Hotscot

In my opinion you should simply stay where you are and if dissatisfied move to another part of the country, or indeed to another European country for a change in lifestyle.
Just back from a three week vacation in London, Paris and the Scottish Highlands. It was such a culturally rich visit, the people were friendly, restaurants excellent, traveling on trains and Ryanair was inexpensive and good value. The Highlands were beautiful and tranquil, a wonderful break from the rat race here in California.

After 14 years in the U.S. I can't wait to move back...

plugy

Think people are getting wrong idea, I want a new life that i am prepared to work hard for to give my family the best i can and i believe it is not in the UK.

My children do not want to stay her any longer and want to move.

Hotscot

But you seem to think that the U.S. is better in some way than the U.K. is that true?

Certainly it can be better and it can be a worse, a lot worse, because of the lack of a social safety net.

It does sound like you do need a change but the U.S. is a very, very hard, harsh place to prosper unless you have much more financial stability than you had in the U.K. and with all due respect it doesn't seem that you have adequate resources for such a risk. In my humble opinion I would suggest you'd need @ 500K GBP to get started on a workable business plan as you'd need to live for several years before profits would support you, generally speaking. And then health costs and out of pocket expenses if anyone got really sick.

Many contributors here will give you the same opinion, it's not to dash anyone's dreams but it is based on real world experience. Most or at least many of us came here via job transfers, employment offers, or via marriage but none of this is open to you I think.
Your children though, if they excel in education, work for a multinational, or cultivate US girlfriends via the internet, then they would have a good chance of eventually making their way here. (Maybe even sponsoring their parents eventually.)

Best wishes

Lbjen

There are so many options available to you both within and outside of the UK. In your situation, the US isn't one of them. You might find Canada to be a good alternative, but you won't get the same weather. And there are many more immigrants which obviously isn't your cup of tea.

On your next trip to Florida take a drive around some of the seedier parts of town and see how many homeless disabled veterans there are out begging on street corners. Take a walk around the local county hospital which is where people without insurance have to go. Check out what kind of jobs are available for someone without a degree, and how far minimum wage goes.

The US is a great place if you are lucky enough to make it in under the right circumstances. But it doesn't take much for your luck to change, and it's a scary place to be when that happens.

I don't think there's much about your current situation that can't be fixed with a good old attitude adjustment and perhaps a reality check. Just take a look at how many people turn around and move right back to the UK every day, the grass really isn't always greener.

plugy

Thanks for the advice i dont for one minute think it is going to be easy, we are so fed up we need a change, and i don't want to regret it not trying

Hotscot

With all respect...given the plan you've outlined, your life would have a very high probability of becoming far worse than it is right now and I imagine you don't want that.

Again, it may feel that responses are just serving to shatter your dreams but they are based on extensive experience. You can accept the advice or ignore it.

To be constructive you could ask us about types of businesses, or typical living costs then we could provide more technical answers.

For example.
Pool cleaning. Hires illegals. Very low profit.
Buy and run a motel. Lots of competition, hard work, very low profit.
Restaurants. Very chancy. Some people run three at a time and make @ 20k a year after costs.
Possibly you could buy a franchise but you'd need to research that and I'm not sure if you could obtain a visa for that.
Please note that the median wage is the U.S is only $26,000.

Ultimately 44% of small businesses fail in the first three years no matter how hard you work. Is that a risk worth taking?

If after digesting all these downer responses you can think of something we haven't considered please make a suggestion.
For example, start a business in the UK and eventually open a U.S. based office if successful. At least if you failed you'd be in the relative safety of the U.K.

Scott33

Sorry, but your plans seem a little unrealistic. You have plenty of other options within the UK or the EU which probably won't involve risking all you have worked for thus far. Being prepared to work hard for what you want is commendable (most of us who have moved here have learned what that means) but hard graft alone won't cut it if you don't fit squarely into one or more of the criteria for a visa.

Most of us here probably immigrated through family or spousal sponsorship, and I would bet the majority wouldn't dream of going down the investment route, unless the cash was going spare.

It's always worth mentioning a second or third time...healthcare is a big financial hassle for many in the US. If you intend on running your own buisness, the premium for an insurance policy is going to cost you thousands. There are many other hidden fees which you don't get in the UK, and not just with healthcare co-pays, deductibles and prescription charges. My council tax (equivalent) is around a thousand dollars. PER MONTH!

plugy

The figures suggested don't add up, someone commented that insurance is about $2000 per month equating to $24,000 per year.
Another post suggests the median wage is $26000 per year leaving $2000 to live on for 12 months?

As negative most of the comments are I still welcome all input and am gratefull.

lansbury

Bear in mind that someone making $26k is not paying for their own medical insurance. They well not have medical insurance, or a lot of people get medical insurance as a benefit of their employment on top of their basic pay.

If you are only making the average pay you are poor. With a family your size you need three times that, and in some places even that wouldn't be a comfortable income.

Hotscot

That's a very good question and both points are accurate. What it means is that many working people go without health coverage.
Most professionals have coverage supplied by your employer but that doesn't apply to the lower end of the income scale.

Cardienscarf

Health insurance costs vary depending on whether you have to buy it privately or whether you can be on the insurance plan of the company you work for in which case the costs again vary depending on the type of plan the employer offers. Having health insurance doesn't mean you don't pay medical bills because there are copays and out of pocket expenses as well as what the insurance company deems a procedure should cost against the actual cost. And then there's in network and out of network expenses. Not being able to pay medical bills is one of, if not the, top reasons people declare bankruptcy in the US.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100840148

Caruthers

You really don't want to be considering the US with kids as a speculative arrival. Fortunately the visa process alone probably won't be doable.

Surely Oz would be better for your background. If you are serious.

Ironically, of course you will an immigrant, the very thing you loath. Did you think about that?

mikelincs

Wherever he moves to he will be one of those people he is trying to get away from, immigrants.

nun

Your maths is correct. Many people don't have health insurance. Some of the things you take for granted in the UK (like health care free at point of service) don't exist in the US.

The possibility of you getting a US visa is very small so maybe you should content yourself with living in the UK and read less of the Daily Mail. Or as some have suggested Australia might be a possibility. I think you'd find it easy to fit in there.

Derrygal

[QUOTE=plugy;10833629]Regarding the comments on immigration and me being hypocritical, I have money and want to work or even buy a business, most that come to UK are their for benefits and free health after paying in nothing, and we have pensioners who fought for the country dying of cold because they cannot afford to put the fire on, as we give to those who don't deserve.

What i have witnessed in the us is they look after the old and servicemen and seem to want to look after each other.[/QUOTE]