Georgia on my mind
 

Hi all. I am new to the this site and forum. 👋I wondered if there were any Brits in Covington GA or Alpharetta GA. we’re planning to escape the U.K. in 2021 all being well with the world at the moment..we like Covington for the space and elbow room and large houses with pools or pool space...but simple research is suggesting not much happens there & its a poor area ? We have a small child who would go to elementary school so it’s all about her and her social life and happiness at the moment. Alpharetta seems to be polar opposite to Covington and I can imagine some of you nodding ! but we can’t get property over 1 acre unless we pay big bucks or even
millions 🤷‍♀️Any advice on Covington would be appreciated please for those who are on the ground. We’re planning a trip next Easter 🤞to get things moving. Thank you

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

Are you or your spouse a USC?

If not, what visa are you planning to make the move on?

I can't help with Georgia though, but I do know those are the first questions.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

More info as to why you’re interested in Covington, GA? After all, cheap houses, lots of land, but not much happens and poor area would be true of much of the US! My town in rural New York fits the bill for instance.

Edit; I just looked at the Wikipedia article about Covington. It looks like a beautiful town. Very odd sentence in the article though;

“Covington was founded by European immigrants to the United States.”

Yeah, isn’t that true of everywhere in the original colonies .. ?

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

Can't help with Georgia per se, but if you are thinking about schools do your research on them and their respective cachement areas carefully. The usual thing in the US is for those lines to be hard and fast - she will be going to school based on your exact street address. It's not uncommon for a street to be divided down the middle, with one side going to school a and the other to school b.

Small-town America is not the place to go if you like things to be "happening" beyond local school sports, etc. And church. For a more urban cultural life you will need a city, such as Atlanta.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

hi there thank you. Would be an E2 VISA

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

The E-2 manager, or purchasing a small E-2 worthy business? Be very careful about purchasing a small business in the current climate -- so many have gone bust because of Covid restrictions. Georgia is a state that has not handled the pandemic particularly well. Additionally, you say you want things to be good for your child; then why move her to the US on a visa that does not have a clear path to permanent residence and on which she would age out at 21? Whatever you are "escaping" in the UK will exist here, in spades . . .

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

hi there. We love Atlanta and Georgia and seemed a good location to be 30 mins drive from Atlanta but having space and a decent house. Sorry my comment wasn’t meant to cause any offence and I wasn’t aware about the rest of the USA but that’s an eye opener. Shows I need to do a lot more research. However where I live in the U.K. is classed as a poor area demographically however our neighbours are all hard workers and have nice houses 🤷‍♀️So unless I am in the ground one won’t know I guess.

yes it looks like a lovely place and new investment which is why we were thinking maybe in the come up in terms of investors. Large movie studios being built and two hotels. All pre Covid if course so will be delayed. Having other people’s opinions is great though and I appreciate your time commenting.

yes the wiki entry is funny as that’s most of America 🤣

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

hi there thank you. This is one area I have researched and very similar to the U.K. set up with catchment areas. Yes we want to have a mixed down time so exactly where we reside can determine your social life. Where we live here in the U.K. we have to go to London for culture or further afield in three directions.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

thank you. Would be to start a business. Yes you are correct. Lots to consider. We’ve wanted to move to the USA for a very long time even per children however no time will be the right time. Covid isn’t helping though!

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

E-2 visa does not lead to permanent residence ?

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

i have read it can but of course comes with terms

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

There is no direct route from E-2 to a green card, that's why it's known on here as the 'visa from hell', particularly for those with kids. If you have a child, I'd definitely look at other visa routes (do you have a business in the UK already?), or have a Plan B to try and move to a visa that will allow you to stay i.e. your spouse gets a job that may lead to green card sponsorship.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

You sound as though you have visited Atlanta and Georgia regularly. Is this so.....?

What type of business will you be obtaining an E2 for?

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-2_visa

This suggests that dependants may have problems when they reach 21.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

hi yes we’ve been lots of times and we’ve got contacts there. Re business we have some options but not decided yet.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

Well they age out, so either make their own way, marriage seems common, or head back home.

E2 to residency, well the trailing spouse can get an EAD and hopefully be sponsored by their Employer, grow it to meet EB5 requirements, think that is fairly uncommon, E2 is basically valid as long as the business is.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

Can't speak for Covington, but if affordable and 30 minutes to Atlanta are the order of the day, I can vouch for where I live currently, Newnan, and Peachtree City plus Fayetteville, which are all in a line below Atlanta. Peachtree is cute, if a little odd - they all drive around in Golf Carts, it's about as Stepford Wives as it gets, but that brings a very well designed set-up for those that like it.

All three of them have OK schooling (I am not sure good exists in Georgia :-) )

4/5 bed houses in decent areas for around $300k.

Easy access to the airport and Atlanta (airport is 20 minutes drive for me)

A bit bigger than Covington it seems - basically, the South side of Atlanta is a lot less expensive than the North, where the IT world migrates to. Around the airport itself is not great, probably due to the industrial nature, but a few miles away gets rather pleasant. Any further South than me, and we'd be talking villages and little more.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

I would be very wary of the E2. No direct route to a green card, which age out at 21, if you are denied the visa extension you have to pack up and move immediately. As stated, frequently referred to as 'the visa from hell' on BE.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

Do you have any experience of any of the fields that these options are in? COVID has been the toughest of all for the small business owner. It’s definitely “survival of the very fittest” here now among small businesses.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

We have been in Alpharetta since 2007 and has been a great safe area for our daughters to grow up (now 16 & 9). Very multicultural, some of the best schools in Ga, good city recreation programs & activities. North Georgia mountain are also only a short drive. Avalon, Halcyon and new downtown area (upscale mixed use developments)
House prices have become an issue over past 2-3 years, and I would probably be looking at Cumming if we were coming to Ga now which just north of us. More reasonable housing costs, but still close to Alpharetta and downtown Atlanta still only 30 mins or so on 400.

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

hi thank you for your lovely reply. This is an area we are looking at also so good to know what it’s like on the ground. We’re desperate to come for a recce but not easy at present. At a later date I may pick your brain a bit more if that’s ok. 😊

Re: Georgia on my mind
 

Hi Cazrock,

We are over in the USA on an E2 visa- we are always eager to share our experience as it is a difficult visa. But then again, i am pretty sure they all are! it took us about 2 years start to finish. It was a long and adventurous journey and it continues to be.... but we do love our new life! We are in the NW.