocate me.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

As I said above, in many industry sectors in the US you will likely find yourself excluded from management positions if you don't have a degree - in white collar jobs, degrees are fairly ubiquitous in the US.
Lloyd's is considered to be a legally questionable organization by the US - IIRC Lloyd's isn't legally able to operate in the US other than through another broker, so it might stand out, but not in the way you might expect. :lol: Joking aside, I don't know enough about US insurance to know how transferable your skills and experience would be.
Like CivilServant said, my wife is a USC. I also have a degree, and had transferable experience and skills too, which made finding a good career job fairly easy, but others often face a dramatic change in career when they come to the US because they are married to a US citizen, and are unable to find work in the same sector they worked in the UK, and/or because their qualifications are not recognized in the US. And almost everyone who has a non-US qualification or "license" (US speak) for their occupation has to requalify in the US, whether they are a truck driver, plumber, lawyer, or surgeon, their British qualification is largely worthless in the US.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Covid-19 aside...

I decided to move here at age 21, I already had an UG degree at that point. It took me about 10 more years to get the experience and contacts I needed to transfer here on an L1a and I had also done a post graduate degree in that time.

While not required for an L1a visa, as others have noted many jobs (in finance at least) require a degree to even have your resume looked at over here. At the places I have worked everyone from the person on the reception desk and “up” had at least an UG degree.

Is it doable with hard work, yes, will it happen quickly? For some people in niche areas maybe, but plan for a long slog (and be happy if it happens sooner). The L1a is used by both large multinationals (usually blanket) and also by some smaller startups opening a new office and everything between.

Even if you get in to the right company you will benefit from having a network of people over here, which generally means coming over a few times a year to meet people, that may be dir business trips or on your own dime if not.

https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the...ive-or-manager

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

I think you probably have two things to focus on - Degree (will help if you wish to move sooner rather than later) and guiding your career towards USA located companies, which will help both short and long term. I made "moves" to thinking about emigrating in 2012 - it was one of two reasons I took a backwards/sideways step to the company I now work for. In 2015 I decided I fancied taking a shot at moving and I was here by September 2016 after the company agreed to Sponsor my transfer on an L1A. I don't have a degree, I have a HND, which is closer to an Associate Degree in the USA. I did have 10+ years in Management level roles by the time I took the plunge though. So while my move was quick once I had decided I wanted to make it, the long game had been played in the background.

If you work on a dual path of a degree and gaining experience in a company with a route, or in a role that can get you into a company with a route, then you'll be in a good place within 5 years.

The other option would be to try and get over on a student Visa - there are some paths to staying (tricky), but you can use it as a trial. If you like it and there is no quick path, you now have a degree and know if you want to come back. You can then get the work experience quickly in a USA subsidiary in the UK, and even be open and honest about your desire to be USA based through recruitment if you have the confidence and ability.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

It could possibly lead you to other immigration options too.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Indeed! :nod:

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Do you by chance drive a BMW? A couple of your posts make me think I've bumped in to you in Austin.

OP - Your easiest methods are come here and study on an F1, marry a USC, or managerial transfer with a company. It's that simple.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Simple? :unsure: I can assure you that at least one of those creates massive, potentially life-long, complications. :nod:

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

Thank you all for the advice. Of course current circumstances makes things even more complicated. However, it gives me a good idea if a permanent move is possible and what I can do to at least try and make things possible.

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

I worked in the London Market for more years than I care to remember and the Companies I worked for had US representation. I dealt with US based clients.

Colleagues certainly spent time in the US, but I can not recollect any being moved to the US permanently. I also obtained my State Qualifications when I moved here but never practiced. It would have to be a very specific situation where it would make sense to move someone from the UK to the US, I never came across it, seems logical it must happen.

Do I take it that you have not started the UK qualifications, CII, IRM etc?

Re: A Fresh Start?
 

I work in insurance and worked in the UK before moving to the US. I had ACII qualification in the UK although I'm not sure how much that factored into getting the role here (not much I don't think). I'm married to a US citizen so that is how I got my job here but the company I worked for in the UK had offices in the US and still wouldn't even consider sending me there even though I didn't need a visa. Most insurance jobs here require a degree as well unless you have substantial industry experience. I'd say it will be pretty difficult to move here on a work visa for an insurance job unless you are very high up in the company - I'm thinking director or VP of a department like IT, Underwriting, Actuarial etc. at the very least.